Left Arrow Hook (↩) is the Arrows character at Unicode U+21A9 (LEFTWARDS ARROW WITH HOOK). It is a leftwards arrow with a hook, often used for undo, return, and navigation UI.
Remember
Character ↩
Unicode U+21A9
Hex entity ↩
Decimal ↩
Named entity ↩
CSS escape \21A9
Not the same ↪ (↪) · ↵ (↵)
All of these produce the same glyph: ↩ (when the font supports U+21A9). Prefer ↩ in HTML source for clarity; use hex/decimal when generating entities, and CSS \21A9 only in content.
Using Hex Code: ↩
Using HTML Code: ↩
Using Named Entity: ↩
Using CSS Entity: ↩
↩ Return
How It Works
1. Hex:U+21A9 → ↩ in HTML. The browser turns it into ↩.
2. Decimal: same code point as 8617 → ↩. Same result as hex.
3. Named:↩ is the HTML5 name for this character.
4. CSS: use \21A9 in content (not an HTML entity). #point::after appends that ↩ after the paragraph text.
Pitfalls & Tips
Common mistakes when working with Left Arrow Hook.
Look-alikes
Not Enter corner ↵
↵ (U+21B5) is the downwards corner arrow often used for Return/Enter — a different code point.
Direction
Left vs right hook
↩ is ↩. The rightwards form is ↪ (↪, U+21AA).
A11y
Label the action
Pair ↩ with words like “Return” or “Undo”, or use aria-label.
CSS vs HTML
Do not mix escapes
\21A9 belongs in CSS. ↩ / ↩ / ↩ belong in HTML.
Fonts
Arrows coverage
Most modern UI fonts include U+21A9. If a glyph is missing, try Segoe UI Symbol or Noto Sans Symbols.
Semicolon
End references
Always finish with ; — write ↩, not &larrhk.
Compatibility
Browser Support
Left Arrow Hook (U+21A9) and its entity forms (↩, ↩, ↩, CSS \\21A9) are supported in modern browsers when the font includes the Arrows block.
✓ Universal support
Left Arrow Hook (↩)
Encode with named, hex, decimal, or CSS escape — same character when the font supports U+21A9.
100%Browser coverage
Google ChromeSupported
Yes
Microsoft EdgeSupported
Yes
Mozilla FirefoxSupported
Yes
Apple SafariSupported
Yes
OperaSupported
Yes
Internet ExplorerAll versions
Yes
U+21A9 / ↩Full support
Bottom line: Prefer ↩ in HTML. Use \\21A9 only inside CSS content. Do not confuse with ↵ or ↪.
Remember
Key Takeaways
Unicode: this symbol is U+21A9 (decimal 8617).
HTML: prefer ↩ — or use ↩ / ↩.
Use ↩ (named), ↩ (hex), ↩ (decimal), or the CSS escape \21A9 in the content property. All render ↩ when the font supports the Arrows block.
U+21A9 (LEFTWARDS ARROW WITH HOOK). Hex 21A9, decimal 8617. It belongs to the Arrows block (U+2190–U+21FF).
Yes. ↩ is the HTML5 named entity for U+21A9. You can also use ↩ or ↩.
Use it for undo/return UI cues, keyboard legends, and diagrams that need a leftwards arrow with a hook. Prefer ↩ for readable HTML source.
HTML entities (↩, ↩, or ↩) go in markup. The CSS escape \21A9 is used in stylesheets (usually in the content property of ::before/::after). Both render ↩.
U+21AA (↪, ↪) is the rightwards arrow with hook. U+21B5 (↵, ↵) is the downwards arrow with corner leftwards (classic Enter/return shape). U+21A9 is the leftwards hooked arrow.
🤔
Did you know?
Left Arrow Hook is Unicode U+21A9 (decimal 8617) — LEFTWARDS ARROW WITH HOOK. HTML5 provides the named entity ↩. Prefer it for readable source, or use ↩ / ↩. Do not confuse it with the Enter/return corner arrow ↵ (U+21B5, ↵) or the right hook ↪ (U+21AA).
