HTML Entity for Asterism (⁂)

Beginner
⏱️ 5 min read
📚 Updated: May 2026
🎯 1 Code Example
Unicode U+2042
HTML Entity for asterism U+2042 tutorial illustration

What You'll Learn

How to insert the asterism (⁂, Unicode U+2042) in HTML. This is a single typographic character—traditionally three asterisks forming a triangle—used as a section divider or decorative break in books, articles, and newsletters.

It lives in the General Punctuation block. There is no standard named HTML entity; use ⁂, ⁂, or \2042 in CSS content.

⚡ Quick Reference — Asterism Entity

Unicode U+2042

General Punctuation

Hex Code ⁂

Hexadecimal reference

HTML Code ⁂

Decimal reference

Named Entity —

None (use numeric refs)

Reference Table
Name           Value
────────────   ──────────
Unicode        U+2042
Hex code       ⁂
HTML code      ⁂
Named entity   (none)
CSS code       \2042
1

Complete HTML Example

Hexadecimal, decimal, and CSS content escape (no named entity):

html
<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
<head>
 <style>
  #point:after{
   content: "\2042";
  }
 </style>
</head>
<body>

<p>Asterism using Hexa Decimal: &#x2042;</p>
<p>Asterism using HTML Code: &#8258;</p>
<p id="point">Asterism using CSS Entity: </p>

</body>
</html>
Try it Yourself

🌐 Browser Support

Numeric references for U+2042 are supported in all modern browsers:

Chrome 1+
Firefox 1+
Safari 1+
Edge 12+
Opera 4+
Android 4.4+
iOS Safari 1+

👀 Live Preview

Typographic divider contexts:

Standalone ⁂
Between paragraphs End of scene one.
⁂
Scene two begins here.
Large display ⁂
Contrast: three ASCII stars * * * vs. ⁂ (single code point)
Note Glyph shape depends on the font’s General Punctuation drawing.

🧠 How It Works

1

Hexadecimal Code

&#x2042; encodes U+2042 using hex digits 2042.

HTML markup
2

Decimal HTML Code

&#8258; is decimal 825810 = 0x2042.

HTML markup
3

CSS Entity

\2042 appears in CSS content for decorative rules or pseudo-elements.

CSS stylesheet
4

No named entity

HTML does not define a short name for U+2042. Use numeric references in markup.

HTML markup
=

Same visual result

All methods yield ⁂. Unicode U+2042 is ASTERISM in General Punctuation (U+2000–U+206F).

✅

Use Cases

The asterism (⁂) fits editorial and long-form layouts:

📄 Section breaks

Between chapters, scenes, or major article sections.

📚 E-books & magazines

Digital publishing that mirrors print typography.

🎨 Editorial design

Newsletters, pull quotes, and decorative mid-column rules.

📝 Poetry & lit

Stanza breaks where a classical dinkus-style mark is desired.

📰 Blogs

Visual pause before a conclusion or sponsored block.

♿ Accessibility

Keep real <section> / heading hierarchy; treat ⁂ as decoration, not structure alone.

🌐 i18n

One Unicode point for a widely recognized divider motif.

💡 Best Practices

Do

  • Pick hex or decimal and stay consistent within one template
  • Test body and heading fonts for a clear ⁂ outline
  • Pair the glyph with semantic sections or headings
  • Use \2042 only in CSS content, not pasted into HTML as a raw backslash sequence
  • Prefer one U+2042 over three separate * when you want the classic dinkus

Don’t

  • Rely on the asterism alone to convey document structure to assistive tech
  • Assume every webfont includes a polished U+2042
  • Confuse U+2042 with the reference mark ※ (U+203B) or similar ornaments
  • Mix random spacer GIFs and Unicode dividers without a design system
  • Use a named entity that does not exist (there isn’t one for this code point)

Key Takeaways

1

Two HTML numeric forms render ⁂

&#x2042; &#8258;
2

CSS: \2042 in content

\2042
3

U+2042 is ASTERISM (General Punctuation)

4

No standard named HTML entity for this character

5

Keep headings and landmarks; use ⁂ as a visual divider

❓ Frequently Asked Questions

Use &#x2042; (hex), &#8258; (decimal), or \2042 in CSS content. No named entity.
U+2042 (decimal 8258). Unicode name: ASTERISM.
For typographic section dividers, editorial breaks, and publishing-style layout where a single classic ornament is better than three separate asterisks.
HTML references live in the document; \2042 is for stylesheets. Same code point.
No. Use numeric references or a CSS escape.

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About the author

Mari Selvan M P
Mari Selvan M P 🔗

Developer, cloud engineer, and technical writer

  • Experience 12 years building web and cloud systems
  • Focus Full Stack Development, AWS, and Developer Education

I write practical tutorials so students and working developers can learn by doing—from databases and APIs to deployment on AWS.

AWS Certified Developer – Associate (Credly)

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