HTML Entity for White Left Pointing Index (☜)

Beginner
⏱️ 5 min read
📚 Updated: Jun 2026
🎯 1 Code Example
Unicode U+261C
HTML entity for White Left Pointing Index (U+261C) — hex, decimal, and CSS tutorial

What You'll Learn

How to display the White Left Pointing Index symbol (☜) in HTML using hexadecimal, decimal, and CSS escape methods. This character is U+261C (WHITE LEFT POINTING INDEX) in the Miscellaneous Symbols block (U+2600–U+26FF)—a hand with index finger pointing left.

Render it with ☜, ☜, or CSS escape \261C. There is no named HTML entity. Do not confuse ☜ with ☚ (black left pointing index) or arrow ← (U+2190).

⚡ Quick Reference — White Left Pointing Index

Unicode U+261C

Miscellaneous Symbols

Hex Code ☜

Hexadecimal reference

HTML Code ☜

Decimal reference

Named Entity —

Use numeric codes only

Reference Table
Name           Value
────────────   ──────────
Unicode        U+261C
Hex code       ☜
HTML code      ☜
Named entity   (none)
CSS code       \261C
Meaning        White left pointing index
Related        U+261A = ☚ (black left pointing index)
               U+261D = ☝ (white up pointing index)
               U+261E = ☞ (white right pointing index)
               U+261F = ☟ (white down pointing index)
Block          Miscellaneous Symbols (U+2600–U+26FF)
1

Complete HTML Example

A simple example showing White Left Pointing Index (☜) using hexadecimal code, decimal HTML code, and a CSS content escape:

html
<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
<head>
 <style>
  #pointer:after{
   content: "\261C";
  }
 </style>
</head>
<body>
<p>White Left Pointing Index (hex): &#x261C;</p>
<p>White Left Pointing Index (decimal): &#9756;</p>
<p id="pointer">White Left Pointing Index (CSS): </p>
</body>
</html>
Try It Yourself

🌐 Browser Support

U+261C is supported in modern browsers when the font includes Miscellaneous Symbols glyphs:

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

👀 Live Preview

See White Left Pointing Index (☜) in context:

Large glyph☜
Back navigation☜ Back
White indices☜ ☝ ☞ ☟
Not the same as☚ (U+261A, black left pointing index)  |  ← (&larr;)
Numeric refs&#x261C; &#9756; \261C

🧠 How It Works

1

Hexadecimal Code

&#x261C; uses the Unicode hexadecimal value 261C to display the character. The x prefix indicates hexadecimal format.

HTML markup
2

Decimal HTML Code

&#9756; uses the decimal Unicode value 9756 to display the same character. A common method for symbol characters in HTML.

HTML markup
3

CSS Entity

\261C is used in CSS stylesheets, particularly in the content property of pseudo-elements like ::before and ::after.

CSS stylesheet
=

Same visual result

All three methods produce the glyph: ☜. Unicode U+261C is the white left pointing index in U+261C–U+261F. Not the same as ☚ (black left) or ← (&larr;).

✅

Use Cases

White Left Pointing Index (☜) is commonly used in:

⬅ Backward Navigation

Back buttons, breadcrumbs, and previous-page links.

👉 Directional Indicators

Content that directs attention leftward or to earlier sections.

👆 Visual Pointers

Tutorials and guides pointing to previous steps or left-side elements.

🖥 UI Indicators

Interface elements requiring leftward or backward direction cues.

📚 Instructions

Step-by-step guides highlighting earlier information.

💬 Call-to-Action

Buttons and links prompting backward or leftward movement.

♿ Accessibility

Pair ☜ with visible text like “Back” or aria-label; do not rely on the glyph alone.

💡 Best Practices

Do

  • Use ☜ for a white outline left-pointing hand; use ☚ for the black variant
  • Pair the pointer with accessible text like “Back” or aria-label
  • Pick one numeric style (hex or decimal) per project for consistency
  • Use fonts that support Miscellaneous Symbols characters
  • Test rendering across browsers and devices

Don’t

  • Confuse ☜ (white left index) with ☚ (black left index) or ← (&larr;)
  • Use the hand glyph as the only navigation cue for critical actions
  • Mix entity styles randomly in one file
  • Use CSS escape \261C inside HTML markup
  • Expect a named HTML entity—none exists for ☜

Key Takeaways

1

Type ☜ directly, or use hex/decimal references

&#x261C; &#9756;
2

For CSS stylesheets, use the escape in the content property

\261C
3

Unicode U+261C — WHITE LEFT POINTING INDEX (Miscellaneous Symbols)

4

White indices U+261C–U+261F differ by direction from black U+261A–U+261B

5

Previous: White Heart Suit (♡)   Next: White Nib (✑)

❓ Frequently Asked Questions

Use &#x261C; (hex), &#9756; (decimal), or \261C in CSS content. There is no named HTML entity. In UTF-8 you can also type ☜ directly.
U+261C (WHITE LEFT POINTING INDEX). Miscellaneous Symbols block U+2600–U+26FF. Hex 261C, decimal 9756.
For backward navigation, directional indicators, visual pointers, UI cues, tutorials pointing to previous content, and leftward call-to-action elements.
HTML entities (&#9756; or &#x261C;) go directly in markup. The CSS escape \261C is used in stylesheets, typically in the content property of ::before or ::after. Same visual result, different layers of the stack.
Named HTML entities are reserved for commonly used ASCII, Latin-1, and widely recognized symbols. Miscellaneous Symbols like ☜ use numeric codes. Use &#9756; or &#x261C; in HTML, or \261C in CSS.

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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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