HTML Entity for Left Harpoon Over Right Harpoon (⇋)

Beginner
⏱️ 5 min read
📚 Updated: Jun 2026
🎯 1 Code Example
Unicode U+21CB
HTML entity for Left Harpoon Over Right Harpoon (U+21CB) — named ⇋, hex, decimal, and CSS tutorial

What You'll Learn

How to display the Left Harpoon Over Right Harpoon (⇋) in HTML using the named entity, hexadecimal, decimal, and CSS escape methods. This symbol is U+21CB (LEFTWARDS HARPOON OVER RIGHTWARDS HARPOON) in the Arrows block (U+2190–U+21FF)—a stacked pair of harpoons (left over right) used for reversible relations, equilibrium notation, and bidirectional arrows in math and logic.

Render it with ⇋ (named), ⇋, ⇋, or CSS \21CB. Related: U+21BC (↼, left harpoon barb up / ↼), U+21BD (↽, left harpoon barb down / ↽).

⚡ Quick Reference — Left Harpoon Over Right Harpoon

Unicode U+21CB

Arrows block

Hex Code ⇋

Hexadecimal reference

HTML Code ⇋

Decimal reference

Named Entity ⇋

Most readable option

Reference Table
Name           Value
────────────   ──────────
Unicode        U+21CB
Hex code       ⇋
HTML code      ⇋
Named entity   ⇋
CSS code       \21CB
Meaning        Leftwards harpoon over rightwards harpoon
Related        U+21BC = left harpoon barb up (↼)
               U+21BD = left harpoon barb down (↽)
1

Complete HTML Example

A simple example showing the Left Harpoon Over Right Harpoon (⇋) using the named entity, hexadecimal code, decimal HTML code, and a CSS content escape:

html
<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
<head>
 <style>
  #point:after{
   content: "\21CB";
  }
 </style>
</head>
<body>
<p>Symbol using Hexadecimal: &#x21CB;</p>
<p>Symbol using HTML Code: &#8651;</p>
<p>Symbol using HTML Entity: &lrhar;</p>
<p id="point">Symbol using CSS Entity: </p>
</body>
</html>
Try it Yourself

🌐 Browser Support

The Left Harpoon Over Right Harpoon (⇋) 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 Harpoon Over Right Harpoon (⇋) in math and logic contexts:

Math notation f ⇋ g
Commutative diagram A ⇋ B
Flow diagram Step 1 ⇋ Step 2
Large glyph ⇋
Harpoon comparison ⇋ ↼ ↽ ⥦
Entity refs &lrhar; &#x21CB; &#8651; \21CB

🧠 How It Works

1

Named HTML Entity

&lrhar; is the named entity for the Left Harpoon Over Right Harpoon (leftwards harpoon over rightwards harpoon). Easy to read in math and logic markup.

HTML markup
2

Hexadecimal Code

&#x21CB; uses the Unicode hexadecimal value 21CB. The x prefix indicates hexadecimal format.

HTML markup
3

Decimal HTML Code

&#8651; uses the decimal Unicode value 8651 for the same symbol.

HTML markup
4

CSS Entity

\21CB 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+21CB is in the Arrows block. Previous: Left Harpoon Barb Up To Bar.

✅

Use Cases

The Left Harpoon Over Right Harpoon (⇋) is commonly used in:

📐 Mathematics

Reversible relations and equilibrium notation in math and chemistry.

📜 Logic & category theory

Bidirectional morphisms and commutative diagrams with harpoon pairs.

📊 Scientific notation

Chemical equilibrium arrows and reversible process diagrams.

📚 Technical docs

Illustrate stacked harpoon symbols in guides and reference material.

🎯 Proofs

Reversible inference or two-way logical relations in formal writing.

🗃 Entity reference

Document and teach HTML entity usage for Arrows block symbols.

💡 Best Practices

Do

  • Prefer &lrhar; in HTML for readability
  • Use fonts that support the Arrows block (U+21CB)
  • Set <meta charset="utf-8">
  • Pair ⇋ with context (math, logic) so meaning is clear
  • Keep one encoding style per project for consistency
  • Distinguish ⇋ from ↼ and ↽ when single vs stacked harpoons matter

Don’t

  • Confuse &lrhar; (U+21CB, left over right) with &rlhar; (U+21CC, right over left)
  • Confuse &lrhar; (U+21CB) with &lharu; (U+21BC, single left harpoon barb up)
  • Use CSS \21CB inside HTML text nodes
  • Assume all fonts render harpoon glyphs identically
  • Mix named and numeric entities inconsistently in the same component

Key Takeaways

1

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

&lrhar; &#x21CB; &#8651;
2

For CSS, use \21CB in the content property

3

Unicode U+21CB — LEFTWARDS HARPOON OVER RIGHTWARDS HARPOON

4

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

5

Previous: Left Harpoon Barb Up To Bar (⥒)   Next: Left Normal Factor Semidirect Product

❓ Frequently Asked Questions

Use &lrhar; (named), &#x21CB; (hex), &#8651; (decimal), or \21CB in CSS content. All four methods render ⇋ correctly.
U+21CB (LEFTWARDS HARPOON OVER RIGHTWARDS HARPOON). Arrows block (U+2190–U+21FF). Hex 21CB, decimal 8651. A stacked pair of harpoons with the left harpoon above the right.
In mathematical notation, reversible chemical reactions, equilibrium equations, logic, commutative diagrams, and any design that needs a bidirectional harpoon pair.
Named and numeric HTML references (&lrhar;, &#8651;, &#x21CB;) go in markup. The CSS escape \21CB is used in stylesheets, typically on ::before or ::after. Both produce ⇋.
Yes. &lrhar; is the named HTML entity for U+21CB. You can also use &#8651; (decimal) or &#x21CB; (hex) and \21CB 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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