Left Right Arrow Stroke (↮) is the Arrows-block character at Unicode U+21AE (LEFT RIGHT ARROW WITH STROKE). A bidirectional arrow is crossed by a single stroke — often read as “not left-right.”
Remember
Character ↮
Unicode U+21AE
Hex entity ↮
Decimal ↮
Named entity ↮ · ↮
CSS escape \21AE
Not the same ↔ (↔) · ⇼ (double vertical stroke)
All of these produce the same glyph: ↮. Prefer ↮ or ↮ when you want an explicit entity.
Using Hex Code: ↮
Using HTML Code: ↮
Using Named Entity: ↮
Using CSS Entity: ↮
A ↮ B
How It Works
1. Hex:U+21AE → ↮ in HTML. The browser turns it into ↮.
2. Decimal: same code point as 8622 → ↮. Same result as hex.
3. Named:↮ and ↮ are the HTML5 names for this character.
4. CSS: use \21AE in content (not an HTML entity). #point::after appends that ↮ after the paragraph text.
Pitfalls & Tips
Common mistakes when working with Left Right Arrow Stroke.
Look-alikes
↮ ≠ ↔ ≠ ⇼
↮ (stroked), ↔ (plain), and U+21FC (double vertical stroke) are different characters.
Name
↮ ≠ ↔
The leading n marks the stroked / negated form. Do not drop it.
Fonts
Glyph may be missing
Arrows-block coverage is usually good, but still test on your target devices.
CSS vs HTML
Do not mix escapes
\21AE belongs in CSS. ↮ / ↮ / ↮ belong in HTML.
A11y
Add nearby words
Pair the glyph with relation text (for example A ↮ B) or use aria-label when it stands alone.
Semicolon
End references
Always finish with ; — write ↮, not &nharr.
Compatibility
Browser Support
Left Right Arrow Stroke (U+21AE) and its entity forms (↮, ↮, ↮, ↮, CSS \\21AE) are supported in all modern browsers. Glyph coverage depends on the font.
✓ Universal encoding
Left Right Arrow Stroke (↮)
Encode with named, hex, decimal, or CSS escape — or type ↮ directly in UTF-8 HTML.
100%Browser coverage
Google ChromeSupported
Yes
Microsoft EdgeSupported
Yes
Mozilla FirefoxSupported
Yes
Apple SafariSupported
Yes
OperaSupported
Yes
Internet ExplorerIE 9+
Yes*
U+21AE / ↮Full support
Bottom line: Prefer ↮ or ↮ for readable HTML. Use \\21AE only inside CSS content.
Remember
Key Takeaways
Unicode: this symbol is U+21AE (decimal 8622).
HTML: prefer ↮ / ↮ — or use ↮ / ↮.
Use ↮ or ↮ (named), ↮ (hex), ↮ (decimal), or the CSS escape \21AE in the content property. You can also type ↮ directly in UTF-8 HTML.
U+21AE (LEFT RIGHT ARROW WITH STROKE). Hex 21AE, decimal 8622. It belongs to the Arrows block (U+2190–U+21FF).
Yes. ↮ and ↮ are both HTML5 named entities. You can also use ↮ or ↮.
Use it in logic and math when you need a negated or “not bidirectional” left-right arrow. Prefer ↮ or ↮ for readable HTML.
HTML entities (↮, ↮, or ↮) go in markup. The CSS escape \21AE is used in stylesheets (usually in the content property of ::before/::after). Both render ↮.
↔ (U+2194) is a plain left-right arrow. U+21FC has a double vertical stroke. ↮ (U+21AE) is a left-right arrow with a single stroke (negation style).
🤔
Did you know?
Left Right Arrow Stroke is Unicode U+21AE (decimal 8622) — LEFT RIGHT ARROW WITH STROKE. HTML5 provides ↮ and ↮. Prefer a named form for readable source. Do not confuse it with a plain ↔ (U+2194) or the double-vertical-stroke form (U+21FC).
