HTML Entity for Left Arrow To Bar (⇤)

Beginner

6 min read

Updated: Sep 2026

1 example

Unicode U+21E4

HTML Entity for Left Arrow To Bar (U+21E4) tutorial illustration

Definition

What Is the Left Arrow To Bar Entity?

Left Arrow To Bar (⇤) is the Arrows character at Unicode U+21E4 (LEFTWARDS ARROW TO BAR). It is a leftwards arrow ending at a vertical bar — often used for Tab / outdent / jump-to-start UI.

Remember

Character     ⇤
Unicode       U+21E4
Hex entity    &#x21E4;
Decimal       &#8676;
Named entity  &larrb;
CSS escape    \21E4
Not the same  ⇥ (&rarrb;) · ↤ (&mapstoleft;)

All of these produce the same glyph: ⇤ (when the font supports U+21E4). Prefer &larrb; in HTML source for clarity; use hex/decimal when generating entities, and CSS \21E4 only in content.

Reference

Quick Reference

One table for every form you will actually use.

Form	Code	Where it goes
Named entity	`&larrb;`	HTML markup (best default)
Hex entity	`⇤`	HTML markup
Decimal entity	`⇤`	HTML markup
CSS escape	`\21E4`	Stylesheet `content`
Direct character	`⇤`	UTF-8 HTML text

When to Use Which

Situation	Use
Readable HTML source	`&larrb;`
Need a numeric entity in HTML	`⇤` or `⇤`
Generated text via `::before` / `::after`	`content: "\21E4"`
Rightwards arrow to bar	Use &rarrb; (U+21E5)
Arrow from bar (maps-to left)	Use &mapstoleft; (U+21A4)

See it

Live Preview

Left Arrow To Bar in keyboard and UI contexts.

Tab / outdent ⇤ Outdent

Large glyph ⇤

Named entity &larrb; → ⇤

vs right / from-bar ⇤ | ⇥ | ↤

With entities Hex: ⇤ | Decimal: ⇤ | Named: ⇤

Code

Complete HTML Example

One page that shows Left Arrow To Bar 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 To Bar (⇤) in HTML</title>
  <style>
    #point::after {
      content: "\21E4";
    }
  </style>
</head>
<body>
  <p>Using Hex Code: &#x21E4;</p>
  <p>Using HTML Code: &#8676;</p>
  <p>Using Named Entity: &larrb;</p>
  <p id="point">Using CSS Entity: </p>
  <p><a href="#">&larrb; Outdent</a></p>
</body>
</html>

Try It Yourself

How It Works

1. Hex: U+21E4 → ⇤ in HTML. The browser turns it into ⇤.

2. Decimal: same code point as 8676 → ⇤. Same result as hex.

3. Named: &larrb; is the HTML5 name for this character.

4. CSS: use \21E4 in content (not an HTML entity). #point::after appends that ⇤ after the paragraph text.

Pitfalls & Tips

Common mistakes when working with Left Arrow To Bar.

Look-alikes

To bar ≠ from bar

&larrb; (⇤) is arrow to bar. &mapstoleft; (↤) is arrow from bar.

Direction

Left vs right

&larrb; is ⇤. The rightwards form is &rarrb; (⇥, U+21E5).

A11y

Label the action

Pair ⇤ with words like “Tab” or “Outdent”, or use aria-label.

CSS vs HTML

Do not mix escapes

\21E4 belongs in CSS. &larrb; / ⇤ / ⇤ belong in HTML.

Fonts

Arrows coverage

Most modern UI fonts include U+21E4. If a glyph is missing, try Segoe UI Symbol or Noto Sans Symbols.

Semicolon

End references

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

Compatibility

Browser Support

Left Arrow To Bar (U+21E4) and its entity forms (&larrb;, ⇤, ⇤, CSS \\21E4) are supported in modern browsers when the font includes the Arrows block.

✓ Universal support

Left Arrow To Bar (⇤)

Encode with named, hex, decimal, or CSS escape — same character when the font supports U+21E4.

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+21E4 / &larrb; Full support

Bottom line: Prefer &larrb; in HTML. Use \\21E4 only inside CSS content. Do not confuse with &rarrb; or &mapstoleft;.

Remember

Key Takeaways

Unicode: this symbol is U+21E4 (decimal 8676).
HTML: prefer &larrb; — or use ⇤ / ⇤.
CSS: use \21E4 inside content for generated text.
Watch out: ⇤ ≠ ⇥ (&rarrb;) ≠ ↤ (&mapstoleft;).

One line: U+21E4 → &larrb; / ⇤ / ⇤ / CSS \21E4.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do I display Left Arrow To Bar (⇤) in HTML using entities?

Use &larrb; (named), ⇤ (hex), ⇤ (decimal), or the CSS escape \21E4 in the content property. All render ⇤ when the font supports the Arrows block.

What is the Unicode value for Left Arrow To Bar?

U+21E4 (LEFTWARDS ARROW TO BAR). Hex 21E4, decimal 8676. It belongs to the Arrows block (U+2190–U+21FF).

Is there a named HTML entity for U+21E4?

Yes. &larrb; is the HTML5 named entity for U+21E4. You can also use ⇤ or ⇤.

When should I use this HTML entity?

Use it for Tab / outdent / jump-to-start UI cues and keyboard legends. Prefer &larrb; for readable HTML source.

What is the difference between HTML code and CSS entity for U+21E4?

HTML entities (&larrb;, ⇤, or ⇤) go in markup. The CSS escape \21E4 is used in stylesheets (usually in the content property of ::before/::after). Both render ⇤.

How is U+21E4 different from U+21E5 or U+21A4?

U+21E5 (⇥, &rarrb;) is the rightwards arrow to bar. U+21A4 (↤, &mapstoleft;) is leftwards arrow from bar (maps-to style). U+21E4 is leftwards arrow to bar.

Did you know?

Left Arrow To Bar is Unicode U+21E4 (decimal 8676) — LEFTWARDS ARROW TO BAR. HTML5 provides the named entity &larrb;. Prefer it for readable source, or use ⇤ / ⇤. Often used for Tab / outdent cues. Do not confuse it with &mapstoleft; (U+21A4, ↤) or the rightwards form &rarrb; (U+21E5).

Next: Left Arrow Vertical Stroke

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

Left Arrow Vertical Stroke 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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