HTML Entity for Left Harpoon Barb Down (↽)

Beginner

5 min read

Updated: Sep 2026

1 example

Unicode U+21BD

HTML Entity for Left Harpoon Barb Down (U+21BD) tutorial illustration

Definition

What Is the Left Harpoon Barb Down Entity?

Left Harpoon Barb Down (↽) is the Arrows character at Unicode U+21BD (LEFTWARDS HARPOON WITH BARB DOWNWARDS). It is a leftwards harpoon whose barb points down — common in math and chemistry notation.

Remember

Character     ↽
Unicode       U+21BD
Hex entity    &#x21BD;
Decimal       &#8637;
Named entity  &lhard;  (alias &leftharpoondown;)
CSS escape    \21BD
Not the same  &lharu; (↼) · &larr; (←)

All of these produce the same glyph: ↽. Prefer &lhard; when you want an explicit entity.

Reference

Quick Reference

One table for every form you will actually use.

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

When to Use Which

Situation	Use
Readable HTML entity source	`&lhard;` (or `&leftharpoondown;`)
Need a numeric entity	`↽` or `↽`
Generated text via `::before` / `::after`	`content: "\21BD"`
Barb pointing up instead	Use &lharu; (U+21BC)
Plain left arrow	Use ← (U+2190)

See it

Live Preview

Left Harpoon Barb Down in common math contexts.

Relation snippet A ↽ B

Large glyph ↽

Named entity &lhard; → ↽

vs &lharu; / ← ↽ | ↼ | ←

With entities Hex: ↽ | Decimal: ↽ | Named: ↽

Code

Complete HTML Example

One page that shows Left Harpoon Barb Down 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 Harpoon Barb Down (↽) in HTML</title>
  <style>
    #point::after {
      content: "\21BD";
    }
  </style>
</head>
<body>
  <p>Using Hex Code: &#x21BD;</p>
  <p>Using HTML Code: &#8637;</p>
  <p>Using Named Entity: &lhard;</p>
  <p id="point">Using CSS Entity: </p>
  <p><code>A &lhard; B</code></p>
</body>
</html>

Try It Yourself

How It Works

1. Hex: U+21BD → ↽ in HTML. The browser turns it into ↽.

2. Decimal: same code point as 8637 → ↽. Same result as hex.

3. Named: &lhard; is the HTML5 name (alias &leftharpoondown;).

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

Pitfalls & Tips

Common mistakes when working with Left Harpoon Barb Down.

Look-alikes

↽ ≠ ↼ ≠ ←

Barb down (&lhard;), barb up (&lharu;), and plain left (←) are different characters.

Alias

`&leftharpoondown;` works too

It is an HTML5 alias for the same character as &lhard;.

Name

Use `&lhard;` exactly

Guessing names will not work. Stick to &lhard; or numeric forms.

CSS vs HTML

Do not mix escapes

\21BD belongs in CSS. &lhard; / ↽ / ↽ belong in HTML.

A11y

Add nearby words

Pair the glyph with equation text or use aria-label when it stands alone.

Semicolon

End references

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

Compatibility

Browser Support

Left Harpoon Barb Down (U+21BD) and its entity forms (&lhard;, ↽, ↽, CSS \\21BD) are supported in all modern browsers.

✓ Universal support

Left Harpoon Barb Down (&lhard;)

Encode with named, hex, decimal, or CSS escape — or type ↽ directly in UTF-8 HTML.

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+21BD / &lhard; Full support

Bottom line: Prefer &lhard; for readable HTML. Use \\21BD only inside CSS content.

Remember

Key Takeaways

Unicode: this symbol is U+21BD (decimal 8637).
HTML: prefer &lhard; — or use ↽ / ↽.
CSS: use \21BD inside content for generated text.
Watch out: &lhard; ≠ &lharu; ≠ ←.

One line: U+21BD → &lhard; / ↽ / ↽ / CSS \21BD.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do I display Left Harpoon Barb Down (↽) in HTML using entities?

Use &lhard; (named), ↽ (hex), ↽ (decimal), or the CSS escape \21BD in the content property. You can also type ↽ directly in UTF-8 HTML.

What is the Unicode value for Left Harpoon Barb Down?

U+21BD (LEFTWARDS HARPOON WITH BARB DOWNWARDS). Hex 21BD, decimal 8637. It belongs to the Arrows block (U+2190–U+21FF).

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

Yes. &lhard; is the primary HTML5 named entity. &leftharpoondown; is a supported alias. You can also use ↽ or ↽.

When should I use this HTML entity?

Use it in math and chemistry notation for a leftwards harpoon with the barb pointing down, and in diagrams that need that arrow style. Prefer &lhard; for readable HTML.

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

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

How is &lhard; different from &lharu; or ←?

&lharu; (U+21BC) is the leftwards harpoon with barb upwards. ← (U+2190) is the plain leftwards arrow. &lhard; (U+21BD) is the leftwards harpoon with barb downwards.

Did you know?

Left Harpoon Barb Down is Unicode U+21BD (decimal 8637) — LEFTWARDS HARPOON WITH BARB DOWNWARDS. HTML5 provides &lhard; (alias &leftharpoondown;). Prefer it for readable source. Do not confuse it with &lharu; (U+21BC, barb up) or a plain left arrow ← (←).

Next: Left Harpoon Barb Down Above Right Harpoon Barb Down

Learn the HTML entity for the next harpoon combination in this sequence.

Continue 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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