Right Single Quotation Mark
Block: General Punctuation
- Symbol
- ’
- Unicode
U+2019- Unicode name
- RIGHT SINGLE QUOTATION MARK
- Block
- General Punctuation
- Category
- Punctuation, Final Quote
- Type
- Punctuation character
Right Single Quotation Mark (’) is U+2019, formally named RIGHT SINGLE QUOTATION MARK. The right single quotation mark is commonly used as a closing single quote and typographic apostrophe. Its encoded counterpart ‘ LEFT SINGLE QUOTATION MARK (U+2018) is a separate character, so the two marks should be chosen by quotation role and code point rather than by approximate visual similarity.
The quotation role encoded by ’
When it appears as a quotation mark, ’ finishes the quoted span. In ‘text’, it follows the final quoted character and identifies the trailing end of that pair.
The trailing example is descriptive rather than a rule for every quotation style. During import or cleanup, select U+2019 at the trailing edge when the source calls for it instead of choosing a mark only for its similar curve.
Looking for a different mark? Try what does the ’ symbol mean? and identify it from the character, Unicode value, or appearance.
Opening and closing quotation marks are separate characters
Unicode assigns the trailing side of this pair a separate value: ’ (U+2019) is RIGHT SINGLE QUOTATION MARK. Its opening counterpart, ‘ (U+2018), is LEFT SINGLE QUOTATION MARK.
For validation or cleanup at the end of a quotation, target the closing character explicitly. Replacing the opening counterpart would alter the start boundary instead of the final mark.
Digital Representations of U+2019
The encoded identity can be represented without relying on the glyph. U+2019 = decimal 8217 = HTML ’ / ’. A Unicode escape-style representation is u2019. The UTF-8 byte sequence for the current glyph is E2 80 99.
These forms are useful when a font does not display the symbol clearly, when debugging copied text, or when comparing characters that look alike. Numeric references and escapes identify the underlying code point or sequence rather than a particular font drawing.
Quotation marks that can be mistaken for ’
Related-character data also connects ’ with ' APOSTROPHE (U+0027). These comparisons are useful for exact-character identification, but visual similarity does not make the characters typographically interchangeable.
Use the intended quotation role and code point as the deciding evidence when copied text contains a visually similar mark.
How ’ also functions as an apostrophe
The available description records an additional use for ’: it can function as a typographic apostrophe in ordinary punctuation. That is a separate semantic role from its position as the closing member of a single-quotation pair, even though the same U+2019 character can serve both roles in text.
A related record is ' APOSTROPHE (U+0027). It is a different encoded character. When exact text identity matters, distinguish the typographic U+2019 character from the ASCII apostrophe instead of treating the two glyphs as interchangeable.