HTML Entity for North West Arrow (↖)

Beginner

5 min read

Updated: Sep 2026

1 example

Unicode U+2196

HTML Entity for North West Arrow (U+2196) tutorial illustration

Definition

What Is the North West Arrow Entity?

North West Arrow (↖) is the diagonal arrow at Unicode U+2196 that points up and to the left. HTML5 provides &nwarr;. Example: Go ↖ home.

Remember

Character     ↖
Unicode       U+2196
Named entity  &nwarr;
Hex entity    &#x2196;
Decimal       &#8598;
CSS escape    \2196

Named, hex, decimal, CSS, and a typed character all produce the same glyph: ↖.

Reference

Quick Reference

One table for every form you will actually use.

Form	Code	Where it goes
Named entity	`&nwarr;`	HTML markup (preferred)
Direct character	`↖`	UTF-8 HTML text
Hex entity	`↖`	HTML markup
Decimal entity	`↖`	HTML markup
CSS escape	`\2196`	Stylesheet `content`

When to Use Which

Situation	Use
Up-left / north-west direction	`&nwarr;`
Need an entity in HTML source	`&nwarr;`, `↖`, or `↖`
Generated text via `::before` / `::after`	`content: "\2196"`
North-east arrow (↗)	`&nearr;`
Combined NE + SW (⤢)	See NE and SW Arrow — `⤢`

See it

Live Preview

The arrow alone, in a label, and beside related diagonals.

Example ↖ Back to top-left

Large glyph ↖

Named entity &nwarr; → ↖

vs ↗ / ↘ / ↙ ↖ | ↗ | ↘ | ↙

With entities Named: ↖ | Hex: ↖ | Decimal: ↖

Code

Complete HTML Example

One page that shows the North West Arrow 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>North West Arrow (↖)</title>
  <style>
    #point::after {
      content: "\2196";
    }
  </style>
</head>
<body>
  <p>Using Named Entity: &nwarr;</p>
  <p>Using Hex Code: &#x2196;</p>
  <p>Using HTML Code: &#8598;</p>
  <p id="point">Using CSS Entity: </p>
  <p>Label: &nwarr; Home</p>
</body>
</html>

Try It Yourself

How It Works

1. Named: &nwarr; is the clearest HTML form and renders ↖.

2. Hex: U+2196 → ↖ in HTML. Same result as the named entity.

3. Decimal: same code point as 8598 → ↖. Same result as hex and named.

4. CSS: use \2196 in content (not an HTML entity). #point::after appends that ↖ after the paragraph text.

Pitfalls & Tips

Common mistakes when working with the North West Arrow.

Prefer

Use `&nwarr;`

The named form is clearer than numeric references and is defined in HTML5.

vs ↗

Not north-east

&nearr; is ↗. North west points the opposite diagonal.

Direction

Up and left

In screen coordinates, ↖ points toward the top-left corner.

CSS vs HTML

Do not mix escapes

\2196 belongs in CSS. &nwarr; / ↖ / ↖ 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 &nwarr;, not &nwarr.

Compatibility

Browser Support

North West Arrow (U+2196) and its entity forms (&nwarr;, ↖, ↖, CSS \\2196) are supported in all mainstream browsers with a Unicode-capable font.

✓ Universal support

North West Arrow (&nwarr;)

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+2196 / &nwarr; Full support

Bottom line: Prefer &nwarr; in HTML. Use \\2196 only inside CSS content.

Remember

Key Takeaways

Unicode: North West Arrow is U+2196 (decimal 8598).
HTML: prefer &nwarr;.
CSS: use \2196 inside content for generated text.
Family: pair with &nearr;, &searr;, and &swarr;.

One line: U+2196 → prefer &nwarr; (also ↖ / CSS \2196).

Frequently Asked Questions

How do I display the North West Arrow in HTML using entities?

Use &nwarr; (named), ↖ (hex), ↖ (decimal), or the CSS escape \2196 in the content property. All render ↖. Prefer &nwarr; in HTML.

What is the Unicode value for the North West Arrow?

U+2196 (NORTH WEST ARROW). Hex 2196, decimal 8598. It belongs to the Arrows block.

Is there a named HTML entity for U+2196?

Yes. HTML5 defines &nwarr; for ↖.

When should I use this HTML entity?

Use it for navigation UI, maps, wind directions, and labels when you need an up-left diagonal arrow.

What is the difference between HTML code and CSS entity for U+2196?

HTML entities (&nwarr;, ↖, or ↖) go in markup. The CSS escape \2196 is used in stylesheets (usually in the content property of ::before/::after). Both render ↖.

Is ↖ the same as ↗ or ⤢?

No. North west is &nwarr; (↖, U+2196). North east is &nearr; (↗, U+2197). Combined NE+SW is U+2922 (⤢).

Did you know?

North West Arrow is Unicode U+2196 (decimal 8598) — in the Arrows block. HTML5 provides &nwarr;. It points up and left. Related: &nearr; (↗), &searr; (↘), &swarr; (↙).

Next: North West Arrow Crossing North East Arrow

Continue with the next arrow entity tutorial (⤰).

Next tutorial →

About the author

Mari Selvan M P 🔗

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