HTML Entity for Open Centre Teardrop Spoked Asterisk (✼)

Beginner
⏱️ 5 min read
📚 Updated: Jun 2026
🎯 1 Code Example
Unicode U+273C
HTML entity for Open Centre Teardrop Spoked Asterisk (U+273C) — hex, decimal, and CSS tutorial

What You'll Learn

How to display the Open Centre Teardrop Spoked Asterisk (✼) in HTML using hexadecimal, decimal, and CSS escape methods. This character is U+273C (OPEN CENTRE TEARDROP-SPOKED ASTERISK) in the Dingbats block (U+2700–U+27BF)—a decorative spoked asterisk with teardrop-shaped rays and an open centre, useful for custom bullets, design accents, badges, and symbolic typography.

Render it with ✼, ✼, or CSS escape \273C. There is no named HTML entity. Do not confuse ✼ with U+2732 (✲, open centre asterisk), U+273B (✻, teardrop spoked asterisk), U+2733 (✳, eight spoked asterisk), or the ASCII asterisk U+002A (*).

⚡ Quick Reference — Teardrop Spoked Asterisk

Unicode U+273C

Dingbats block

Hex Code ✼

Hexadecimal reference

HTML Code ✼

Decimal reference

Named Entity —

Use numeric codes only

Reference Table
Name           Value
────────────   ──────────
Unicode        U+273C
Hex code       ✼
HTML code      ✼
Named entity   (none)
CSS code       \273C
Meaning        Open centre teardrop-spoked asterisk
Related        U+2732 = open centre asterisk (✲)
               U+273B = teardrop spoked asterisk (✻)
               U+2733 = eight spoked asterisk (✳)
               U+002A = ASCII asterisk (*)
Block          Dingbats (U+2700–U+27BF)
1

Complete HTML Example

A simple example showing ✼ using hexadecimal code, decimal HTML code, and a CSS content escape:

html
<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
<head>
 <style>
  #point::after{
   content: "\273C";
  }
 </style>
</head>
<body>
<p>Teardrop spoked asterisk (hex): &#x273C;</p>
<p>Teardrop spoked asterisk (decimal): &#10044;</p>
<p id="point">Teardrop spoked asterisk (CSS): </p>
</body>
</html>
Try it Yourself

🌐 Browser Support

The Open Centre Teardrop Spoked Asterisk (✼) is widely supported in all modern browsers:

Chrome1+
Firefox1+
Safari1+
Edge12+
Opera4+
Android4.4+
iOS Safari1+

👀 Live Preview

See the Open Centre Teardrop Spoked Asterisk (✼) in decorative contexts:

Single symbol ✼
List marker ✼ Featured item  |  ✼ Special note
Badge style ✼ Highlight
Not the same as Open centre ✲  |  Teardrop ✻  |  ASCII *
Numeric refs &#x273C; &#10044; \273C

🧠 How It Works

1

Hexadecimal Code

&#x273C; uses the Unicode hexadecimal value 273C to display the teardrop spoked asterisk.

HTML markup
2

Decimal HTML Code

&#10044; uses the decimal Unicode value 10044 for the same character.

HTML markup
3

CSS Entity

\273C is used in CSS stylesheets in the content property of pseudo-elements like ::before and ::after for custom bullets.

CSS stylesheet
=

Decorative asterisk result

All three methods render ✼. Unicode U+273C in the Dingbats block. Next: Open Outlined Right Arrow (➾).

✅

Use Cases

The Open Centre Teardrop Spoked Asterisk (✼) is commonly used in:

📄 Custom bullets

Distinct list markers and bullet points with a decorative spoked asterisk shape.

🎨 Design accents

Decorative symbols in headers, badges, cards, and typography layouts.

📝 Footnotes & refs

Reference markers and inline notes where a styled asterisk is preferred over *.

⭐ Featured content

Highlighting special items, new features, or premium sections in UI copy.

💻 Web components

Icon-like symbols in navigation, tags, and status indicators without image assets.

📋 Unicode references

Character pickers, entity documentation, and Dingbats symbol guides.

♿ Accessibility

Pair decorative ✼ with visible text; do not rely on the symbol alone for meaning.

💡 Best Practices

Do

  • Use &#x273C; or &#10044; for inline decorative asterisks
  • Use CSS \273C in ::before for custom list bullets
  • Set <meta charset="utf-8"> for reliable rendering
  • Pick one numeric style per project for consistency
  • Provide text context alongside decorative symbols

Don’t

  • Confuse ✼ with open centre asterisk ✲, teardrop ✻, or ASCII *
  • Use padded Unicode notation like U+0273C—the correct value is U+273C
  • Use CSS escape \273C in HTML text nodes
  • Use ✼ as a required footnote marker without accessible text
  • Assume every font renders Dingbats identically—test your typeface

Key Takeaways

1

Two HTML numeric references plus CSS for U+273C

&#x273C; &#10044;
2

For CSS stylesheets, use \273C in the content property

3

Unicode U+273C — OPEN CENTRE TEARDROP-SPOKED ASTERISK

4

Distinct from ✲, ✻, and ASCII *

5

Previous: Open Centre Cross (✛)   Next: Open Outlined Right Arrow (➾)

❓ Frequently Asked Questions

Use &#x273C; (hex), &#10044; (decimal), or \273C in CSS content. There is no named entity. All three render ✼.
U+273C (OPEN CENTRE TEARDROP-SPOKED ASTERISK). Dingbats block (U+2700–U+27BF). Hex 273C, decimal 10044.
No. ✼ (U+273C) has teardrop-shaped spokes with an open centre. ✲ (U+2732) is OPEN CENTRE ASTERISK—a simpler asterisk design. ✻ (U+273B) is TEARDROP-SPOKED ASTERISK without the open-centre variant name.
For decorative bullet points, list markers, badges, typography accents, footnote-style references, and any UI needing a distinct Dingbats spoked asterisk.
Named HTML entities cover a subset of common characters. U+273C uses numeric hex or decimal codes or CSS escapes, which is standard for Dingbats decorative symbols.

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About the author

Mari Selvan M P
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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Open Centre Cross (✛) Open Outlined Right Arrow (➾)