Left Square Bracket Quill (⁅) is the General Punctuation character at Unicode U+2045 (LEFT SQUARE BRACKET WITH QUILL). It is a left square bracket with a small quill (tick) — used in specialized notation.
Remember
Character ⁅
Unicode U+2045
Hex entity ⁅
Decimal ⁅
Named entity (none)
CSS escape \2045
Pair with U+2046 (⁆)
Not the same [ / [ · ❲ (❲)
Hex, decimal, CSS, and a typed character all produce the same glyph: ⁅. Prefer ⁅ when you want an explicit entity. Close pairs with ⁆.
Using Hex Code: ⁅note⁆
Using HTML Code: ⁅note⁆
Using CSS Entity: ⁅
⁅note⁆
How It Works
1. Hex:U+2045 → ⁅ in HTML. The browser turns it into ⁅.
2. Decimal: same code point as 8261 → ⁅. Same result as hex. The right pair is 8262 (U+2046).
3. Named: HTML5 does not define a named entity for this character — use hex or decimal instead.
4. CSS: use \2045 in content (not an HTML entity). #point::after appends that ⁅ after the paragraph text.
Pitfalls & Tips
Common mistakes when working with Left Square Bracket Quill.
Look-alikes
⁅ ≠ [ ≠ ❲
U+2045 has a quill. Plain [ and ❲ (U+2772) are different characters.
Named
No &…; name
Do not invent a name. Use ⁅ or ⁅.
Pairing
Close with U+2046
Prefer ⁆ / ⁆ on the right, not a plain ], when you want a matching quill pair.
CSS vs HTML
Do not mix escapes
\2045 belongs in CSS. ⁅ / ⁅ belong in HTML.
A11y
Add nearby words
Pair the glyph with label text (for example ⁅note⁆) or use aria-label when punctuation alone is unclear.
Semicolon
End references
Always finish with ; — write ⁅, not ⁅.
Compatibility
Browser Support
Left Square Bracket Quill (U+2045) and its entity forms (⁅, ⁅, CSS \\2045) are supported in all modern browsers. Glyph coverage depends on the font.
✓ Universal encoding
Left Square Bracket Quill (⁅)
Encode with hex, decimal, or CSS escape — or type ⁅ directly in UTF-8 HTML. No named entity.
100%Browser coverage
Google ChromeSupported
Yes
Microsoft EdgeSupported
Yes
Mozilla FirefoxSupported
Yes
Apple SafariSupported
Yes
OperaSupported
Yes
Internet ExplorerIE 9+
Yes*
U+2045Full support
Bottom line: Prefer ⁅ for readable HTML. Use \\2045 only inside CSS content.
Remember
Key Takeaways
Unicode: this symbol is U+2045 (decimal 8261).
HTML: prefer ⁅ — or use ⁅. No named entity.
CSS: use \2045 inside content for generated text.
Watch out:U+2045 ≠ [; pair with U+2046.
One line:U+2045 → ⁅ / ⁅ / CSS \2045 (no named entity).
Frequently Asked Questions
Use ⁅ (hex), ⁅ (decimal), or the CSS escape \2045 in the content property. All render ⁅ when the font supports General Punctuation. There is no named HTML entity.
U+2045 (LEFT SQUARE BRACKET WITH QUILL). Hex 2045, decimal 8261. It belongs to General Punctuation (U+2000–U+206F).
No. HTML5 does not define a named entity for U+2045. Use numeric references like ⁅ or ⁅.
Use it for specialized notation and typography when you need a square bracket with a quill (tick) instead of a plain [. Pair with U+2046 on the right. Prefer numeric entities when encoding must be explicit.
HTML entities (⁅ or ⁅) go in markup. The CSS escape \2045 is used in stylesheets (usually in the content property of ::before/::after). Both render ⁅.
The ASCII [ (U+005B / [) is a plain left square bracket. ❲ (U+2772) is a light left tortoise shell bracket ornament. U+2045 is LEFT SQUARE BRACKET WITH QUILL — a different glyph.
🤔
Did you know?
Left Square Bracket Quill is Unicode U+2045 (decimal 8261) — LEFT SQUARE BRACKET WITH QUILL. HTML5 has no named entity — use ⁅ or ⁅. Pair with U+2046 (⁆) for the right form. Do not confuse it with a plain [ / [ (U+005B).
