HTML Entity for Male Sign (♂)

Beginner

5 min read

Updated: Sep 2026

1 example

Unicode U+2642

HTML Entity for male sign (U+2642) tutorial illustration

Definition

What Is the Male Sign Entity?

Male sign (♂) is the Miscellaneous Symbols character at Unicode U+2642 (MALE SIGN). It is the classic gender symbol used in forms, profiles, science, and UI labels.

Remember

Character     ♂
Unicode       U+2642
Named entity  &male;
Hex entity    &#x2642;
Decimal       &#9794;
CSS escape    \2642

Named, hex, decimal, CSS, and a typed character all produce the same glyph: ♂. Prefer &male; in HTML source for clarity.

Reference

Quick Reference

One table for every form you will actually use.

Form	Code	Where it goes
Named entity	`&male;`	HTML markup (best default)
Hex entity	`♂`	HTML markup
Decimal entity	`♂`	HTML markup
CSS escape	`\2642`	Stylesheet `content`
Direct character	`♂`	UTF-8 HTML text

When to Use Which

Situation	Use
Readable HTML source	`&male;`
Numeric entity required	`♂` or `♂`
Generated text via `::before` / `::after`	`content: "\2642"`
Female symbol ♀	See Female Sign (`&female;`)
Combined male/female ⚥	See Male Female Sign (`U+26A5`)

See it

Live Preview

Male sign rendered in common UI contexts.

Inline text Gender: ♂ Male

Large glyph ♂

Named entity &male; → ♂

vs ♀ / ⚥ ♂ | ♀ | ⚥

With entities Named: ♂ | Hex: ♂ | Decimal: ♂

Code

Complete HTML Example

One page that shows the male sign with named, hex, decimal, and CSS forms. Use View Output or open the live editor.

Named + Hex + Decimal + CSS

Four ways to produce ♂ in a single document.

html

<!DOCTYPE html>
<html lang="en">
<head>
  <meta charset="UTF-8">
  <title>Male Sign (&male;)</title>
  <style>
    #point::after {
      content: "\2642";
    }
  </style>
</head>
<body>
  <p>Using Named Entity: &male;</p>
  <p>Using Hex Code: &#x2642;</p>
  <p>Using HTML Code: &#9794;</p>
  <p id="point">Using CSS Entity: </p>
  <p>Gender: &male; Male</p>
</body>
</html>

Try It Yourself

How It Works

1. Named: &male; is the clearest HTML form and renders ♂.

2. Hex: U+2642 → ♂ in HTML. Same result as the named entity.

3. Decimal: same code point as 9794 → ♂. Same result as hex.

4. CSS: use \2642 in content (not an HTML entity). #point::after appends that ♂ after the paragraph text.

Pitfalls & Tips

Common mistakes when working with the male sign.

Named

Prefer `&male;`

The named entity is clearer than numeric forms and is defined in HTML5.

Not ♀ or ⚥

Female is &female; (U+2640). Combined is U+26A5. Male is only U+2642.

A11y

Provide text context

Pair the symbol with a visible word like “Male” so meaning is clear to everyone.

CSS vs HTML

Do not mix escapes

\2642 belongs in CSS. &male; / ♂ / ♂ belong in HTML.

Encoding

Declare UTF-8

If you type ♂ directly, keep <meta charset="UTF-8"> so the file is not misread.

Semicolon

End references

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

Compatibility

Browser Support

Male sign (U+2642) and its entity forms (&male;, ♂, ♂, CSS \\2642) are supported in all mainstream browsers.

✓ Universal encoding

Male Sign (&male;)

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 IE 9+

Yes*

U+2642 Full support

Bottom line: Prefer &male; for readable HTML. Use \\2642 only inside CSS content.

Remember

Key Takeaways

Unicode: male sign is U+2642 (decimal 9794).
HTML: prefer &male; — or use ♂ / ♂.
CSS: use \2642 inside content for generated text.
Related: &female; (♀) and U+26A5 (⚥) are different characters.

One line: U+2642 → &male; / ♂ / ♂ / CSS \2642.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do I display the male sign in HTML using entities?

Use &male; (named), ♂ (hex), ♂ (decimal), or the CSS escape \2642 in the content property. All render ♂. Prefer &male; in HTML source.

What is the Unicode value for the male sign?

U+2642 (MALE SIGN). Hex 2642, decimal 9794. It belongs to the Miscellaneous Symbols block.

Is there a named HTML entity for the male sign?

Yes. &male; is the HTML5 named entity for ♂. The female counterpart is &female; (♀, U+2640).

When should I use the male sign HTML entity?

Use it for gender labels, forms, profiles, scientific content, and UI that needs the ♂ symbol.

What is the difference between HTML code and CSS entity for U+2642?

HTML entities (&male;, ♂, or ♂) go in markup. The CSS escape \2642 is used in stylesheets (usually in the content property of ::before/::after). Both render ♂.

How does ♂ differ from ⚥ and ♀?

♂ (U+2642) is the male sign. ♀ is the female sign (U+2640). ⚥ is the combined male and female sign (U+26A5).

Did you know?

Male sign is Unicode U+2642 (decimal 9794) — MALE SIGN in Miscellaneous Symbols. HTML5 provides &male; — the most readable form. Related: female sign &female; (♀, U+2640) and male female sign U+26A5 (⚥).

Next: Male Stroke Male Female Sign

Continue to the next HTML entity in this sequence (U+26A7).

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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