SymbolHub

Ankh Symbol (☥)

The ankh symbol ☥ is Unicode U+2625, the ancient Egyptian sign of life. Press Copy to put it on your clipboard.

Unicode
U+2625
HTML
☥
Word
2625 Alt+X

How to type the ankh symbol (☥)

The quickest way is to press Copy above and paste. To type ☥ yourself, use the method for your device below.

Windows

  1. In Word or Outlook, type 2625 and press Alt + X. Alt + X converts the hex code before the cursor into the character, and back again.
  2. Press Win + R, type charmap and press Enter. Tick “Advanced view”, search for Ankh, then Select and Copy. Character Map is built into every version of Windows.

Mac

  1. Press Control + Command + Space to open the Character Viewer, search for ankh and double-click it.
  2. With the Unicode Hex Input keyboard enabled (System Settings → Keyboard → Input Sources), hold Option and type 2625.

Linux & ChromeOS

  1. Press Ctrl + Shift + U, type 2625, then press Enter or Space. Works in GTK and IBus apps (GNOME, Firefox, Chrome, LibreOffice) and on ChromeOS.

iPhone & iPad

  1. Copy ☥ from this page, then go to Settings → General → Keyboard → Text Replacement and add it with a shortcut such as ;ankh. The shortcut then turns into the symbol as you type, in every app.

Android

  1. Copy ☥ here, then open Gboard settings → Dictionary → Personal dictionary and add it with a shortcut.

Microsoft Word

  1. Type 2625, then press Alt + X.
  2. Insert → Symbol → More Symbols. Set “from” to Unicode (hex), type 2625 in “Character code” and click Insert.

Google Docs

  1. Insert → Special characters, then search for “ankh” or draw it in the box.

Excel & Google Sheets

  1. Enter =UNICHAR(9765) in a cell. It works in Excel 2013 and later and in Google Sheets.

HTML

  1. Write ☥ or ☥ in your HTML.

What does ☥ mean?

☥ is the ankh, the ancient Egyptian hieroglyph for “life”. It looks like a cross with a loop at the top and is often shown in the hands of gods and pharaohs in tomb and temple art. Today it is popular in jewellery and tattoos as a symbol of life and of African heritage. The hieroglyph itself is encoded separately as 𓋹 in the Egyptian Hieroglyphs block, which needs a specialist font.

Common uses

  • Writing about ancient Egypt and Egyptology
  • Jewellery, tattoo and art descriptions

Ankh Symbol codes for HTML, CSS and programming

Every code below produces ☥. Use the HTML entity in web pages, the CSS escape in content, and the escape sequence in source code.

Unicode code pointU+2625
HTML decimal☥
HTML hex☥
CSS contentcontent: "\2625";
JavaScript"\u2625"
Python"\u2625"
Python (by name)"\N{ANKH}"
Java / C#"\u2625"
UTF-8 bytesE2 98 A5
UTF-162625
URL encoded%E2%98%A5

☥ vs look-alike characters

These characters look similar to ☥ but have a different meaning and code. Pasting the wrong one can break search, sorting and screen readers.

CharNameWhen to use it
Egyptian Hieroglyph S034
U+132F9		Egyptian hieroglyph S034, the same sign as a hieroglyph for scholarly texts.
Latin Cross
U+271D		Latin cross, the Christian symbol, which has no loop.

Symbols similar to ☥

Click to copy, or open a symbol for its codes. See the full religious symbols collection.

☥ character properties

Official Unicode name
ANKH
Also known as
ankh cross, key of life, egyptian cross
Code point
U+2625
Unicode block
Miscellaneous Symbols (U+2600–U+26FF)
General category
Other symbol (So)
Added in
Unicode 1.1 (1993)
Plane
Basic Multilingual Plane (0)
Emoji
No, it is a text symbol

Frequently asked questions

What does the ankh ☥ symbolize?

In ancient Egypt the ankh meant life, and it was associated with eternal life and the gods. It is still used as a symbol of life today.

Is there an alt code for the ankh symbol?

No. ☥ is outside the Windows-1252 and code page 437 character sets, so no Alt + number code produces it. Copy it from this page, type 2625 then Alt + X in Word, or find it in Character Map.

How do I type the ankh symbol on a Mac?

There is no single Option shortcut for ☥ on the US layout. Press Control + Command + Space to open the Character Viewer, search for “ankh” and double-click it, or copy it from this page.

What is the HTML code for the ankh symbol?

☥ has no named HTML entity. Use the numeric reference ☥ or ☥, or paste the character directly into a UTF-8 page.

What is the Unicode for the ankh symbol?

☥ is U+2625, officially named ANKH, in the Miscellaneous Symbols block. It has been part of Unicode since version 1.1 (1993).