SymbolHub

Mercury Symbol (☿)

The mercury symbol ☿ is Unicode U+263F, the astronomical sign for the planet Mercury. Press Copy to put it on your clipboard.

Unicode
U+263F
HTML
☿
Word
263F Alt+X

How to type the mercury 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 263F 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 Mercury, 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 mercury and double-click it.
  2. With the Unicode Hex Input keyboard enabled (System Settings → Keyboard → Input Sources), hold Option and type 263F.

Linux & ChromeOS

  1. Press Ctrl + Shift + U, type 263f, 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 ;merc. 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 263F, then press Alt + X.
  2. Insert → Symbol → More Symbols. Set “from” to Unicode (hex), type 263F in “Character code” and click Insert.

Google Docs

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

Excel & Google Sheets

  1. Enter =UNICHAR(9791) 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 traditional symbol of Mercury, the planet closest to the Sun. The glyph, a circle with a cross below and horns above, is usually explained as the caduceus, the winged staff carried by Mercury (the Greek Hermes), messenger of the gods.

The same sign did double duty in alchemy, where it stood for the metal mercury, quicksilver, which is why old chemistry texts mark it with ☿. Some botanists have also used it for hermaphrodite plants, alongside ♂ and ♀. In modern astronomy papers the planets are normally named in full; the symbols survive mainly in astrology, history of science and education. Don’t confuse ☿ with ⚕ or ☤, which are medical and commercial staff emblems.

Mercury 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+263F
HTML decimal☿
HTML hex☿
CSS contentcontent: "\263F";
JavaScript"\u263F"
Python"\u263F"
Python (by name)"\N{MERCURY}"
Java / C#"\u263F"
UTF-8 bytesE2 98 BF
UTF-16263F
URL encoded%E2%98%BF

☿ 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
Female
U+2640		The Venus symbol, which lacks the horns on top.
Staff of Aesculapius
U+2695		Staff of Aesculapius, the medical emblem with one snake.

Symbols similar to ☿

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

☿ character properties

Official Unicode name
MERCURY
Also known as
mercury planet symbol, caduceus symbol, hermes symbol
Code point
U+263F
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 Mercury symbol ☿ represent?

Traditionally the caduceus of the god Mercury. It stands for the planet in astronomy and astrology, and for the metal mercury in alchemy.

Is ☿ used in modern astronomy?

Rarely. Journals prefer the planet name, but the symbol appears in astrology, history and teaching.

Is there an alt code for the mercury 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 263F then Alt + X in Word, or find it in Character Map.

How do I type the mercury 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 “mercury” and double-click it, or copy it from this page.

What is the HTML code for the mercury 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 mercury symbol?

☿ is U+263F, officially named MERCURY, in the Miscellaneous Symbols block. It has been part of Unicode since version 1.1 (1993).