Element Of Symbol (∈)
The element of symbol ∈ is Unicode U+2208, meaning “is an element of”. Press Copy to put it on your clipboard.
- Unicode
U+2208- HTML
∈- Word
2208 Alt+X
How to type the element of symbol (∈)
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 2208 and press Alt + X. Alt + X converts the hex code before the cursor into the character, and back again.
- Press Win + R, type charmap and press Enter. Tick “Advanced view”, search for Element of, then Select and Copy. Character Map is built into every version of Windows.
Mac
- Press Control + Command + Space to open the Character Viewer, search for element of and double-click it.
- With the Unicode Hex Input keyboard enabled (System Settings → Keyboard → Input Sources), hold Option and type 2208.
Linux & ChromeOS
- Press Ctrl + Shift + U, type 2208, 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 ;elem. 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 2208, then press Alt + X.
- Insert → Symbol → More Symbols. Set “from” to Unicode (hex), type 2208 in “Character code” and click Insert.
Google Docs
- Insert → Special characters, then search for “element of” or draw it in the box.
Excel & Google Sheets
- Enter
=UNICHAR(8712)in a cell. It works in Excel 2013 and later and in Google Sheets.
HTML
- Write
∈or∈in your HTML.
What does ∈ mean?
∈ says that something is a member of a set: 3 ∈ ℕ, “3 is a natural number”. Giuseppe Peano introduced it in 1889, deriving it from the Greek epsilon, the first letter of ἐστί, “is”. The negation ∉ means “is not an element of”, and ∋ reverses the order (ℕ ∋ 3). Don’t confuse membership with inclusion: an element belongs to a set (∈), while a set is contained in another set (⊂).
Common uses
- Set membership: x ∈ ℝ
- Loops in pseudocode: for each v ∈ V
Element Of 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 point | U+2208 | |
|---|---|---|
| HTML entity (named) | ∈ | |
| HTML decimal | ∈ | |
| HTML hex | ∈ | |
| CSS content | content: "\2208"; | |
| JavaScript | "\u2208" | |
| Python | "\u2208" | |
| Python (by name) | "\N{ELEMENT OF}" | |
| Java / C# | "\u2208" | |
| LaTeX | \in | |
| UTF-8 bytes | E2 88 88 | |
| UTF-16 | 2208 | |
| URL encoded | %E2%88%88 |
∈ 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 |
|---|---|---|
Greek EpsilonU+03B5 | Greek small letter epsilon, a letter used for small quantities. | |
Not An Element ofU+2209 | Not an element of. | |
Subset ofU+2282 | Subset of, a relation between sets. |
Symbols similar to ∈
Click to copy, or open a symbol for its codes. See the full math symbols collection.
∈ character properties
- Official Unicode name
- ELEMENT OF
- Also known as
- member of, belongs to, in symbol, is an element of
- Code point
- U+2208
- Unicode block
- Mathematical Operators (U+2200–U+22FF)
- General category
- Math symbol (Sm)
- Added in
- Unicode 1.1 (1993)
- Plane
- Basic Multilingual Plane (0)
- Emoji
- No, it is a text symbol
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between ∈ and ⊂?
∈ relates an element to a set (2 ∈ {1, 2}). ⊂ relates two sets ({2} ⊂ {1, 2}).
Is there an alt code for the element of 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 2208 then Alt + X in Word, or find it in Character Map.
How do I type the element of 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 “element of” and double-click it, or copy it from this page.
What is the HTML code for the element of symbol?
Use the named entity ∈ or the numeric reference ∈ (hex ∈). All three display ∈ in every browser.
What is the Unicode for the element of symbol?
∈ is U+2208, officially named ELEMENT OF, in the Mathematical Operators block. It has been part of Unicode since version 1.1 (1993).