Zero Width Joiner
The zero width joiner is Unicode U+200D, an invisible formatting character used to force typographic ligatures in complex scripts and combine emoji sequences. Press Copy to put it on your clipboard.
- Unicode
U+200D- HTML
‍- Word
200D Alt+X
How to type the zero width joiner ()
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 200D 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 Zero Width Joiner, 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 zero width joiner and double-click it.
- With the Unicode Hex Input keyboard enabled (System Settings → Keyboard → Input Sources), hold Option and type 200D.
Linux & ChromeOS
- Press Ctrl + Shift + U, type 200d, 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 ;zero. 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 200D, then press Alt + X.
- Insert → Symbol → More Symbols. Set “from” to Unicode (hex), type 200D in “Character code” and click Insert.
Google Docs
- Insert → Special characters, then search for “zero width joiner” or draw it in the box.
Excel & Google Sheets
- Enter
=UNICHAR(8205)in a cell. It works in Excel 2013 and later and in Google Sheets.
HTML
- Write
‍or‍in your HTML.
What does mean?
The zero-width joiner (Unicode name ZERO WIDTH JOINER, commonly abbreviated as ZWJ, code point U+200D) is an invisible formatting character that instructs text rendering engines to join adjacent characters together into a ligature or connected cursive form. In complex writing systems such as Arabic, Devanagari, and Sinhala, the ZWJ controls whether consonants and vowels combine into complex conjunct glyphs. In modern computing, the character achieved worldwide prominence through Emoji ZWJ sequences: by placing a ZWJ between separate base emoji, devices combine them into a single unified glyph (for example, combining a woman, ZWJ, and a microscope to render a woman scientist). It operates within Unicode space characters, in contrast to the zero-width space and standard punctuation symbols.
Common uses
- Creating composite modern emoji: combining person + ZWJ + laptop to render a tech worker
- Joining family, couple, and profession emoji combinations into single glyphs
- Controlling half-forms and conjunct ligatures in South Asian Indic scripts (Devanagari, Malayalam)
- Joining isolated cursive letterforms in Arabic calligraphy and typesetting
Zero Width Joiner 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+200D | |
|---|---|---|
| HTML entity (named) | ‍ | |
| HTML decimal | ‍ | |
| HTML hex | ‍ | |
| CSS content | content: "\200D"; | |
| JavaScript | "\u200D" | |
| Python | "\u200D" | |
| Python (by name) | "\N{ZERO WIDTH JOINER}" | |
| Java / C# | "\u200D" | |
| UTF-8 bytes | E2 80 8D | |
| UTF-16 | 200D | |
| URL encoded | %E2%80%8D |
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 |
|---|---|---|
Zero Width Non-JoinerU+200C | Zero-width non-joiner (ZWNJ, U+200C), which explicitly prevents ligatures and forces letters to remain detached. | |
Zero Width SpaceU+200B | Zero-width space (ZWSP, U+200B), which acts as an invisible line-break boundary without joining glyphs. | |
Word JoinerU+2060 | Word joiner (WJ, U+2060), which prevents line breaks but does not create character ligatures. |
Symbols similar to
Click to copy, or open a symbol for its codes. See the full unicode space characters collection.
character properties
- Official Unicode name
- ZERO WIDTH JOINER
- Also known as
- ZWJ, zero-width joiner symbol, emoji joiner, invisible joiner
- Code point
- U+200D
- Unicode block
- General Punctuation (U+2000–U+206F)
- General category
- Format (Cf)
- Added in
- Unicode 1.1 (1993)
- Plane
- Basic Multilingual Plane (0)
- Emoji
- No, it is a text symbol
Frequently asked questions
How does ZWJ work in emoji?
A ZWJ placed between two or more emoji acts as glue. If the user’s operating system supports the combined sequence, it renders a single composite emoji; otherwise, it displays the individual emoji side by side.
Can you see a ZWJ character?
No. The zero-width joiner is completely invisible. It possesses no width of its own and only alters the rendering behavior of surrounding characters.
What is the difference between ZWJ and ZWNJ?
ZWJ (U+200D) forces adjacent characters to join into a ligature, while ZWNJ (U+200C) forces characters to stay apart as separate, detached letterforms.
Is there an alt code for the zero width joiner?
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 200D then Alt + X in Word, or find it in Character Map.
How do I type the zero width joiner 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 “zero width joiner” and double-click it, or copy it from this page.
What is the HTML code for the zero width joiner?
Use the named entity or the numeric reference (hex ). All three display in every browser.
What is the Unicode for the zero width joiner?
is U+200D, officially named ZERO WIDTH JOINER, in the General Punctuation block. It has been part of Unicode since version 1.1 (1993).