HTML Entity for North West Double Arrow (⇖)

What You'll Learn
How to display the north west double arrow (⇖) in HTML using named, hexadecimal, decimal, and CSS escape methods. This bold double-stroke arrow points up and to the left and is useful for navigation buttons, back controls, and directional UI where a stronger arrow than ↖ is needed.
This character is U+21D6 (NORTH WEST DOUBLE ARROW) in the Arrows block (U+2190–U+21FF). Render it with ⇖, ⇖, ⇖, or CSS escape \21D6.
⚡ Quick Reference — North West Double Arrow Entity
U+21D6Arrows block
⇖Hexadecimal reference
⇖Decimal reference
⇖Most readable option
Name Value
──────────── ──────────
Unicode U+21D6
Hex code ⇖
HTML code ⇖
Named entity ⇖
CSS code \21D6
Meaning North west double arrow
Related U+2196 = North west (↖, ↖)
U+21D7 = NE double (⇗, ⇗)
U+21B8 = NW to long bar (↸)
Block Arrows (U+2190–U+21FF)Complete HTML Example
A simple example showing ⇖ using hexadecimal code, decimal HTML code, the named entity, and a CSS content escape:
<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
<head>
<style>
#point::after{
content: "\21D6";
}
</style>
</head>
<body>
<p>Symbol (hex): ⇖</p>
<p>Symbol (decimal): ⇖</p>
<p>Symbol (named): ⇖</p>
<p id="point">Symbol (CSS): </p>
</body>
</html>🌐 Browser Support
The north west double arrow (⇖) is supported in all modern browsers:
👀 Live Preview
See ⇖ in navigation and directional contexts:
🧠 How It Works
Named Entity
⇖ is the HTML named entity for U+21D6—the most readable choice when writing directional markup.
Hexadecimal Code
⇖ uses the Unicode hexadecimal value 21D6. The x prefix indicates hexadecimal format.
Decimal HTML Code
⇖ uses the decimal Unicode value 8662 to display the same character.
CSS Entity
\21D6 is used in CSS stylesheets, particularly in the content property of pseudo-elements like ::before and ::after.
Same visual result
All four methods produce: ⇖. Unicode U+21D6 in the Arrows block (U+2190–U+21FF).
Use Cases
The north west double arrow (⇖) is commonly used in:
Back buttons, collapse controls, and navigation to previous views.
Bold up-left direction on maps, signs, and route instructions.
Document diagonal movement with a stronger arrow than ↖.
Directional icons and graphics needing a double-stroke NW arrow.
Unicode charts, arrow references, and HTML entity tutorials.
Compare single (↖), double (⇖), and related NW variants.
💡 Best Practices
Do
- Use
⇖for readable directional markup - Pair ⇖ with accessible text (e.g. “back” or
aria-label) - Distinguish ⇖ from single ↖ and from ↸ (arrow to long bar)
- Use consistent arrow styling across your UI
- Serve pages with UTF-8 (
<meta charset="utf-8">)
Don’t
- Confuse ⇖ (
⇖) with ↖ (↖) - Confuse ⇖ with ↸ (north west arrow to long bar)
- Use padded Unicode notation like U+021D6—the correct value is
U+21D6 - Put CSS escape
\21D6in HTML text nodes - Use
\021D6in CSS—the correct escape is\21D6
Key Takeaways
Three HTML references plus CSS all render ⇖
⇖ ⇖ ⇖For CSS stylesheets, use the escape in the content property
\21D6Unicode U+21D6 — NORTH WEST DOUBLE ARROW
Arrows block (U+2190–U+21FF)
⇖ is the preferred named entity for readable source markup
❓ Frequently Asked Questions
⇖ (named), ⇖ (hex), ⇖ (decimal), or \21D6 in CSS content. All produce ⇖.U+21D6 (NORTH WEST DOUBLE ARROW). Arrows block (U+2190–U+21FF). Hex 21D6, decimal 8662. Named entity: ⇖.⇖, ⇖, or ⇖) go directly in markup. The CSS escape \21D6 is used in stylesheets, typically in the content property of pseudo-elements. Same visual result, different layers of the stack.⇖ is the named HTML entity for U+21D6 and is the most readable option in source markup. Note the capital A in nwArr.Explore More HTML Entities!
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