HTML Entity for Balloon Spoked Asterisk (❉)

Beginner

5 min read

Updated: Sep 2026

1 example

Unicode U+2749

HTML Entity for balloon-spoked asterisk (❉) tutorial illustration

Definition

What Is the Balloon Spoked Asterisk Entity?

Balloon-spoked asterisk (❉) is Unicode U+2749 in the Dingbats block. It is a decorative ornament used for emphasis, list flair, and event-style titles. HTML has no standard named entity — use numeric or CSS forms (or type the character in UTF-8).

Remember

Character     ❉
Unicode       U+2749
Hex entity    &#x2749;
Decimal       &#10057;
Named entity  (none)
CSS escape    \2749
Not the same  * U+002A · ∗ U+2217 · ⁂ U+2042

All of these produce the same glyph: ❉. Prefer typing ❉ in UTF-8 when you can; use ❉ / ❉ or CSS for generated content.

Reference

Quick Reference

One table for every form you will actually use.

Form	Code	Where it goes
Direct character	`❉`	HTML text (UTF-8)
Named entity	None	—
Hex entity	`❉`	HTML markup
Decimal entity	`❉`	HTML markup
CSS escape	`\2749`	Stylesheet `content`

When to Use Which

Situation	Use
Decorative emphasis / ornament	`❉` or type `❉`
Simple keyboard asterisk	* (U+002A)
Mathematical asterisk	∗ / `&lowast;`
Typographic section break	⁂ (U+2042)
Icon via CSS	`content: "\2749"` on `::before`

See it

Live Preview

Balloon-spoked asterisk in decorative contexts.

Inline Featured ❉ Special offer

Large glyph ❉

Title flair ❉ Winter Gala ❉

vs. ASCII * * vs. ❉

With entities Hex: ❉ | Decimal: ❉

Code

Complete HTML Example

One page that shows ❉ with hex, decimal, CSS escape, and a typed character. Use View Output or open the live editor.

Hex + Decimal + CSS + Typed

Four ways to produce ❉ in a single document (no named entity).

html

<!DOCTYPE html>
<html lang="en">
<head>
  <meta charset="UTF-8">
  <title>Balloon Spoked Asterisk (❉) in HTML</title>
  <style>
    #point::after {
      content: "\2749";
    }
  </style>
</head>
<body>
  <p>Balloon asterisk using Hex Code: &#x2749;</p>
  <p>Balloon asterisk using HTML Code: &#10057;</p>
  <p id="point">Balloon asterisk using CSS Entity: </p>
  <p>Typed directly: ❉</p>
</body>
</html>

Try It Yourself

How It Works

1. Hex: U+2749 → ❉ in HTML. The browser turns it into ❉.

2. Decimal: same code point as 10057 → ❉. Same result as hex.

3. CSS: use \2749 in content (not an HTML entity). #point::after appends that ❉ after the paragraph text.

4. Typed ❉: fine in UTF-8 source. All four lines show the same glyph.

Pitfalls & Tips

Common mistakes when working with the balloon-spoked asterisk (❉).

Named

No &name; form

U+2749 has no standard named entity — use ❉ or ❉.

Not ASCII asterisk

* (U+002A) is a different, plain keyboard star.

a11y

Decoration only

Keep real headings and labels. Treat ❉ as visual flair, not the only structure cue.

Fonts

Check Dingbats coverage

Some UI fonts omit a polished U+2749. Prefer fonts with solid Dingbats coverage.

CSS vs HTML

Do not mix escapes

\2749 belongs in CSS. ❉ / ❉ belong in HTML.

Semicolon

End references

Always finish with ; — write ❉, not &#x2749.

Compatibility

Browser Support

Balloon-spoked asterisk (U+2749) and its entity forms (❉, ❉, CSS \\2749) are supported in all mainstream browsers. Glyph quality depends on font support for Dingbats.

✓ Universal support

Balloon Spoked Asterisk (❉)

Type ❉, or encode with hex, decimal, or CSS escape — same glyph everywhere encoding is supported.

100% Browser coverage

Google Chrome Supported

Yes

Microsoft Edge Supported

Yes

Mozilla Firefox Supported

Yes

Apple Safari Supported

Yes

Opera Supported

Yes

Internet Explorer All versions

Yes

U+2749 / entities Full support

Bottom line: Prefer a typed ❉ or ❉ for ornaments. Use decimal when generating markup, and \\2749 only inside CSS content.

Remember

Key Takeaways

Unicode: balloon-spoked asterisk is U+2749 (decimal 10057).
HTML: use ❉ or ❉ (no named entity).
CSS: use \2749 inside content for generated ornaments.
Watch out: ❉ ≠ * ≠ ∗ ≠ ⁂.

One line: U+2749 → ❉ / ❉ / CSS \2749.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do I display the balloon-spoked asterisk (❉) in HTML?

Use ❉ (hex), ❉ (decimal), or the CSS escape \2749 in the content property. All render ❉. You can also paste ❉ directly if your file is UTF-8. There is no standard named entity.

What is the Unicode value for balloon-spoked asterisk?

U+2749 (hex 2749, decimal 10057). Unicode names it BALLOON-SPOKED ASTERISK. It belongs to the Dingbats block.

Is there a named HTML entity for ❉ (U+2749)?

No. HTML5 / WHATWG does not define a named character reference for U+2749. Prefer ❉, ❉, or a typed ❉ in UTF-8.

Is ❉ the same as * or ∗?

No. * is ASCII U+002A and ∗ is the mathematical asterisk operator (U+2217). ❉ is a decorative Dingbat with a different look and code point.

What is the difference between HTML code and CSS entity for ❉?

HTML entities (❉ or ❉) go in markup. The CSS escape \2749 is used in stylesheets (usually in the content property of ::before/::after). Both render ❉.

When should I use balloon-spoked asterisk?

For decorative emphasis, list flair, or event titles. Do not use it alone as a heading — keep real structure for accessibility.

Did you know?

Balloon-spoked asterisk is Unicode U+2749 (decimal 10057) in the Dingbats block — official name BALLOON-SPOKED ASTERISK. There is no standard named HTML entity. Use it for decorative emphasis; keep real headings and labels for structure.

Next: Ballot Box

Learn the HTML entity for the ballot box (☐).

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About the author

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.

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