Arrow Symbols
Common arrow symbols explained, including directional arrows, double arrows, navigation arrows, mathematical arrows, Unicode arrow characters, and similar-looking arrow signs.
77 symbol guides available
What Are Arrow Symbols?
Arrow symbols are characters used to indicate direction, movement, navigation, relationships, mappings, transformations, logical implication, and many other concepts.
The simplest arrows point left, right, up, or down, but Unicode contains a large collection of arrow characters with different heads, shafts, directions, curves, hooks, and double-line forms.
An arrow's meaning depends heavily on context. The same right arrow → might mean “go to the next step” in an interface, “maps to” in mathematics, “produces” in chemistry, or simply indicate movement to the right.
Basic Directional Arrows
| Symbol | Name | Common meaning |
|---|---|---|
| ← | Leftwards arrow | Move, return, or point left |
| → | Rightwards arrow | Move, continue, or point right |
| ↑ | Upwards arrow | Move upward, increase, upload, scroll up |
| ↓ | Downwards arrow | Move downward, decrease, download, scroll down |
| ↔ | Left-right arrow | Two-way relationship or horizontal movement |
| ↕ | Up-down arrow | Vertical two-way movement or resizing |
Diagonal Arrows
| Symbol | Direction |
|---|---|
| ↖ | Up and left |
| ↗ | Up and right |
| ↘ | Down and right |
| ↙ | Down and left |
Diagonal arrows are frequently used in diagrams, maps, user interfaces, resizing controls, and directional instructions.
Double Arrows
| Symbol | Name | Common use |
|---|---|---|
| ⇐ | Leftwards double arrow | Logical or mathematical relation; strong leftward direction |
| ⇒ | Rightwards double arrow | Implication in logic and mathematics |
| ⇑ | Upwards double arrow | Specialized directional notation |
| ⇓ | Downwards double arrow | Specialized directional notation |
| ⇔ | Left-right double arrow | Logical equivalence or “if and only if” |
| ⇕ | Up-down double arrow | Two-way vertical relationship |
Single Arrow → vs Double Arrow ⇒
The arrows → and ⇒ may look like stylistic variants, but in formal notation they can have different meanings.
In logic, ⇒ often indicates implication. A single right arrow → may represent a function mapping, transformation, transition, limit direction, reaction, or another relationship.
Notation conventions vary between fields, so the surrounding formula should always be considered.
Mapping and Function Arrows
| Symbol | Common mathematical use |
|---|---|
| → | Mapping, transformation, function type, limit direction |
| ↦ | Maps an element to an image |
| ↪ | Injection or inclusion in some notation |
| ↠ | Surjective mapping in some conventions |
| ⟶ | Long rightwards arrow used in mathematical notation |
| ⟹ | Long rightwards double arrow |
| ⟷ | Long left-right arrow |
| ⟺ | Long left-right double arrow |
Curved and Returning Arrows
| Symbol | Typical interpretation |
|---|---|
| ↩ | Return, reply, carriage return, or back action |
| ↪ | Forward or hooked rightward movement |
| ↶ | Counterclockwise curved arrow |
| ↷ | Clockwise curved arrow |
| ↺ | Counterclockwise open circle arrow |
| ↻ | Clockwise open circle arrow |
Curved arrows are common in interfaces for undo, redo, refresh, return, rotate, and repeat actions.
Arrow Symbols in User Interfaces
Digital interfaces frequently use arrows without accompanying text. Their meaning is usually inferred from position and surrounding controls.
| Arrow | Common interface meaning |
|---|---|
| ← | Back or previous |
| → | Next or continue |
| ↑ | Scroll up, upload, move up |
| ↓ | Scroll down, download, expand |
| ↗ | External link or open elsewhere in some interfaces |
| ↻ | Refresh, reload, repeat |
Interface meanings are conventions rather than universal definitions. Designers may assign different functions to similar arrow icons.
Arrow Symbols in Mathematics and Logic
Arrows play an important role in mathematical notation. They can describe functions, mappings, implications, convergence, transformations, vectors, transitions, and relationships between objects.
x → 0 can indicate that x approaches zero.
A ⇒ B often indicates that statement A implies statement B.
A ⇔ B often indicates logical equivalence.
x ↦ x² describes how an input is mapped to an output.
Arrow Symbols in Chemistry and Science
Arrows also appear in scientific notation. In chemistry, arrows can indicate reactions, equilibrium, electron movement, resonance, or transformations. In physics and engineering, arrows can represent direction, vectors, forces, flows, and processes.
Because these uses are specialized, the visual arrow alone is not always enough to determine the intended meaning.
Text Arrows vs Emoji Arrows
Some arrow characters are ordinary Unicode text symbols, while others may be displayed in an emoji-like graphical style depending on the character, platform, font, and variation settings.
This can make conceptually similar arrows appear very different across operating systems or applications.
Arrow Symbols That Are Easy to Confuse
→ vs ⇒
→ is a single rightwards arrow, while ⇒ is a rightwards double arrow. They may represent different logical or mathematical relationships.
↔ vs ⇔
↔ is a left-right arrow. ⇔ is a left-right double arrow commonly used for logical equivalence.
→ vs ➜ vs ➡
These characters all point to the right but are different Unicode characters and may have different visual styles or intended contexts.
↑ vs ⇧
↑ is an upward arrow. ⇧ is an outlined upward arrow widely associated with the Shift key on keyboards and interfaces.
Arrow Symbols and Unicode
Unicode contains many arrow blocks and related characters. These include simple directional arrows, double arrows, harpoons, hooked arrows, long arrows, circular arrows, mathematical arrows, and decorative arrow forms.
Visually similar arrows are often different Unicode characters. This matters when searching, copying text, programming, or trying to identify the exact symbol used in a document.
How to Identify an Unknown Arrow Symbol
Start with the direction of the arrow, then look at its shaft and arrowhead. Is it single or double? Straight or curved? Does it have hooks, bars, or two heads?
Then consider its context. An arrow in a phone interface, mathematical equation, chemistry diagram, road sign, or programming environment may have very different meanings even when the basic shape is similar.