HTML Entity for Right Harpoon Barb Down (⇁)

Beginner

5 min read

Updated: Sep 2026

1 example

Unicode U+21C1

HTML Entity for Right Harpoon Barb Down (U+21C1) tutorial illustration

Definition

What Is the Right Harpoon Barb Down Entity?

Right Harpoon Barb Down (⇁) is the Arrows character at Unicode U+21C1 (RIGHTWARDS HARPOON WITH BARB DOWNWARDS). It is a rightwards harpoon whose barb points down — common in math and chemistry notation.

Remember

Character     ⇁
Unicode       U+21C1
Hex entity    &#x21C1;
Decimal       &#8641;
Named entity  &rhard;  (alias &rightharpoondown;)
CSS escape    \21C1
Not the same  &rharu; (⇀) · &rarr; (→)

All of these produce the same glyph: ⇁. Prefer &rhard; when you want an explicit entity.

Reference

Quick Reference

One table for every form you will actually use.

Form	Code	Where it goes
Named entity	`&rhard;`	HTML markup (best entity default)
Hex entity	`⇁`	HTML markup
Decimal entity	`⇁`	HTML markup
CSS escape	`\21C1`	Stylesheet `content`
Direct character	`⇁`	UTF-8 HTML text

When to Use Which

Situation	Use
Readable HTML entity source	`&rhard;` (or `&rightharpoondown;`)
Need a numeric entity	`⇁` or `⇁`
Generated text via `::before` / `::after`	`content: "\21C1"`
Barb pointing up instead	Use &rharu; (U+21C0)
Plain right arrow	Use → (U+2192)

See it

Live Preview

Right Harpoon Barb Down in common math contexts.

Relation snippet A ⇁ B

Large glyph ⇁

Named entity &rhard; → ⇁

vs &rharu; / → ⇁ | ⇀ | →

With entities Hex: ⇁ | Decimal: ⇁ | Named: ⇁

Code

Complete HTML Example

One page that shows Right Harpoon Barb Down with hex, decimal, named, and CSS. Use View Output or open the live editor.

Hex + Decimal + Named + CSS

All four ways to produce ⇁ in a single document.

html

<!DOCTYPE html>
<html lang="en">
<head>
  <meta charset="UTF-8">
  <title>Right Harpoon Barb Down (⇁) in HTML</title>
  <style>
    #point::after {
      content: "\21C1";
    }
  </style>
</head>
<body>
  <p>Using Hex Code: &#x21C1;</p>
  <p>Using HTML Code: &#8641;</p>
  <p>Using Named Entity: &rhard;</p>
  <p id="point">Using CSS Entity: </p>
  <p><code>A &rhard; B</code></p>
</body>
</html>

Try It Yourself

How It Works

1. Hex: U+21C1 → ⇁ in HTML. The browser turns it into ⇁.

2. Decimal: same code point as 8641 → ⇁. Same result as hex.

3. Named: &rhard; is the HTML5 name (alias &rightharpoondown;).

4. CSS: use \21C1 in content (not an HTML entity). #point::after appends that ⇁ after the paragraph text.

Pitfalls & Tips

Common mistakes when working with Right Harpoon Barb Down.

Look-alikes

⇁ ≠ ⇀ ≠ →

Barb down (&rhard;), barb up (&rharu;), and plain right (→) are different characters.

Alias

`&rightharpoondown;` works too

It is an HTML5 alias for the same character as &rhard;.

Name

Use `&rhard;` exactly

Guessing names will not work. Stick to &rhard; or numeric forms.

CSS vs HTML

Do not mix escapes

\21C1 belongs in CSS. &rhard; / ⇁ / ⇁ belong in HTML.

A11y

Add nearby words

Pair the glyph with equation text or use aria-label when it stands alone.

Semicolon

End references

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

Compatibility

Browser Support

Right Harpoon Barb Down (U+21C1) and its entity forms (&rhard;, ⇁, ⇁, CSS \\21C1) are supported in all modern browsers.

✓ Universal support

Right Harpoon Barb Down (&rhard;)

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 All versions

Yes

U+21C1 / &rhard; Full support

Bottom line: Prefer &rhard; for readable HTML. Use \\21C1 only inside CSS content.

Remember

Key Takeaways

Unicode: this symbol is U+21C1 (decimal 8641).
HTML: prefer &rhard; — or use ⇁ / ⇁.
CSS: use \21C1 inside content for generated text.
Watch out: &rhard; ≠ &rharu; ≠ →.

One line: U+21C1 → &rhard; / ⇁ / ⇁ / CSS \21C1.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do I display Right Harpoon Barb Down (⇁) in HTML using entities?

Use &rhard; (named), ⇁ (hex), ⇁ (decimal), or the CSS escape \21C1 in the content property. You can also type ⇁ directly in UTF-8 HTML.

What is the Unicode value for Right Harpoon Barb Down?

U+21C1 (RIGHTWARDS HARPOON WITH BARB DOWNWARDS). Hex 21C1, decimal 8641. It belongs to the Arrows block (U+2190–U+21FF).

Is there a named HTML entity for U+21C1?

Yes. &rhard; is the primary HTML5 named entity. &rightharpoondown; is a supported alias. You can also use ⇁ or ⇁.

When should I use this HTML entity?

Use it in math and chemistry notation for a rightwards harpoon with the barb pointing down, and in diagrams that need that arrow style. Prefer &rhard; for readable HTML.

What is the difference between HTML code and CSS entity for U+21C1?

HTML entities (&rhard;, ⇁, or ⇁) go in markup. The CSS escape \21C1 is used in stylesheets (usually in the content property of ::before/::after). Both render ⇁.

How is &rhard; different from &rharu; or →?

&rharu; (U+21C0) is the rightwards harpoon with barb upwards. → (U+2192) is the plain rightwards arrow. &rhard; (U+21C1) is the rightwards harpoon with barb downwards.

Did you know?

Right Harpoon Barb Down is Unicode U+21C1 (decimal 8641) — RIGHTWARDS HARPOON WITH BARB DOWNWARDS. HTML5 provides &rhard; (alias &rightharpoondown;). Prefer it for readable source. Do not confuse it with &rharu; (U+21C0, barb up) or a plain right arrow → (→).

Next: Right Harpoon Barb Down Above Left Harpoon Barb Down

Learn the HTML entity for the next harpoon combination in this sequence.

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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