HTML Entity for Down White Arrow (⇩)

Beginner

5 min read

Updated: Sep 2026

1 example

Unicode U+21E9

HTML Entity for down white arrow (U+21E9) tutorial illustration

Definition

What Is Down White Arrow?

Down white arrow (⇩) is the Unicode character at U+21E9 in the Arrows block. Official name: DOWNWARDS WHITE ARROW. It is an outlined (white) down arrow — common for dropdown cues and navigation UI.

Remember

Character     ⇩
Unicode       U+21E9
Hex entity    &#x21E9;
Decimal       &#8681;
CSS escape    \21E9
Named entity  (none)
Not the same  ↓ (&darr;) · ⇓ (&dArr;) · ▼

Prefer ⇩ or ⇩ in HTML (no named form). You can also type ⇩ in a UTF-8 document.

Reference

Quick Reference

One table for every form you will actually use.

Form	Code	Where it goes
Named entity	None	—
Hex entity	`⇩`	HTML markup (preferred)
Decimal entity	`⇩`	HTML markup
Direct character	`⇩`	HTML text (UTF-8)
CSS escape	`\21E9`	Stylesheet `content`
Plain down (related)	`↓` (↓, U+2193)	Solid shaft — not white/outlined

When to Use Which

Situation	Use
White / outlined down arrow	`⇩` or type `⇩`
Up / left / right white arrow	U+21E7 · U+21E6 · U+21E8
Plain / double down	`↓` / `&dArr;`
Black down-pointing triangle	`▼` (▼) — different shape
Generated text via `::before` / `::after`	`content: "\21E9"`

See it

Live Preview

Down white arrow rendered alone, in a label, and compared with related arrows.

Glyph ⇩

Large glyph ⇩

UI label Menu ⇩

Compared ⇩ ⇧ ⇦ ⇨ ↓ ▼

With entities Hex: ⇩ | Decimal: ⇩

Code

Complete HTML Example

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

Hex + Decimal + CSS + Typed

Four ways to display ⇩ in HTML and CSS.

html

<!DOCTYPE html>
<html lang="en">
<head>
  <meta charset="UTF-8">
  <title>Down White Arrow (U+21E9) in HTML</title>
  <style>
    #point::after {
      content: "\21E9";
    }
  </style>
</head>
<body>
  <p>Built with Hex: &#x21E9;</p>
  <p>Built with Decimal: &#8681;</p>
  <p id="point">Built with CSS: </p>
  <p>Typed: ⇩</p>
  <p>Label: Menu ⇩</p>
</body>
</html>

Try It Yourself

How It Works

1. Hex: ⇩ inserts code point U+21E9 → ⇩.

2. Decimal: same code point as 8681 → ⇩. Same visual as hex.

3. CSS: use \21E9 in content (not an HTML entity). #point::after appends ⇩.

4. Typed: paste ⇩ in a UTF-8 document, or pair it with a label like Menu ⇩.

Pitfalls & Tips

Common mistakes when working with Down White Arrow.

Name

No named entity

There is no HTML5 named entity for U+21E9. Use ⇩ or ⇩.

↓

Not ↓

↓ is the solid plain down arrow (U+2193). U+21E9 is the outlined white form.

▼

Not a triangle

U+25BC (▼) is a black down-pointing triangle. It is a different character for many dropdown UIs.

CSS vs HTML

Do not mix escapes

\21E9 belongs in CSS strings. ⇩ / ⇩ belong in HTML.

Fonts

Arrow font coverage

Some fonts omit white-arrow glyphs. Prefer a font with solid Arrows-block coverage.

a11y

Add accessible text

A lone white arrow can be unclear to screen readers. Pair it with visible text or an aria-label.

Semicolon

End references

Always finish numeric entities with ; — write ⇩, not &#x21E9.

Compatibility

Browser Support

Down white arrow (U+21E9) and its entity forms (⇩, ⇩, CSS \\21E9) are supported in all mainstream browsers. Visible glyphs depend on Arrows-block font coverage.

✓ Universal support

Down White Arrow (⇩)

Encode with hex, decimal, CSS escape, or type the character — same code point 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+21E9 / entities Full support

Bottom line: Prefer ⇩ in HTML (no named form). Use ⇩ when decimal form is required, and \\21E9 only inside CSS content.

Remember

Key Takeaways

Unicode: down white arrow is U+21E9 (decimal 8681) — glyph ⇩.
HTML: no named entity — use ⇩ / ⇩ / type ⇩.
CSS: use \21E9 inside content for generated text.
Shape: white arrow ≠ plain ↓ ≠ triangle U+25BC.

One line: U+21E9 → ⇩ / ⇩ / CSS \21E9.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do I display ⇩ in HTML?

Use ⇩ (hex), ⇩ (decimal), type ⇩ directly in UTF-8, or the CSS escape \21E9 in content. There is no named HTML entity for U+21E9.

What is the Unicode value for this mark?

U+21E9 (DOWNWARDS WHITE ARROW). Hex 21E9, decimal 8681. It belongs to the Arrows block (U+2190–U+21FF).

Is there a named HTML entity for U+21E9?

No. Use numeric forms ⇩ or ⇩. Plain down uses ↓ (U+2193). Double down uses &dArr; (U+21D3).

When should I use U+21E9?

Use it for outlined/white down cues such as dropdown indicators and navigation. Prefer ↓ for a plain solid down arrow, and &dArr; for a double-lined down arrow.

What is the difference between HTML code and CSS entity for U+21E9?

HTML entities (⇩ or ⇩) go in markup. The CSS escape \21E9 goes in stylesheet strings (usually content on ::before/::after).

Is U+21E9 the same as ↓ or U+25BC?

No. U+21E9 is a white (outlined) down arrow (⇩). ↓ is ↓ (solid). U+25BC is ▼ (black down-pointing triangle) — a different shape.

Did you know?

Down white arrow is Unicode U+21E9 (decimal 8681) — glyph ⇩ (DOWNWARDS WHITE ARROW) in the Arrows block. There is no HTML5 named entity; use ⇩ or ⇩. Matching directions are U+21E7 (⇧ up), U+21E6 (⇦ left), and U+21E8 (⇨ right). Plain down is ↓ (↓).

Next: Down Zigzag Arrow

Learn the HTML entity for down zigzag arrow (U+21AF).

Down Zigzag Arrow tutorial →

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.

AWS Certified Developer – Associate (Credly)

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