SymbolHub

Radioactive Symbol (☢)

The radioactive symbol ☢ is Unicode U+2622, the radiation trefoil. Press Copy to put it on your clipboard.

Unicode
U+2622
HTML
☢
Word
2622 Alt+X

How to type the radioactive 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 2622 and press Alt + X. Alt + X converts the hex code before the cursor into the character, and back again.
  2. Press Win + . to open the emoji panel, then search for “radioactive”.

Mac

  1. Press Control + Command + Space to open the Character Viewer, search for radioactive and double-click it.
  2. With the Unicode Hex Input keyboard enabled (System Settings → Keyboard → Input Sources), hold Option and type 2622.

Linux & ChromeOS

  1. Press Ctrl + Shift + U, type 2622, then press Enter or Space. Works in GTK and IBus apps (GNOME, Firefox, Chrome, LibreOffice) and on ChromeOS.

iPhone & iPad

  1. Open the emoji keyboard and search for “radioactive” to insert ☢️, the colour emoji. For the plain text ☢, copy it from this page.
  2. Copy ☢ from this page, then go to Settings → General → Keyboard → Text Replacement and add it with a shortcut such as ;radi. The shortcut then turns into the symbol as you type, in every app.

Android

  1. In Gboard, tap the emoji key and search for “radioactive” to insert ☢️. For the plain text ☢, copy it from this page.
  2. Copy ☢ here, then open Gboard settings → Dictionary → Personal dictionary and add it with a shortcut.

Microsoft Word

  1. Type 2622, then press Alt + X.
  2. Insert → Symbol → More Symbols. Set “from” to Unicode (hex), type 2622 in “Character code” and click Insert.

Google Docs

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

Excel & Google Sheets

  1. Enter =UNICHAR(9762) 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 radiation trefoil: a central dot with three blades. It was sketched in 1946 at the University of California, Berkeley Radiation Laboratory and became the international warning sign for ionising radiation, usually black on yellow. Its Unicode name is RADIOACTIVE SIGN. In everyday text it also stands for anything nuclear, from power plants to “toxic” jokes online.

Common uses

  • Safety documentation and laboratory labels
  • Writing about nuclear energy or weapons
  • Games and posts describing something as “toxic”

Radioactive 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+2622
HTML decimal☢
HTML hex☢
CSS contentcontent: "\2622";
JavaScript"\u2622"
Python"\u2622"
Python (by name)"\N{RADIOACTIVE SIGN}"
Java / C#"\u2622"
UTF-8 bytesE2 98 A2
UTF-162622
URL encoded%E2%98%A2

☢ 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
Biohazard
U+2623		Biohazard sign, for biological rather than radioactive danger.
Atom Symbol
U+269B		Atom symbol, which suggests science in general, not a hazard.
Radioactive
U+2622 U+FE0F		The emoji form, usually drawn orange or yellow.

Symbols similar to ☢

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

☢ character properties

Official Unicode name
RADIOACTIVE SIGN
Also known as
radiation symbol, nuclear symbol, trefoil
Code point
U+2622
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
Has an emoji form: ☢️ (add U+FE0F)

Frequently asked questions

What is the radiation symbol called?

It is the radiation trefoil, encoded in Unicode as RADIOACTIVE SIGN (U+2622).

Is there an alt code for the radioactive 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 2622 then Alt + X in Word, or find it in Character Map.

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

What is the HTML code for the radioactive 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 radioactive symbol?

☢ is U+2622, officially named RADIOACTIVE SIGN, in the Miscellaneous Symbols block. It has been part of Unicode since version 1.1 (1993).