HTML Entity for White Sun Rays (☼)

Beginner
⏱️ 5 min read
📚 Updated: Jun 2026
🎯 1 Code Example
Unicode U+263C
HTML entity for White Sun Rays (U+263C) tutorial illustration

What You'll Learn

How to display White Sun Rays (☼) in HTML and CSS. This character is U+263C in the Miscellaneous Symbols block (U+2600–U+26FF), approved in Unicode 1.1 (1993). Its Unicode name is WHITE SUN WITH RAYS—a white-outline sun with rays, used in weather, decorative, and astronomical contexts. The counterpart Black Sun With Rays (☀ U+2600) has a filled appearance.

There is no named HTML entity for U+263C. Use ☼ or ☼ in markup, or \263C in stylesheet content. Do not confuse ☼ with ☀ (black sun with rays) or emoji ☀️ (U+2600 with variation selector). Pair weather glyphs with visible text or aria-label (for example “Sunny” or “Clear weather”).

⚡ Quick Reference — White Sun Rays

Unicode U+263C

Miscellaneous Symbols (U+2600–U+26FF)

Hex Code ☼

Hexadecimal reference

HTML Code ☼

Decimal reference

Named Entity —

None (use numeric refs)

Reference Table
Name           Value
────────────   ──────────
Unicode        U+263C
Hex code       ☼
HTML code      ☼
Named entity   —
CSS code       \263C
Meaning        White sun with rays
Related        U+2600 = ☀ (black sun with rays)
               U+2609 = ☉ (sun, without rays)
Block          Miscellaneous Symbols (U+2600–U+26FF)
1

Complete HTML Example

This example shows U+263C using hexadecimal and decimal character references, plus a CSS content escape on a pseudo-element:

html
<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
<head>
 <style>
  #point:after{
   content: "\263C";
  }
 </style>
</head>
<body>
<p>White Sun Rays using Hexa Decimal: &#x263C;</p>
<p>White Sun Rays using HTML Code: &#9788;</p>
<p id="point">White Sun Rays using CSS Entity: </p>
</body>
</html>
Try It Yourself

🌐 Browser Support

U+263C is widely supported in modern browsers; sun glyph artwork varies by typeface:

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

👀 Live Preview

See the glyph at different sizes and beside related sun symbols (font-dependent):

Large glyph☼
Weather UI☼ Sunny  |  ☁ Cloudy
Sun pair (U+263C & U+2600)☼ ☀
CaptionU+263C is WHITE SUN WITH RAYS; U+2600 is BLACK SUN WITH RAYS in Miscellaneous Symbols.
Monospace refs&#x263C; &#9788; \263C

🧠 How It Works

1

Hexadecimal Code

&#x263C; references code point U+263C using hex digits 263C after the #x prefix.

HTML markup
2

Decimal HTML Code

&#9788; is the decimal equivalent (9788) for the same White Sun Rays character.

HTML markup
3

CSS Entity

\263C is the CSS escape for U+263C, used in the content property of ::before or ::after.

CSS stylesheet
=

Same visual result

Hex, decimal, and CSS escapes all produce ☼. There is no named HTML entity for U+263C. Not the same as ☀ (black sun with rays).

✅

Use Cases

White Sun Rays (☼) is commonly used for:

🌤 Weather content

Weather forecasts, apps, and meteorological content for sunny conditions.

🎨 Decorative elements

Web design, headers, footers, and decorative sections with visual interest.

🔮 Astronomical references

Astronomy websites, space-related content, and solar system documentation.

✨ Positive messaging

Content that conveys positivity, brightness, or optimism.

🌞 Seasonal content

Summer-themed content, vacation websites, and seasonal promotions.

⚡ Solar & environmental

Solar energy, environmental awareness, and sustainability content.

♿ Accessibility

Pair ☼ with text or aria-label (e.g. “Sunny” or “Clear weather”).

💡 Best Practices

Do

  • Use hex or decimal consistently—there is no named entity for U+263C
  • Pair ☼ with ☀ (black sun with rays) for outline vs filled sun variants
  • Pair the symbol with clear context (e.g. weather labels or decorative captions) so meaning is clear
  • Choose fonts that support the Miscellaneous Symbols block (U+2600–U+26FF)
  • Use \263C only inside CSS content, not inside HTML text nodes
  • Use aria-hidden="true" when purely decorative; add text when meaning matters

Don’t

  • Confuse U+263C with U+2600 (black sun with rays) or emoji ☀️ (may use different sequences)
  • Rely on ☼ alone to communicate critical weather or status information
  • Assume every font renders sun symbols crisply at small sizes
  • Use weather glyphs as the only cue without visible text or labels
  • Mix CSS escapes into HTML text nodes (use numeric refs in markup)

Key Takeaways

1

Two numeric references render the same glyph

&#x263C; &#9788;
2

CSS content escape

\263C
3

U+263C is WHITE SUN WITH RAYS; black variant is U+2600

4

Miscellaneous Symbols block U+2600–U+26FF; no named HTML entity

5

Previous: White Spade Suit (♤)   Next: White Telephone (☏)

❓ Frequently Asked Questions

Use &#x263C; (hex), &#9788; (decimal), or \263C in CSS content. There is no named entity; all valid methods render ☼.
U+263C (hex 263C, decimal 9788). Miscellaneous Symbols (U+2600–U+26FF). Unicode name WHITE SUN WITH RAYS.
For weather-related content, decorative elements, astronomical references, visual design, sunny day indicators, positive messaging, and seasonal or solar themes.
Numeric references belong in HTML. The \263C escape belongs in stylesheets (for example on pseudo-elements). Do not paste CSS escapes into HTML text nodes.
No. Use &#x263C;, &#9788;, or \263C in CSS depending on whether you are authoring markup or styles.

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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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