Leftwards Arrow With Double Vertical Stroke
Block: Arrows
- Symbol
- ⇺
- Unicode
U+21FA- Unicode name
- LEFTWARDS ARROW WITH DOUBLE VERTICAL STROKE
- Block
- Arrows
- Category
- Symbol, Math
- Type
- Unicode symbol
Leftwards Arrow With Double Vertical Stroke (⇺) is encoded as U+21FA and has the formal Unicode name LEFTWARDS ARROW WITH DOUBLE VERTICAL STROKE. Unicode classifies it as Symbol, Math 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 Double Vertical Stroke (U+21FB); those records should be compared by name and code point rather than merged because their shapes or terminology are related.
Reading Leftwards Arrow With Double Vertical Stroke in Context
⇺ is encoded as U+21FA and classified as Symbol, Math. 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.
How ⇺ Is Encoded
U+21FA = decimal 8698 = HTML ⇺ / ⇺. A Unicode escape-style form is u21FA. Its UTF-8 bytes are E2 87 BA.
Use these identifiers in markup, source code, exports, or character diagnostics when the glyph alone is not enough.
⇺ and Its Separately Encoded Neighbors
Unicode stores ⇺ as U+21FA, while nearby records include ⇻ Rightwards Arrow With Double Vertical Stroke (U+21FB). 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.