Less-Than and Not Approximate ⪉

⪉ (U+2A89) 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: Less-Than and Not Approximate is part of the Symbols family (block: Supplemental Mathematical Operators). If you need styled or decorative alternatives, try our Fancy Text tool to generate compatible text that works in most modern interfaces.

History & usage: LESS-THAN AND NOT APPROXIMATE is a mathematical symbol with the code point U+2A89 in the Supplemental Mathematical Operators block. It combines a less‑than sign with a slash that shows the distance from equality is intentional, not approximate. This makes it clear that one value is strictly less than another, even when a rough estimate might be shown. In practice, the symbol appears in formulas and user interfaces where precise ordering matters. It helps avoid confusion when exact comparison is needed. The symbol is used alongside other comparison and relation signs in math documents, software, and calculators. It communicates a strict inequality and supports clear output in equations and data displays. As a history note, such operators were added to extend basic symbols for more precise logic and numeric relations. In current use, it acts as a clear indicator of a definite ordering decision. It is part of standard math notation and is understood by readers familiar with common mathematical operators. In live systems, it may be chosen to convey a strict less‑than relation at a glance.

Copy and input: the quickest method is to copy the character here. You can also insert it by its codepoint U+2A89 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.