Leftwards Open-Headed Arrow ⇽
⇽ (U+21FD) is a standard Unicode character that you can copy and paste anywhere text is accepted. This page provides a concise reference with safe tips, internal links, and practical guidance so you can use it reliably across apps and platforms.
What it is and where it’s used: Leftwards Open-Headed Arrow is part of the Symbols family (block: Arrows). If you need styled or decorative alternatives, try our Fancy Text tool to generate compatible text that works in most modern interfaces.
History & usage: The character is LEFTWARDS OPEN-HEADED ARROW, code point U+21FD. It belongs to the Arrows block and is in the Common script. In practical terms, arrows commonly indicate direction and navigation cues in interfaces and documents. This symbol often appears in menus, forms, and diagrams to suggest move left or to go back. It supports both print and digital work. Over time, arrow symbols have been used to guide readers, show relationships, and point toward options or steps. When designers pick this arrow, they expect a clear, immediate cue. For accessibility, it is helpful to pair it with text or alt descriptions so users can understand the action. In the right context, it helps reduce clutter by replacing longer phrases with a simple mark. This arrow can appear on buttons, icons, or instructional notes. Its open head emphasizes movement rather than a solid point, which makes it distinct from other left arrows.
Copy and input: the quickest method is to copy the character here. You can also insert it by its codepoint U+21FD in many development tools or editors. Some operating systems provide a character viewer or input palette that lets you search by name or code and insert the glyph into documents.
Display and fallback: if you see an empty box (tofu) or a placeholder rectangle, the active font might not include this codepoint. Switching to a font with broader Unicode coverage or using a fallback font usually fixes the issue. On the web, ensure the page’s font stack includes a general‑purpose fallback.
Related references: browse the Categories for similar characters. When choosing a symbol, prefer the official codepoint for semantic clarity and better compatibility with search, copy, and accessibility tooling.
See our category page for related symbols.
Technical details
- Codepoint:
U+21FD - General Category:
Sm - Age:
3.2 - Bidi Class:
ON - Block:
Arrows - Script:
Common - UTF-8:
E2 87 BD - UTF-16:
21FD - UTF-32:
000021FD - HTML dec:
⇽ - HTML hex:
⇽ - JS escape:
\u21FD - Python \N{}:
\N{LEFTWARDS OPEN-HEADED ARROW} - Python \u:
\u21FD - Python \U:
\U000021FD - URL-encoded:
%E2%87%BD - CSS escape:
\21FD
How to type / insert
Fast copy: click the Copy button near the top of this page.
By codepoint: in many editors and IDEs, you can insert via the Unicode code U+21FD or a built‑in character picker.
HTML: use the numeric entity ⇽ (hex) or ⇽ (decimal) when an HTML entity is needed.
Compatibility & troubleshooting
Font support: if the symbol does not render, the current font likely lacks this codepoint. Choose a font with broad Unicode coverage or allow a fallback font.
Web pages: ensure your CSS font stack includes a general fallback; avoid relying on images for common symbols to preserve accessibility and copyability.