HTML Entity for Up Arrow Left Down Arrow (⇅)

Beginner

5 min read

Updated: Sep 2026

1 example

Unicode U+21C5

HTML Entity for Up Arrow Left Down Arrow (U+21C5) tutorial illustration

Definition

What Is the Up Arrow Left Down Arrow Entity?

Up Arrow Left Down Arrow (⇅) is the Arrows character at Unicode U+21C5 (UPWARDS ARROW LEFTWARDS OF DOWNWARDS ARROW). It shows an up arrow beside a down arrow — common for sort toggles and vertical bidirectional UI.

Remember

Character     ⇅
Unicode       U+21C5
Hex entity    &#x21C5;
Decimal       &#8645;
Named entity  &udarr;
CSS escape    \21C5
Not the same  ↕ (&varr;) · ↑ (&uarr;) · ↓ (&darr;)

All of these produce the same glyph: ⇅. Prefer &udarr; in HTML for readable source.

Reference

Quick Reference

One table for every form you will actually use.

Form	Code	Where it goes
Named entity	`&udarr;`	HTML markup (preferred)
Hex entity	`⇅`	HTML markup
Decimal entity	`⇅`	HTML markup
Direct character	`⇅`	UTF-8 HTML text
CSS escape	`\21C5`	Stylesheet `content`

When to Use Which

Situation	Use
Readable markup in HTML	`&udarr;`
Need a numeric entity	`⇅` or `⇅`
Generated text via `::before` / `::after`	`content: "\21C5"`
Single-stem up/down arrow	Use &varr; (U+2195)
One direction only	Use ↑ or ↓

See it

Live Preview

Up Arrow Left Down Arrow in common UI contexts.

Sort column Name ⇅

Large glyph ⇅

Named entity &udarr; → ⇅

Compared ⇅ | ↕ | ↑ ↓

With entities Hex: ⇅ | Decimal: ⇅ | Named: ⇅

Code

Complete HTML Example

One page that shows this symbol 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 (plus a sort label).

html

<!DOCTYPE html>
<html lang="en">
<head>
  <meta charset="UTF-8">
  <title>Up Arrow Left Down Arrow (⇅)</title>
  <style>
    #point::after {
      content: "\21C5";
    }
  </style>
</head>
<body>
  <p>Using Hex Code: &#x21C5;</p>
  <p>Using HTML Code: &#8645;</p>
  <p>Using Named Entity: &udarr;</p>
  <p id="point">Using CSS Entity: </p>
  <p>Sort: Name &udarr;</p>
</body>
</html>

Try It Yourself

How It Works

1. Hex: U+21C5 → ⇅ in HTML. The browser turns it into ⇅.

2. Decimal: same code point as 8645 → ⇅. Same result as hex.

3. Named: &udarr; is the HTML5 name for this character (alias &UpArrowDownArrow;).

4. CSS: use \21C5 in content (not an HTML entity). #point::after appends that ⇅ after the paragraph text.

5. UI label: Sort: Name &udarr; shows the usual pattern — symbol plus clear wording.

Pitfalls & Tips

Common mistakes when working with Up Arrow Left Down Arrow.

Look-alikes

⇅ ≠ ↕ ≠ ↑↓

U+21C5 is two arrows side by side. U+2195 is one stem. Stacking ↑ and ↓ is not the same character.

Readable

Prefer `&udarr;`

Named form is easiest to scan in UI tutorials. Numeric forms are equally valid.

CSS vs HTML

Do not mix escapes

\21C5 belongs in CSS. &udarr; / ⇅ / ⇅ belong in HTML.

A11y

Name the action

Pair ⇅ with text like “Sort” or “Expand/collapse” so the meaning is clear.

Opposite order

Down-left-of-up exists too

See down arrow left up arrow for the mirrored pairing.

Semicolon

End references

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

Compatibility

Browser Support

Up Arrow Left Down Arrow (U+21C5) and its entity forms (&udarr;, ⇅, ⇅, CSS \\21C5) are supported in all modern browsers.

✓ Universal encoding

Up Arrow Left Down Arrow (⇅)

Encode with named, hex, decimal, or CSS escape — or paste ⇅ 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

Yes

U+21C5 / &udarr; Full support

Bottom line: Prefer &udarr; in HTML. Use \\21C5 only inside CSS content.

Remember

Key Takeaways

Unicode: this symbol is U+21C5 (decimal 8645).
HTML: prefer &udarr;, or use ⇅ / ⇅.
CSS: use \21C5 inside content for generated text.
Watch out: ⇅ ≠ ↕ (&udarr; ≠ &varr;).

One line: U+21C5 → &udarr; / ⇅ / ⇅ / CSS \21C5.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do I display Up Arrow Left Down Arrow (⇅) in HTML using entities?

Use &udarr; (named), ⇅ (hex), ⇅ (decimal), or the CSS escape \21C5 in the content property. You can also paste ⇅ directly in UTF-8 HTML.

What is the Unicode value for this symbol?

U+21C5 (UPWARDS ARROW LEFTWARDS OF DOWNWARDS ARROW). Hex 21C5, decimal 8645. It belongs to Arrows (U+2190–U+21FF).

Is there a named HTML entity for U+21C5?

Yes. &udarr; is the HTML5 named entity (alias &UpArrowDownArrow;). You can also use ⇅ or ⇅.

How is ⇅ different from ↕?

⇅ (U+21C5, &udarr;) is up arrow leftwards of down arrow — two opposing arrows side by side. ↕ (U+2195, &varr;) is a single up-down arrow on one stem.

What is the difference between HTML code and CSS entity for U+21C5?

HTML entities (&udarr;, ⇅, or ⇅) go in markup. The CSS escape \21C5 is used in stylesheets (usually in the content property of ::before/::after). Both render ⇅.

When should I use this HTML entity?

Use ⇅ for sort toggles, expand/collapse cues, and bidirectional vertical UI. Prefer &udarr; in HTML for readable source, and add visible text such as “Sort” for accessibility.

Did you know?

Up Arrow Left Down Arrow is Unicode U+21C5 (decimal 8645) — UPWARDS ARROW LEFTWARDS OF DOWNWARDS ARROW. HTML5 provides &udarr; (alias &UpArrowDownArrow;). Prefer &udarr; for readable markup. Do not confuse it with up-down arrow U+2195 (&varr;, ↕).

Next: Up Arrow Pedestal Horizontal

Learn the HTML entity for Up Arrow Pedestal Horizontal — next 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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