Minus Sign −
Usage snapshot:
- Common math symbols indicate operations or comparisons in formulas and user interfaces.
History & usage: The character depicts the MINUS SIGN. In formulas it marks subtraction and negative values. In calculators it performs subtraction and negation, enabling quick results for totals and differences. In user interfaces it serves as a compact control for removing or reducing values, and for comparative checks like differences between options. It helps display negative numbers in reports, charts, and data tables, making results clear at a glance. In coding and data entry, it indicates negative quantities and serves as a math operator in expressions. It supports accessibility by being announced as a minus and recognized by screen readers in math and form fields. Cross‑platform, it renders as a simple dash with consistent spacing in plain UI and accessible when using keyboard navigation.
See our category page for related symbols.
Need styled alternatives? Try the Fancy Text tool.
This reference covers U+2212 Minus Sign with practical usage tips and links.
Confusables
Technical details
- Codepoint:
U+2212 - Block:
Mathematical Operators - Script:
Common - UTF-8:
E2 88 92 - UTF-16:
2212 - UTF-32:
00002212 - HTML dec:
− - HTML hex:
− - JS escape:
\u2212 - Python \N{}:
\N{MINUS SIGN} - Python \u:
\u2212 - Python \U:
\U00002212 - URL-encoded:
%E2%88%92 - CSS escape:
\2212
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+2212 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.