HTML Entity for White Sun Rays (☼)

Beginner

5 min read

Updated: Sep 2026

1 example

Unicode U+263C

HTML Entity for white sun rays (☼) tutorial illustration

Definition

What Is White Sun Rays?

White sun rays (☼) is Unicode U+263C (WHITE SUN WITH RAYS) in the Miscellaneous Symbols block. It is an outline sun-with-rays glyph — useful for weather UI, sunny themes, and brightness cues. HTML5 has no named entity for this character.

Remember

Character     ☼
Unicode       U+263C
Hex entity    &#x263C;
Decimal       &#9788;
Named entity  (none)
CSS escape    \263C
Not the same  ☀ U+2600 (black sun with rays)

All of these produce the same glyph: ☼. Prefer typing ☼ in UTF-8 when you can; use ☼ / ☼ or CSS for generated content.

Reference

Quick Reference

One table for every form you will actually use.

Form	Code	Where it goes
Direct character	`☼`	HTML text (UTF-8) — preferred
Hex entity	`☼`	HTML markup
Decimal entity	`☼`	HTML markup
CSS escape	`\263C`	Stylesheet `content`
Named entity	—	Not defined in HTML5

When to Use Which

Situation	Use
Outline / white sun with rays	`☼` or type `☼`
Filled / black sun with rays	☀ (U+2600)
Astronomical sun (circle + dot)	☉ (U+2609)
Icon via CSS	`content: "\263C"` on `::before`
Looking for a named entity	None for U+263C — use numeric form or type `☼`

See it

Live Preview

White sun rays in study contexts.

Large glyph ☼

Weather cue ☼ Sunny

White vs black ☼ ☀

Accessible label Sunny

With entities Hex: ☼ | Decimal: ☼

Code

Complete HTML Example

One page that shows ☼ 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 ☼ in a single document (no named entity).

html

<!DOCTYPE html>
<html lang="en">
<head>
  <meta charset="UTF-8">
  <title>White Sun Rays (☼) in HTML</title>
  <style>
    #point::after {
      content: "\263C";
    }
  </style>
</head>
<body>
  <p>White sun rays using Hex Code: &#x263C;</p>
  <p>White sun rays using HTML Code: &#9788;</p>
  <p id="point">White sun rays using CSS Entity: </p>
  <p>Typed directly: ☼</p>
</body>
</html>

Try It Yourself

How It Works

1. Hex: U+263C → ☼ in HTML. The browser turns it into ☼.

2. Decimal: same code point as 9788 → ☼. Same result as hex.

3. CSS: use \263C in content (not an HTML entity). #point::after appends that ☼ after the paragraph text.

4. Typed ☼: fine in UTF-8 source. There is no named entity for this symbol.

Pitfalls & Tips

Common mistakes when working with white sun rays (☼).

☀

Not black sun with rays

☼ is outline. For the filled form use ☀ (U+2600).

☉

Not the astronomical sun

☉ (U+2609) is a circle with a center dot — a different symbol from sun-with-rays glyphs.

Emoji

Emoji presentation may differ

Some platforms render related sun characters as colorful emoji. Prefer U+263C when you want the classic text symbol.

a11y

Say “Sunny”

Screen readers may not announce the sun clearly. Pair the glyph with visible or visually hidden text.

Fonts

Check symbol coverage

Some UI fonts omit U+263C. Prefer fonts with solid Miscellaneous Symbols support.

Semicolon

End references

Always finish with ; — write ☼, not &#9788.

Compatibility

Browser Support

White sun rays (U+263C) and its entity forms (☼, ☼, CSS \\263C) are supported in all mainstream browsers. Glyph quality depends on font support for Miscellaneous Symbols.

✓ Universal support

White Sun Rays (☼)

Type ☼, or encode with hex, decimal, or CSS escape — same glyph 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+263C / entities Full support

Bottom line: Prefer a typed ☼ or ☼ / ☼ for markup. Use \\263C only inside CSS content.

Remember

Key Takeaways

Unicode: white sun rays is U+263C (decimal 9788).
HTML: prefer typing ☼, or use ☼ / ☼.
CSS: use \263C inside content for generated icons.
Watch out: no named entity; ☼ ≠ ☀ ≠ ☉.

One line: U+263C → type ☼ / ☼ / ☼ / CSS \263C.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do I display white sun rays (☼) in HTML?

Use ☼ (hex), ☼ (decimal), or the CSS escape \263C in the content property. All render ☼. You can also paste ☼ directly if your file is UTF-8. There is no named HTML entity.

What is the Unicode value for white sun rays?

U+263C (hex 263C, decimal 9788). Unicode names it WHITE SUN WITH RAYS. It belongs to the Miscellaneous Symbols block (U+2600–U+26FF).

Is there a named HTML entity for ☼ (U+263C)?

No. HTML5 does not define a named entity for this symbol. Use ☼ or ☼ in markup, or \263C in CSS.

How is ☼ different from ☀ or ☉?

☼ (U+263C) is white sun with rays (outline). ☀ (U+2600) is black sun with rays. ☉ (U+2609) is the astronomical sun symbol (circle with a center dot). They are different code points.

What is the difference between HTML code and CSS entity for ☼?

HTML entities (☼ or ☼) go in markup. The CSS escape \263C is used in stylesheets (usually in the content property of ::before/::after). Both render ☼.

When should I use the white sun rays symbol?

Use ☼ for weather UI, sunny themes, and decorative brightness cues when you want the outline form. Prefer ☀ for the filled sun-with-rays glyph, or ☉ for astronomical/astrological sun notation. Pair the glyph with visible text for accessibility.

Did you know?

White sun rays is Unicode U+263C (decimal 9788) in the Miscellaneous Symbols block — official name WHITE SUN WITH RAYS. HTML5 has no named entity for it. It is an outline sun-with-rays glyph — not the same as ☀ (black sun with rays) or ☉ (astronomical sun).

Next: White Telephone

Learn the HTML entity for white telephone (☏).

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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