Leftwards White Arrow
Block: Arrows
- Symbol
- ⇦
- Unicode
U+21E6- Unicode name
- LEFTWARDS WHITE ARROW
- Block
- Arrows
- Category
- Symbol, Other
- Type
- Unicode symbol
Leftwards White Arrow (⇦) is encoded as U+21E6 and has the formal Unicode name LEFTWARDS WHITE ARROW. 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 White Arrow (U+21E8); 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+21E6 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.
If this is not the character you meant, use what is ⇦ called? to identify the mark from pasted text, Unicode, or its visual shape.
Do Not Collapse Leftwards White Arrow Into Nearby Named Variants
Unicode stores ⇦ as U+21E6, while nearby records include ⇨ Rightwards White Arrow (U+21E8). 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.
Encoding ⇦ in HTML and Source Text
U+21E6 = decimal 8678 = HTML ⇦ / ⇦. A Unicode escape-style form is u21E6. Its UTF-8 bytes are E2 87 A6.
Use these identifiers in markup, source code, exports, or character diagnostics when the glyph alone is not enough.