Perpendicular Symbol (⊥)
The perpendicular symbol ⊥ is Unicode U+22A5, meaning “is perpendicular to”. Press Copy to put it on your clipboard.
- Unicode
U+22A5- HTML
⊥- Word
22A5 Alt+X
How to type the perpendicular 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 22A5 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 Up Tack, 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 up tack and double-click it.
- With the Unicode Hex Input keyboard enabled (System Settings → Keyboard → Input Sources), hold Option and type 22A5.
Linux & ChromeOS
- Press Ctrl + Shift + U, type 22a5, 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 ;perp. 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 22A5, then press Alt + X.
- Insert → Symbol → More Symbols. Set “from” to Unicode (hex), type 22A5 in “Character code” and click Insert.
Google Docs
- Insert → Special characters, then search for “up tack” or draw it in the box.
Excel & Google Sheets
- Enter
=UNICHAR(8869)in a cell. It works in Excel 2013 and later and in Google Sheets.
HTML
- Write
⊥or⊥in your HTML.
What does ⊥ mean?
⊥ states that two lines meet at a right angle: AB ⊥ CD. Its official Unicode name is UP TACK, because logicians also use it as “falsum”, the always-false statement, and computer scientists as “bottom”, a value that never returns. For the geometric relation Unicode also offers a dedicated PERPENDICULAR character ⟂; both are acceptable, and ⊥ has much wider font support. Its partner ∥ means “is parallel to”.
Common uses
- Geometry: AB ⊥ BC
- Linear algebra: vectors u ⊥ v when u · v = 0
- Logic: ⊥ for contradiction
Perpendicular 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+22A5 | |
|---|---|---|
| HTML entity (named) | ⊥ | |
| HTML decimal | ⊥ | |
| HTML hex | ⊥ | |
| CSS content | content: "\22A5"; | |
| JavaScript | "\u22A5" | |
| Python | "\u22A5" | |
| Python (by name) | "\N{UP TACK}" | |
| Java / C# | "\u22A5" | |
| LaTeX | \perp | |
| UTF-8 bytes | E2 8A A5 | |
| UTF-16 | 22A5 | |
| URL encoded | %E2%8A%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.
| Char | Name | When to use it |
|---|---|---|
PerpendicularU+27C2 | Perpendicular (U+27C2), the dedicated geometry form. | |
Down TackU+22A4 | Down tack, “verum” or top in logic. | |
Capital TU+0054 | Capital T upside down is not a character; use ⊥. |
Symbols similar to ⊥
Click to copy, or open a symbol for its codes. See the full math symbols collection.
⊥ character properties
- Official Unicode name
- UP TACK
- Also known as
- up tack, perp, falsum, bottom
- Code point
- U+22A5
- 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 symbol for parallel?
Use ∥ (U+2225), for example AB ∥ CD. It is the counterpart of ⊥.
Is there an alt code for the perpendicular 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 22A5 then Alt + X in Word, or find it in Character Map.
How do I type the perpendicular 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 “up tack” and double-click it, or copy it from this page.
What is the HTML code for the perpendicular symbol?
Use the named entity ⊥ or the numeric reference ⊥ (hex ⊥). All three display ⊥ in every browser.
What is the Unicode for the perpendicular symbol?
⊥ is U+22A5, officially named UP TACK, in the Mathematical Operators block. It has been part of Unicode since version 1.1 (1993).