HTML Entity for Open Centre Teardrop Spoked Asterisk (✼)

Beginner

5 min read

Updated: Sep 2026

1 example

Unicode U+273C

HTML Entity for open centre teardrop-spoked asterisk (U+273C) tutorial illustration

Definition

What Is Open Centre Teardrop Spoked Asterisk?

Open centre teardrop-spoked asterisk (✼) is the Unicode character at U+273C in the Dingbats block. Official name: OPEN CENTRE TEARDROP-SPOKED ASTERISK. It has teardrop-shaped rays and an open centre — not the simpler open centre asterisk.

Remember

Character     ✼
Unicode       U+273C
Hex entity    &#x273C;
Decimal       &#10044;
CSS escape    \273C
Named entity  (none)
Not the same  ✲ · ✻ · *

Prefer ✼ or a typed ✼ for decorative bullets and accents. Use ASCII * for wildcards and plain-text footnotes.

Reference

Quick Reference

One table for every form you will actually use.

Form	Code	Where it goes
Direct character	`✼`	HTML text (UTF-8)
Hex entity	`✼`	HTML markup
Decimal entity	`✼`	HTML markup
CSS escape	`\273C`	Stylesheet `content`
Named entity	—	Not defined in HTML5

When to Use Which

Situation	Use
Teardrop-spoked open-centre decoration	`✼` or typed `✼`
Simpler open centre asterisk	✲
Teardrop-spoked (no open-centre name)	✻ (`U+273B`)
ASCII asterisk (*, wildcards)	* (`U+002A`)
Custom bullet via CSS	`content: "\273C"`

See it

Live Preview

Open centre teardrop-spoked asterisk rendered in decorative contexts.

Large glyph ✼

Labels ✼ Featured | ✼ Note

Accent ✼ Highlight

Compared ✼ ✲ ✻ *

With entities Hex: ✼ | Decimal: ✼

Code

Complete HTML Example

One page that shows this asterisk with hex, decimal, CSS escape, and a typed character. Use View Output or open the live editor.

Hex + Decimal + CSS + Typed

Four ways to produce ✼, plus a label example.

html

<!DOCTYPE html>
<html lang="en">
<head>
  <meta charset="UTF-8">
  <title>Open Centre Teardrop Spoked Asterisk (✼) in HTML</title>
  <style>
    #point::after {
      content: "\273C";
    }
  </style>
</head>
<body>
  <p>Symbol using Hex Code: &#x273C;</p>
  <p>Symbol using HTML Code: &#10044;</p>
  <p id="point">Symbol using CSS Entity: </p>
  <p>Typed directly: ✼</p>
  <p>Example: &#x273C; Featured item</p>
</body>
</html>

Try It Yourself

How It Works

1. Hex: U+273C → ✼ in HTML. The browser turns it into ✼.

2. Decimal: same code point as 10044 → ✼. Same result as hex.

3. CSS: use \273C in content (not an HTML entity). #point::after appends that ✼ after the paragraph text.

4. Typed / example: paste ✼ in UTF-8, or write ✼ Featured item for a decorative label.

Pitfalls & Tips

Common mistakes when working with this Dingbats asterisk.

Named?

No named entity

HTML5 does not define a named entity for U+273C. Use numeric forms.

✲

Not open centre asterisk

✲ (U+2732) is a simpler open-centre asterisk. ✼ has teardrop-shaped spokes.

✻

Not U+273B

✻ is TEARDROP-SPOKED ASTERISK — related look, different code point from the open-centre variant.

A11y

Pair with text

Do not rely on the glyph alone for meaning. Add visible labels for assistive tech and clarity.

CSS vs HTML

Do not mix escapes

\273C belongs in CSS strings. ✼ / ✼ belong in HTML.

Semicolon

End references

Always finish with ; — write ✼, not &#10044.

Compatibility

Browser Support

Open centre teardrop-spoked asterisk (U+273C) and its numeric entity forms (✼, ✼, CSS \\273C) are supported in all mainstream browsers. Glyph availability depends on the font.

✓ Universal support

Open Centre Teardrop Spoked Asterisk (✼)

Encode with hex, decimal, CSS escape, or type the character — same code point everywhere encoding is supported.

100% Browser coverage

Google Chrome Supported

Yes

Microsoft Edge Supported

Yes

Mozilla Firefox Supported

Yes

Apple Safari Supported

Yes

Opera Supported

Yes

Internet Explorer All versions

Yes

U+273C / entities Full support

Bottom line: Prefer a typed ✼ or ✼ in HTML. Use ✼ when decimal form is required, and \\273C only inside CSS content.

Remember

Key Takeaways

Unicode: this symbol is U+273C (decimal 10044) — glyph ✼.
HTML: use ✼ or ✼ when you need an entity.
CSS: use \273C inside content for generated bullets.
Meaning: teardrop-spoked Dingbat — not ✲, ✻, or ASCII *.

One line: U+273C → type ✼, or encode as ✼ / ✼ / CSS \273C.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do I display the open centre teardrop-spoked asterisk (✼) in HTML?

Use ✼ (hex), ✼ (decimal), or the CSS escape \273C in content. There is no named HTML entity. In UTF-8 you can also type ✼ directly.

What is the Unicode value for this symbol?

U+273C (OPEN CENTRE TEARDROP-SPOKED ASTERISK). Hex 273C, decimal 10044. It belongs to the Dingbats block (U+2700–U+27BF).

Is there a named HTML entity for U+273C?

No. Use numeric references like ✼ or ✼ when you need an entity form.

When should I use U+273C?

Use it for decorative bullets, badges, and design accents with teardrop-shaped spokes. Prefer ASCII * for wildcards, and U+2732 when you want the simpler open centre asterisk.

What is the difference between HTML code and CSS entity for U+273C?

HTML entities (✼ or ✼) go in markup. The CSS escape \273C goes in stylesheet strings (usually content on ::before/::after).

Is ✼ the same as ✲ or ✻?

No. ✼ is U+273C (open centre teardrop-spoked). ✲ is U+2732 (open centre asterisk). ✻ is U+273B (teardrop-spoked asterisk).

Did you know?

Open centre teardrop-spoked asterisk is Unicode U+273C (decimal 10044) — glyph ✼ in the Dingbats block. HTML5 has no named entity — use ✼ or ✼. Distinct from open centre asterisk ✲ (U+2732) and teardrop-spoked asterisk ✻ (U+273B).

Next: Open Outlined Right Arrow

Learn the HTML entity for open outlined right arrow (U+27BE).

Open Outlined Right Arrow 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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