Curved Arrow (↩)
The curved arrow ↩ is Unicode U+21A9, the hooked arrow used for return, reply and undo. Press Copy to put it on your clipboard.
- Unicode
U+21A9- HTML
↩- Word
21A9 Alt+X
How to type the curved arrow (↩)
The quickest way is to press Copy above and paste. To type ↩ yourself, use the method for your device below.
Windows
- In Word or Outlook, type 21A9 and press Alt + X. Alt + X converts the hex code before the cursor into the character, and back again.
- Press Win + . to open the emoji panel, then search for “leftwards arrow with hook”.
Mac
- Press Control + Command + Space to open the Character Viewer, search for leftwards arrow with hook and double-click it.
- With the Unicode Hex Input keyboard enabled (System Settings → Keyboard → Input Sources), hold Option and type 21A9.
Linux & ChromeOS
- Press Ctrl + Shift + U, type 21a9, then press Enter or Space. Works in GTK and IBus apps (GNOME, Firefox, Chrome, LibreOffice) and on ChromeOS.
iPhone & iPad
- Copy ↩ from this page, then go to Settings → General → Keyboard → Text Replacement and add it with a shortcut such as ;curv. The shortcut then turns into the symbol as you type, in every app.
Android
- Copy ↩ here, then open Gboard settings → Dictionary → Personal dictionary and add it with a shortcut.
Microsoft Word
- Type 21A9, then press Alt + X.
- Insert → Symbol → More Symbols. Set “from” to Unicode (hex), type 21A9 in “Character code” and click Insert.
Google Docs
- Insert → Special characters, then search for “leftwards arrow with hook” or draw it in the box.
Excel & Google Sheets
- Enter
=UNICHAR(8617)in a cell. It works in Excel 2013 and later and in Google Sheets.
HTML
- Write
↩or↩in your HTML.
What does ↩ mean?
The curved arrow ↩ (LEFTWARDS ARROW WITH HOOK) means go back. Email apps use it for Reply, editors for Undo, and macOS menus show it as the symbol for the Return key, for example ⌘↩ for Command + Return. Its mirror image ↪ is used for redo or forward. With U+FE0F it becomes the emoji ↩️, and the HTML name is ↩.
Common uses
- Keyboard shortcuts on Mac: ⇧↩ (Shift + Return)
- Chat apps: ↩ Reply
- Instructions: “↩ Return to the start”
Curved Arrow 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 point | U+21A9 | |
|---|---|---|
| HTML entity (named) | ↩ | |
| HTML decimal | ↩ | |
| HTML hex | ↩ | |
| CSS content | content: "\21A9"; | |
| JavaScript | "\u21A9" | |
| Python | "\u21A9" | |
| Python (by name) | "\N{LEFTWARDS ARROW WITH HOOK}" | |
| Java / C# | "\u21A9" | |
| UTF-8 bytes | E2 86 A9 | |
| UTF-16 | 21A9 | |
| URL encoded | %E2%86%A9 |
↩ 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.
| Char | Name | When to use it |
|---|---|---|
Downwards Arrow with Corner LeftwardsU+21B5 | Downwards arrow with corner leftwards, the Enter key symbol on many PC keyboards. | |
Rightwards Arrow with HookU+21AA | Rightwards arrow with hook, for redo or forward. | |
Return SymbolU+23CE | Return symbol (U+23CE). |
Symbols similar to ↩
Click to copy, or open a symbol for its codes. See the full arrow symbols collection.
↩ character properties
- Official Unicode name
- LEFTWARDS ARROW WITH HOOK
- Also known as
- leftwards arrow with hook, return arrow, reply arrow, undo arrow
- Code point
- U+21A9
- Unicode block
- Arrows (U+2190–U+21FF)
- General category
- Other symbol (So)
- Added in
- Unicode 1.1 (1993)
- Plane
- Basic Multilingual Plane (0)
- Emoji
- Has an emoji form: ↩️ (add U+FE0F)
Frequently asked questions
Which arrow is the Return key on a Mac?
macOS menus show Return as ↩, the leftwards arrow with hook.
Is there an alt code for the curved arrow?
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 21A9 then Alt + X in Word, or find it in Character Map.
How do I type the curved arrow 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 “leftwards arrow with hook” and double-click it, or copy it from this page.
What is the HTML code for the curved arrow?
Use the named entity ↩ or the numeric reference ↩ (hex ↩). All three display ↩ in every browser.
What is the Unicode for the curved arrow?
↩ is U+21A9, officially named LEFTWARDS ARROW WITH HOOK, in the Arrows block. It has been part of Unicode since version 1.1 (1993).