Left Right Open-Headed Arrow ⇿
⇿ (U+21FF) 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: Left Right 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 LEFT RIGHT OPEN-HEADED ARROW, codepoint U+21FF, has a history tied to navigation and direction cues in text and interfaces. It appears in lists, diagrams, and UI designs to show paired motion or choices. Early typography used arrows as simple pointers; later digital fonts kept the clear open head to reduce ambiguity. This character helps users scan layouts quickly and understand flow from one item to another. In software, it marks next steps, back and forth navigation, or selected directions. Designers choose it when both left and right movement is needed in one symbol. Copyglyph supports this symbol alongside other arrows in its symbol set. For learning about how symbols are grouped, see Copyglyph categories and for practical uses, explore Copyglyph tools. If you study visual similarity or risks of confusion, check Copyglyph confusables to compare similar marks and avoid mistakes.
Copy and input: the quickest method is to copy the character here. You can also insert it by its codepoint U+21FF 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.
Related confusable: view similar characters.
Technical details
- Codepoint:
U+21FF - General Category:
Sm - Age:
3.2 - Bidi Class:
ON - Block:
Arrows - Script:
Common - UTF-8:
E2 87 BF - UTF-16:
21FF - UTF-32:
000021FF - HTML dec:
⇿ - HTML hex:
⇿ - JS escape:
\u21FF - Python \N{}:
\N{LEFT RIGHT OPEN-HEADED ARROW} - Python \u:
\u21FF - Python \U:
\U000021FF - URL-encoded:
%E2%87%BF - CSS escape:
\21FF
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+21FF 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.