HTML Entity for Left Arrow Stroke (↚)

Beginner

6 min read

Updated: Sep 2026

1 example

Unicode U+219A

HTML Entity for Left Arrow Stroke (U+219A) tutorial illustration

Definition

What Is the Left Arrow Stroke Entity?

Left Arrow Stroke (↚) is the Arrows character at Unicode U+219A (LEFTWARDS ARROW WITH STROKE). It is a leftwards arrow with a diagonal stroke — used to mean “not left” or a blocked reverse direction.

Remember

Character     ↚
Unicode       U+219A
Hex entity    &#x219A;
Decimal       &#8602;
Named entity  &nlarr;
CSS escape    \219A
Not the same  ↛ (&nrarr;) · ← (&larr;)

All of these produce the same glyph: ↚ (when the font supports U+219A). Prefer &nlarr; in HTML source for clarity; use hex/decimal when generating entities, and CSS \219A only in content.

Reference

Quick Reference

One table for every form you will actually use.

Form	Code	Where it goes
Named entity	`&nlarr;`	HTML markup (best default)
Hex entity	`↚`	HTML markup
Decimal entity	`↚`	HTML markup
CSS escape	`\219A`	Stylesheet `content`
Direct character	`↚`	UTF-8 HTML text

When to Use Which

Situation	Use
Readable HTML source	`&nlarr;`
Need a numeric entity in HTML	`↚` or `↚`
Generated text via `::before` / `::after`	`content: "\219A"`
Rightwards “not right”	Use &nrarr; (U+219B)
Plain left arrow (allowed)	Use ← (U+2190)

See it

Live Preview

Left Arrow Stroke in icon-style contexts.

Not-left cue ↚ Not left

Large glyph ↚

Named entity &nlarr; → ↚

vs right / plain ↚ | ↛ | ←

With entities Hex: ↚ | Decimal: ↚ | Named: ↚

Code

Complete HTML Example

One page that shows Left Arrow Stroke with hex, decimal, named, and CSS. Use View Output or open the live editor.

Hex + Decimal + Named + CSS

All four ways to produce ↚ in a single document.

html

<!DOCTYPE html>
<html lang="en">
<head>
  <meta charset="UTF-8">
  <title>Left Arrow Stroke (↚) in HTML</title>
  <style>
    #point::after {
      content: "\219A";
    }
  </style>
</head>
<body>
  <p>Using Hex Code: &#x219A;</p>
  <p>Using HTML Code: &#8602;</p>
  <p>Using Named Entity: &nlarr;</p>
  <p id="point">Using CSS Entity: </p>
  <p><a href="#">&nlarr; Not left</a></p>
</body>
</html>

Try It Yourself

How It Works

1. Hex: U+219A → ↚ in HTML. The browser turns it into ↚.

2. Decimal: same code point as 8602 → ↚. Same result as hex.

3. Named: &nlarr; is the HTML5 name for this character (alias &nleftarrow;).

4. CSS: use \219A in content (not an HTML entity). #point::after appends that ↚ after the paragraph text.

Pitfalls & Tips

Common mistakes when working with Left Arrow Stroke.

Meaning

Stroke = negation

The slash means “not” — ↚ is not the same as a plain left arrow ←.

Direction

Left vs right stroke

&nlarr; is ↚. The rightwards form is &nrarr; (↛, U+219B).

A11y

Label the meaning

Pair ↚ with words like “Not left” or “Blocked”, or use aria-label.

CSS vs HTML

Do not mix escapes

\219A belongs in CSS. &nlarr; / ↚ / ↚ belong in HTML.

Fonts

Arrows coverage

Most modern UI fonts include U+219A. If a glyph is missing, try Segoe UI Symbol or Noto Sans Symbols.

Semicolon

End references

Always finish with ; — write &nlarr;, not &nlarr.

Compatibility

Browser Support

Left Arrow Stroke (U+219A) and its entity forms (&nlarr;, ↚, ↚, CSS \\219A) are supported in modern browsers when the font includes the Arrows block.

✓ Universal support

Left Arrow Stroke (↚)

Encode with named, hex, decimal, or CSS escape — same character when the font supports U+219A.

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+219A / &nlarr; Full support

Bottom line: Prefer &nlarr; in HTML. Use \\219A only inside CSS content. Do not confuse with &nrarr; or ←.

Remember

Key Takeaways

Unicode: this symbol is U+219A (decimal 8602).
HTML: prefer &nlarr; — or use ↚ / ↚.
CSS: use \219A inside content for generated text.
Watch out: ↚ ≠ ↛ (&nrarr;) ≠ ← (←).

One line: U+219A → &nlarr; / ↚ / ↚ / CSS \219A.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do I display Left Arrow Stroke (↚) in HTML using entities?

Use &nlarr; (named), ↚ (hex), ↚ (decimal), or the CSS escape \219A in the content property. All render ↚ when the font supports the Arrows block.

What is the Unicode value for Left Arrow Stroke?

U+219A (LEFTWARDS ARROW WITH STROKE). Hex 219A, decimal 8602. It belongs to the Arrows block (U+2190–U+21FF).

Is there a named HTML entity for U+219A?

Yes. &nlarr; (and &nleftarrow;) is the HTML5 named entity for U+219A. You can also use ↚ or ↚.

When should I use this HTML entity?

Use it for “not left”, blocked reverse, or negated navigation cues in logic, math, and UI. Prefer &nlarr; for readable HTML source.

What is the difference between HTML code and CSS entity for U+219A?

HTML entities (&nlarr;, ↚, or ↚) go in markup. The CSS escape \219A is used in stylesheets (usually in the content property of ::before/::after). Both render ↚.

How is U+219A different from U+219B or U+2190?

U+219B (↛, &nrarr;) is the rightwards arrow with stroke. U+2190 (←, ←) is a plain leftwards arrow without a stroke. U+219A is leftwards with a stroke (negation).

Did you know?

Left Arrow Stroke is Unicode U+219A (decimal 8602) — LEFTWARDS ARROW WITH STROKE. HTML5 provides the named entity &nlarr; (also &nleftarrow;). Prefer it for readable source, or use ↚ / ↚. Do not confuse it with the right stroke &nrarr; (U+219B) or plain ← (U+2190).

Next: Left Arrow Tail

Learn the HTML entity for Left Arrow Tail — next in this sequence.

Left Arrow Tail 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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