HTML Entity for Left Harpoon Barb Up (↼)

Beginner

5 min read

Updated: Sep 2026

1 example

Unicode U+21BC

HTML Entity for Left Harpoon Barb Up (U+21BC) tutorial illustration

Definition

What Is the Left Harpoon Barb Up Entity?

Left Harpoon Barb Up (↼) is the Arrows character at Unicode U+21BC (LEFTWARDS HARPOON WITH BARB UPWARDS). It is a leftwards harpoon whose barb points up — common in math and chemistry notation.

Remember

Character     ↼
Unicode       U+21BC
Hex entity    &#x21BC;
Decimal       &#8636;
Named entity  &lharu;  (alias &leftharpoonup;)
CSS escape    \21BC
Not the same  &lhard; (↽) · &larr; (←)

All of these produce the same glyph: ↼. Prefer &lharu; 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	`&lharu;`	HTML markup (best entity default)
Hex entity	`↼`	HTML markup
Decimal entity	`↼`	HTML markup
CSS escape	`\21BC`	Stylesheet `content`
Direct character	`↼`	UTF-8 HTML text

When to Use Which

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

See it

Live Preview

Left Harpoon Barb Up in common math contexts.

Relation snippet A ↼ B

Large glyph ↼

Named entity &lharu; → ↼

vs &lhard; / ← ↼ | ↽ | ←

With entities Hex: ↼ | Decimal: ↼ | Named: ↼

Code

Complete HTML Example

One page that shows Left Harpoon Barb Up 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 Up (↼) in HTML</title>
  <style>
    #point::after {
      content: "\21BC";
    }
  </style>
</head>
<body>
  <p>Using Hex Code: &#x21BC;</p>
  <p>Using HTML Code: &#8636;</p>
  <p>Using Named Entity: &lharu;</p>
  <p id="point">Using CSS Entity: </p>
  <p><code>A &lharu; B</code></p>
</body>
</html>

Try It Yourself

How It Works

1. Hex: U+21BC → ↼ in HTML. The browser turns it into ↼.

2. Decimal: same code point as 8636 → ↼. Same result as hex.

3. Named: &lharu; is the HTML5 name (alias &leftharpoonup;).

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

Pitfalls & Tips

Common mistakes when working with Left Harpoon Barb Up.

Look-alikes

↼ ≠ ↽ ≠ ←

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

Alias

`&leftharpoonup;` works too

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

Name

Use `&lharu;` exactly

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

CSS vs HTML

Do not mix escapes

\21BC belongs in CSS. &lharu; / ↼ / ↼ 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 &lharu;, not &lharu.

Compatibility

Browser Support

Left Harpoon Barb Up (U+21BC) and its entity forms (&lharu;, ↼, ↼, CSS \\21BC) are supported in all modern browsers.

✓ Universal support

Left Harpoon Barb Up (&lharu;)

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+21BC / &lharu; Full support

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

Remember

Key Takeaways

Unicode: this symbol is U+21BC (decimal 8636).
HTML: prefer &lharu; — or use ↼ / ↼.
CSS: use \21BC inside content for generated text.
Watch out: &lharu; ≠ &lhard; ≠ ←.

One line: U+21BC → &lharu; / ↼ / ↼ / CSS \21BC.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do I display Left Harpoon Barb Up (↼) in HTML using entities?

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

What is the Unicode value for Left Harpoon Barb Up?

U+21BC (LEFTWARDS HARPOON WITH BARB UPWARDS). Hex 21BC, decimal 8636. It belongs to the Arrows block (U+2190–U+21FF).

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

Yes. &lharu; is the primary HTML5 named entity. &leftharpoonup; 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 up, and in diagrams that need that arrow style. Prefer &lharu; for readable HTML.

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

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

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

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

Did you know?

Left Harpoon Barb Up is Unicode U+21BC (decimal 8636) — LEFTWARDS HARPOON WITH BARB UPWARDS. HTML5 provides &lharu; (alias &leftharpoonup;). Prefer it for readable source. Do not confuse it with &lhard; (U+21BD, barb down) or a plain left arrow ← (←).

Next: Left Harpoon Barb Up Above Left Harpoon Barb Down

Learn the HTML entity for the next stacked harpoon 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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