HTML Entity for Left Double Arrow Stroke (⇍)

Beginner
⏱️ 5 min read
📚 Updated: Jun 2026
🎯 1 Code Example
Unicode U+21CD
HTML entity for Left Double Arrow Stroke (U+21CD) — named ⇍, hex, decimal, and CSS tutorial

What You'll Learn

How to display the Left Double Arrow Stroke (⇍) in HTML using the named entity, hexadecimal, decimal, and CSS escape methods. This symbol is U+21CD (LEFTWARDS DOUBLE ARROW WITH STROKE) in the Arrows block (U+2190–U+21FF)—a left-pointing double arrow with a stroke through it, used in logic (negation), navigation, flow diagrams, and directional indicators.

Render it with ⇍ (named), ⇍, ⇍, or CSS \21CD. The n in ⇍ stands for negation. Related: U+21D0 (⇐, left double arrow / ⇐), U+2906 (⤆, left double arrow from bar).

⚡ Quick Reference — Left Double Arrow Stroke

Unicode U+21CD

Arrows block

Hex Code ⇍

Hexadecimal reference

HTML Code ⇍

Decimal reference

Named Entity ⇍

Negation double arrow

Reference Table
Name           Value
────────────   ──────────
Unicode        U+21CD
Hex code       ⇍
HTML code      ⇍
Named entity   ⇍
CSS code       \21CD
Meaning        Leftwards double arrow with stroke
Related        U+21D0 = left double arrow (⇐)
               U+2906 = left double arrow from bar (⤆)
1

Complete HTML Example

A simple example showing the Left Double Arrow Stroke (⇍) using the named entity, hexadecimal code, decimal HTML code, and a CSS content escape:

html
<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
<head>
 <style>
  #point:after{
   content: "\21CD";
  }
 </style>
</head>
<body>
<p>Symbol using Hexadecimal: &#x21CD;</p>
<p>Symbol using HTML Code: &#8653;</p>
<p>Symbol using HTML Entity: &nlArr;</p>
<p id="point">Symbol using CSS Entity: </p>
</body>
</html>
Try it Yourself

🌐 Browser Support

The Left Double Arrow Stroke (⇍) renders in modern browsers when the font includes Arrows block glyphs:

Chrome 1+
Firefox 1+
Safari 1+
Edge 12+
Opera 4+
Android 4.4+
iOS Safari 1+

👀 Live Preview

See the Left Double Arrow Stroke (⇍) in logic and navigation contexts:

Logic negation B ⇍ A
Back link ⇍ Previous
Flow step Step 2 ⇍ Step 1
Large glyph ⇍
Arrow comparison ⇍ ⇐ ⤆ ⇠
Entity refs &nlArr; &#x21CD; &#8653; \21CD

🧠 How It Works

1

Named HTML Entity

&nlArr; is the named entity for the Left Double Arrow Stroke (leftwards double arrow with stroke). The n stands for negation—easy to read in logic and navigation markup.

HTML markup
2

Hexadecimal Code

&#x21CD; uses the Unicode hexadecimal value 21CD. The x prefix indicates hexadecimal format.

HTML markup
3

Decimal HTML Code

&#8653; uses the decimal Unicode value 8653 for the same symbol.

HTML markup
4

CSS Entity

\21CD is used in CSS stylesheets in the content property of pseudo-elements like ::after.

CSS stylesheet
=

Same visual result

All four methods produce ⇍. Unicode U+21CD is in the Arrows block. Previous: Left Double Arrow Bar.

✅

Use Cases

The Left Double Arrow Stroke (⇍) is commonly used in:

📐 Logic

Represent logical negation or non-implication in math and logic notation.

🧭 Navigation

Indicate “back” or “previous” with a distinct stroked double arrow in menus and UI.

📊 Flow diagrams

Show direction or negation in flowcharts and process steps.

📚 Documentation

Point to previous step or “go back” in guides and technical docs.

🎯 Direction

Decorative or functional left double arrow with stroke in buttons, labels, and icons.

🖼 Carousels

Previous slide or previous item controls in carousels and galleries.

💡 Best Practices

Do

  • Prefer &nlArr; in HTML for readability
  • Pair ⇍ with text (“Previous”, “Back”) or aria-label for accessibility
  • Use fonts that support the Arrows block (U+21CD)
  • Set <meta charset="utf-8">
  • Keep one encoding style per project for consistency
  • Distinguish ⇍ from ⇐ when stroke vs plain double arrow matters

Don’t

  • Confuse &nlArr; (U+21CD) with &lArr; (U+21D0, plain left double arrow)
  • Confuse &nlArr; with &larr; (U+2190, simple left arrow)
  • Use CSS \21CD inside HTML text nodes
  • Assume ⇍ always means logical negation without context
  • Mix named and numeric entities inconsistently in the same component

Key Takeaways

1

Four ways to render U+21CD in HTML and CSS

&nlArr; &#x21CD; &#8653;
2

For CSS, use \21CD in the content property

3

Unicode U+21CD — LEFTWARDS DOUBLE ARROW WITH STROKE

4

Arrows block (U+2190–U+21FF) — named entity &nlArr;

5

Previous: Left Double Arrow Bar (⤆)   Next: Left Double Arrow Vertical Stroke

❓ Frequently Asked Questions

Use &nlArr; (named), &#x21CD; (hex), &#8653; (decimal), or \21CD in CSS content. All four methods render ⇍ correctly.
U+21CD (LEFTWARDS DOUBLE ARROW WITH STROKE). Arrows block (U+2190–U+21FF). Hex 21CD, decimal 8653. A left-pointing double arrow with a stroke through it.
In logic and negation notation, navigation and back links, mathematical or symbolic content, flow diagrams, and any design that needs a left-pointing double arrow with stroke.
Named and numeric HTML references (&nlArr;, &#8653;, &#x21CD;) go in markup. The CSS escape \21CD is used in stylesheets, typically on ::before or ::after. Both produce ⇍.
Yes. &nlArr; is the named HTML entity for U+21CD. The n stands for negation. You can also use &#8653; (decimal) or &#x21CD; (hex) and \21CD in CSS.

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About the author

Mari Selvan M P
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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