Leftwards Arrow With Loop
Block: Arrows
- Symbol
- ↫
- Unicode
U+21AB- Unicode name
- LEFTWARDS ARROW WITH LOOP
- Block
- Arrows
- Category
- Symbol, Other
- Type
- Unicode symbol
Leftwards Arrow With Loop (↫) is encoded as U+21AB and has the formal Unicode name LEFTWARDS ARROW WITH LOOP. Unicode classifies it as Symbol, Other in the Arrows block. Its name places it in the arrow/directional family, which gives the page a narrower identity than the glyph alone. Separately encoded named neighbors include ↬ Rightwards Arrow With Loop (U+21AC); those records should be compared by name and code point rather than merged because their shapes or terminology are related.
Unicode Identity First, Local Meaning Second
↫ is encoded as U+21AB and classified as Symbol, Other. Its formal name narrows it to the arrow/directional family rather than leaving the mark as an unidentified shape.
The Unicode identity and the surrounding document answer different questions: the code point tells you which character is present, while the surrounding formula, interface, document, or notation system determines the local interpretation. Keeping those layers separate prevents a visual guess from being treated as a character definition.
Need to identify another character? Use what symbol is ↫? with the symbol itself, its Unicode value, or a description of how it looks.
Digital Representations of U+21AB
U+21AB = decimal 8619 = HTML ↫ / ↫. A Unicode escape-style form is u21AB. Its UTF-8 bytes are E2 86 AB.
Use these identifiers in markup, source code, exports, or character diagnostics when the glyph alone is not enough.
Do Not Collapse Leftwards Arrow With Loop Into Nearby Named Variants
Unicode stores ↫ as U+21AB, while nearby records include ↬ Rightwards Arrow With Loop (U+21AC). These are separate encoded identities, not alternate font drawings of one character.
The comparison is useful because a shared word in the name, a mirrored direction, or a similar outline can make two symbols appear interchangeable. When the distinction matters, compare the complete Unicode name and code point before replacing one record with another.