SymbolHub

White Circle (○)

The white circle ○ is Unicode U+25CB, an unfilled circular outline used in geometry, status toggles and East Asian grading. Press Copy to put it on your clipboard, or type it with Alt + 9 on Windows.

Unicode
U+25CB
HTML
○
Windows
Alt + 9

How to type the white circle (○)

The quickest way is to press Copy above and paste. To type ○ yourself, use the method for your device below.

Windows

  1. Hold Alt and type 9 on the numeric keypad. This older code (from code page 437) works in Notepad, Word and most desktop apps.
  2. In Word or Outlook, type 25CB and press Alt + X. Alt + X converts the hex code before the cursor into the character, and back again.
  3. Press Win + R, type charmap and press Enter. Tick “Advanced view”, search for White Circle, 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 white circle and double-click it.
  2. With the Unicode Hex Input keyboard enabled (System Settings → Keyboard → Input Sources), hold Option and type 25CB.

Linux & ChromeOS

  1. Press Ctrl + Shift + U, type 25cb, 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 ;whit. 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 25CB, then press Alt + X.
  2. Insert → Symbol → More Symbols. Set “from” to Unicode (hex), type 25CB in “Character code” and click Insert.

Google Docs

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

Excel & Google Sheets

  1. Enter =UNICHAR(9675) in a cell. It works in Excel 2013 and later and in Google Sheets.

HTML

  1. Write ○ or ○ in your HTML.

What does ○ mean?

The white circle ○ (Unicode name WHITE CIRCLE, U+25CB) is an open circular outline from the Geometric Shapes block, present since Unicode 1.1. It finds broad application in geometry, digital interface design, lunar astronomy, and international education.

In Japan, the white circle is known as maru and represents correctness, approval, or a passing grade on academic tests—the exact cultural equivalent of the Western check mark ✓. In interface mockups and static documents, ○ frequently represents an unselected radio button or an idle offline status indicator. It also appears in lunar calendars to depict the full moon.

Common uses

  • East Asian grading: signifying a correct answer or passed evaluation (maru)
  • UI mockups: depicting unselected radio buttons in forms and settings
  • Status monitors: indicating inactive, standby, or offline device states
  • Music and dance notation: marking open beats, open strings, or specific fingerings

White Circle 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+25CB
HTML entity (named)○
HTML decimal○
HTML hex○
CSS contentcontent: "\25CB";
JavaScript"\u25CB"
Python"\u25CB"
Python (by name)"\N{WHITE CIRCLE}"
Java / C#"\u25CB"
UTF-8 bytesE2 97 8B
UTF-1625CB
URL encoded%E2%97%8B
Alt code (CP437)Alt + 9

○ 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
Circle
U+25CF		Black circle (U+25CF), solid filled version.
Large Circle
U+25EF		Large circle (U+25EF), a wider ideographic circle character.
Degree
U+00B0		Degree symbol (U+00B0), a small superscript circle for temperature and angles.
Heavy Large Circle
U+2B55		Hollow red circle emoji (U+2B55), used in Japanese emoji sets.

Symbols similar to ○

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

  • Details
  • Details

○ character properties

Official Unicode name
WHITE CIRCLE
Also known as
empty circle, circle outline, hollow circle, maru
Code point
U+25CB
Unicode block
Geometric Shapes (U+25A0–U+25FF)
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 ○ mean in Japanese grading?

In Japan, a circle (maru) means correct or good, while an X indicates an error—reversing the common Western usage of check marks.

What is the alt code for the white circle?

On Windows, hold Alt and type 9 on the numeric keypad to insert ○ in many text editors, or use 25CB then Alt + X in Word.

What is the alt code for the white circle?

On Windows, hold Alt and type 9 on the numeric keypad to get ○. On a laptop without a keypad, copy it from this page or use 25CB then Alt + X in Word.

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

What is the HTML code for the white circle?

Use the named entity ○ or the numeric reference ○ (hex ○). All three display ○ in every browser.

What is the Unicode for the white circle?

○ is U+25CB, officially named WHITE CIRCLE, in the Geometric Shapes block. It has been part of Unicode since version 1.1 (1993).