Symbol Names: Common Symbols, Characters & Their Meanings

Ever typed a little squiggle and wondered what it’s actually called? You’re not alone. We use symbols all day, but few of us know symbol names. That’s a problem when you need to search for one, teach it, or explain it to a coworker.

This guide lists 411 common symbols, characters, and their meanings, sorted into easy groups. You’ll learn each name, see what it does, and pick up tips for typing and choosing the right one.

What Are Symbol Names and Why Do They Matter?

A symbol is a mark that stands for an idea, a sound, or an action. Every one has an official name. That name helps you search for it, type it, and talk about it. It also clears up mix-ups. Is that a dash or a hyphen? A tilde or a swung dash? The right name settles it fast. Below, you’ll find special characters grouped by use.

Common Punctuation Symbol Names

These marks shape every sentence you write.

• Period: .
• Comma: ,
• Question mark: ?
• Exclamation point: !
• Colon: :
• Semicolon: ;
• Apostrophe: ’
• Quotation marks: “ ”
• Hyphen: –
• En dash: –
• Parentheses: ( )
• Brackets: [ ]
• Ellipsis: …
• Interrobang: ‽

Symbol names and meanings

These typographic marks show up in books and legal papers.

• Pilcrow: ¶
• Section sign: §
• Dagger: †
• Double dagger: ‡
• Bullet: •
• Asterism: ⁂
• Reference mark: ※
• Interpunct: ·
• Prime: ′
• Inverted question mark: ¿

 Keyboard Symbol Names You See Every Day

Your keyboard hides plenty of marks with odd names.

• At sign: @
• Hash: #
• Ampersand: &
• Asterisk: *
• Forward slash: /
• Backslash: \
• Vertical bar: |
• Tilde: ~
• Caret: ^
• Underscore: _
• Backtick: `
• Return key: ⏎
• Tab key: ⇥
• Caps lock: ⇪

 Mathematical Symbol Names

Start with the signs you learned in school.

• Plus: +
• Minus: −
• Multiplication sign: ×
• Division sign: ÷
• Equals: =
• Not equal: ≠
• Less than: <
• Greater than: >
• Less than or equal: ≤
• Greater than or equal: ≥
• Plus-minus: ±
• Percent: %
• Degree: °
• Approximately equal: ≈

More Mathematical Symbol Names

Higher math brings bigger, fancier marks.

• Square root: √
• Pi: π
• Infinity: ∞
• Summation: ∑
• Product: ∏
• Integral: ∫
• Delta: ∆
• Theta: θ
• Partial differential: ∂
• Union: ∪
• Intersection: ∩
• Subset: ⊂
• Element of: ∈
• Empty set: ∅

Currency Symbol Names

Money has its own set of signs around the world.

• Dollar: $
• Cent: ¢
• Euro: €
• Pound: £
• Yen: ¥
• Rupee: ₹
• Won: ₩
• Franc: ₣
• Peso: ₱
• Ruble: ₽
• Lira: ₺
• Shekel: ₪
• Bitcoin: ₿
• Currency sign: ¤

 Arrow Symbol Names

Arrows point the way, so learn the basic eight first.

• Right arrow: →
• Left arrow: ←
• Up arrow: ↑
• Down arrow: ↓
• Left-right arrow: ↔
• Up-down arrow: ↕
• Northeast arrow: ↗
• Northwest arrow: ↖
• Southeast arrow: ↘
• Southwest arrow: ↙
• Double right arrow: ⇒
• Double left arrow: ⇐
• Return arrow: ↩
• Forward curve arrow: ↪

More Arrow Symbol Names

These styles add loops, waves, and dashes.

• Clockwise arrow: ↻
• Counterclockwise arrow: ↺
• Heavy arrow: ➔
• Dashed arrow: ⇢
• Wave arrow: ↝
• Tailed arrow: ↣
• Barbed arrow: ➵
• Paired arrows: ⇄
• Triple arrow: ⇛
• Curved-up arrow: ⤴

 Heart Symbol Names

Hearts say love, care, and sometimes heartbreak.

• Red heart: ❤
• Broken heart: 💔
• Sparkling heart: 💖
• Growing heart: 💗
• Beating heart: 💓
• Two hearts: 💕
• Revolving hearts: 💞
• Heart with arrow: 💘
• Heart with ribbon: 💝
• Heart exclamation: ❣
• Heart decoration: 💟
• Heart on fire: ❤️‍🔥

 Star Symbol Names

Stars mark favorites, ratings, and wishes.

• Black star: ★
• White star: ☆
• Sparkles: ✨
• Glowing star: 🌟
• Shooting star: 🌠
• Circled star: ✪
• Pinwheel star: ✯
• Eight-pointed star: ✴
• Six-pointed star: ✶
• Burst star: ✷
• Radiant star: ✵
• Medium star: ⭐

 Shape Symbol Names

Simple shapes work as bullets, buttons, and markers.

• Black circle: ●
• White circle: ○
• Black square: ■
• White square: □
• Triangle: ▲
• Down triangle: ▼
• Diamond: ◆
• White diamond: ◇
• Lozenge: ◊
• Rectangle: ▬
• Pentagon: ⬟
• Hexagon: ⬡
• Bullseye: ◎
• Half circle: ◐

 Check, Cross & Approval Symbol Names

Use these for yes, no, done, and not done.

• Check mark: ✓
• Heavy check mark: ✔
• Checked box: ☑
• Green check button: ✅
• Ballot X: ✗
• Heavy ballot X: ✘
• Crossed box: ☒
• Red cross button: ❌
• Heavy multiplication X: ✖
• Empty box: ☐

 Copyright, Trademark & Legal Symbols

These marks protect names, art, and ideas.

• Copyright: ©
• Registered trademark: ®
• Trademark: ™
• Service mark: ℠
• Sound recording copyright: ℗
• Copyleft: 🄯
• Creative Commons: 🅭
• Public domain mark: 🅮
• Attribution mark: 🅯
• Scales of justice: ⚖

 Computer & Technology Symbol Names

Your devices use these every single day.

• Power button: ⏻
• Sleep symbol: ⏾
• Battery: 🔋
• Low battery: 🪫
• Signal bars: 📶
• Wi-Fi symbol: 🛜
• Bluetooth symbol: ᛒ
• USB symbol: ⭘
• Eject: ⏏
• Play: ▶
• Pause: ⏸
• Stop: ⏹
• Record: ⏺
• Fast forward: ⏩

Symbol name in computer

These show up on Mac and PC keys.

• Command key: ⌘
• Option key: ⌥
• Shift key: ⇧
• Control key: ⌃
• Delete key: ⌫
• Forward delete key: ⌦
• Escape key: ⎋
• Page up: ⇞
• Page down: ⇟
• Home key: ⇱

 Programming Symbol Names

Coders mix these marks into nearly every line.

• Curly braces: { }
• Angle brackets: < >
• Double colon: ::
• Fat arrow: =>
• Logical NOT: !
• Logical AND: &&
• Logical OR: ||
• Increment: ++
• Decrement: —
• Triple equals: ===
• Null coalescing: ??
• Pipe operator: |>
• Spread operator: …
• Lambda: λ

You May Also Like These:
“Ugly Girl Names: 411+ Funny, Unusual, Awkward & Quirky Ideas“
“411+ Evil Names: Dark, Sinister & Powerful Ideas for Villains 😈“

 Music Symbol Names

Musicians read these marks like a map.

• Treble clef: 𝄞
• Bass clef: 𝄢
• Quarter note: ♩
• Eighth note: ♪
• Beamed eighth notes: ♫
• Beamed sixteenth notes: ♬
• Sharp: ♯
• Flat: ♭
• Natural: ♮
• Whole rest: 𝄻
• Fermata: 𝄐
• Repeat sign: 𝄆
• Coda: 𝄌
• Segno: 𝄋

 Weather & Nature Symbol Names

Forecasts and field guides lean on these.

• Sun: ☀
• Cloud: ☁
• Umbrella with rain: ☔
• Snowflake: ❄
• Lightning bolt: ⚡
• Rainbow: 🌈
• Crescent moon: ☾
• Full moon: 🌕
• Tornado: 🌪
• Comet: ☄
• Snowman: ☃
• Droplet: 💧
• Wave: 🌊
• Leaf: 🍃

 Gender Symbol Names

These signs come from old science marks.

• Female sign: ♀
• Male sign: ♂
• Transgender symbol: ⚧
• Male and female sign: ⚥
• Double female sign: ⚢
• Double male sign: ⚣
• Interlocked sign: ⚤
• Male with stroke sign: ⚦
• Neuter sign: ⚲

 Zodiac Symbol Names

Each sign has its own glyph.

• Aries: ♈
• Taurus: ♉
• Gemini: ♊
• Cancer: ♋
• Leo: ♌
• Virgo: ♍
• Libra: ♎
• Scorpio: ♏
• Sagittarius: ♐
• Capricorn: ♑
• Aquarius: ♒
• Pisces: ♓

 Card Suit Symbol Names

Every deck uses these four suits and a few extras.

• Spade suit: ♠
• Heart suit: ♥
• Diamond suit: ♦
• Club suit: ♣
• Outlined spade: ♤
• Outlined heart: ♡
• Outlined diamond: ♢
• Outlined club: ♧
• Joker: 🃏
• Ace of spades: 🂡

 Warning & Safety Symbol Names

Signs like these can keep people safe.

• Warning sign: ⚠
• No entry: ⛔
• Prohibited sign: 🚫
• Radioactive sign: ☢
• Biohazard sign: ☣
• Stop sign: 🛑
• Flame: 🔥
• Fire extinguisher: 🧯
• Children crossing: 🚸
• No pedestrians: 🚷
• Age restriction: 🔞
• Wheelchair access: ♿
• No smoking: 🚭
• SOS sign: 🆘

 Office & Document Symbol Names

These tools fill every desk and every app.

• Pushpin: 📌
• Paperclip: 📎
• Scissors: ✂
• Pencil: ✏
• Pen: 🖊
• Envelope: ✉
• Telephone: ☎
• Folder: 📁
• Clipboard: 📋
• Calendar: 📅
• Memo: 📝
• Magnifier: 🔍

 Social Media & Communication Symbol Names

You tap these when you chat and post.

• Speech bubble: 💬
• Thought bubble: 💭
• Thumbs up: 👍
• Clapping hands: 👏
• Link: 🔗
• Bell: 🔔
• Camera: 📷
• Megaphone: 📣
• Eyes: 👀
• Bookmark: 🔖
• Globe: 🌐
• Outbox tray: 📤

 Aesthetic Symbol Names for Text

Use these to make bios and captions pop.

• Wavy dash: 〰
• Corner brackets: 「 」
• Lenticular brackets: 【 】
• Fisheye: ◉
• Dotted circle: ◌
• Arc: ⌒
• Bowtie: ⋈
• Ribbon: 🎀
• Butterfly: 🦋
• Spiral: 🌀
• Ring operator: ∘
• White bullet: ◦

 Dark & Gothic Symbol Names

Moody marks for spooky styles.

• Skull and crossbones: ☠
• Bat: 🦇
• Coffin: ⚰
• Funeral urn: ⚱
• Spider: 🕷
• Cobweb: 🕸
• Ghost: 👻
• Black heart: 🖤
• New moon: 🌑
• Inverted pentagram: ⛧
• Maltese cross: ✠
• Crossed swords: ⚔

 Flower & Decorative Symbol Names

Soft, pretty marks for borders and notes.

• Cherry blossom: 🌸
• Rose: 🌹
• Tulip: 🌷
• Sunflower: 🌻
• Hibiscus: 🌺
• Blossom: 🌼
• Bouquet: 💐
• Fleuron: ❦
• Floral heart: ❧
• Florette: ✿
• White florette: ❀
• Eight-petal flower: ❁

 Number & Number-Related Symbol Names

These marks bend numbers into new shapes.

• Circled one: ①
• Circled two: ②
• Circled three: ③
• Superscript two: ²
• Superscript three: ³
• Subscript two: ₂
• Roman numeral five: Ⅴ
• Roman numeral ten: Ⅹ
• Numero sign: №
• Fraction one half: ½
• Fraction three quarters: ¾

Engineering & Technical Symbol Names

Builders and scientists use these daily.

• Ohm sign: Ω
• Micro sign: µ
• Angstrom sign: Å
• Diameter sign: ⌀
• Ground symbol: ⏚
• Perpendicular: ⊥
• Parallel: ∥
• Angle: ∠
• Right angle: ∟
• Gear: ⚙
• Wrench: 🔧
• Alternating current: ⏦

 Navigation & Direction Symbol Names

Maps and boats rely on these.

• Compass rose: 🧭
• Location pin: 📍
• World map: 🗺
• Anchor: ⚓
• Helm: ⎈
• Sailboat: ⛵
• Home: ⌂
• Flag: ⚑
• Position indicator: ⌖
• Bus stop: 🚏

 Recycling, Environmental & Green Symbols

Look for these on bottles and boxes.

• Recycling: ♻
• Universal recycling: ♲
• Plastic type one: ♳
• Plastic type two: ♴
• Seedling: 🌱
• Earth globe: 🌍
• Tree: 🌳
• Partially recycled paper: ♽

Cultural & Traditional Symbol Names

Many of these are religious symbols with deep roots.

• Peace sign: ☮
• Yin and yang: ☯
• Om: ॐ
• Star of David: ✡
• Latin cross: ✝
• Star and crescent: ☪
• Dharma wheel: ☸
• Khanda: ☬
• Ankh: ☥
• Nazar: 🧿
• Hamsa: 🪬
• Torii gate: ⛩

 Miscellaneous Special Symbol Names

A grab bag of fun and handy marks.

• Hourglass: ⌛
• Watch: ⌚
• Key: 🔑
• Lock: 🔒
• Gem: 💎
• Crown: 👑
• Trophy: 🏆
• Light bulb: 💡
• Gift: 🎁
• Balloon: 🎈
• Puzzle piece: 🧩
• Dice: 🎲

 Letter-Like Symbol Names

These look like letters but act like symbols.

• Script l: ℓ
• Planck constant: ℎ
• Real numbers: ℝ
• Natural numbers: ℕ
• Integers: ℤ
• Rational numbers: ℚ
• Aleph: ℵ
• Information source: ℹ
• Care of: ℅
• Versicle: ℣
• Estimated sign: ℮
• Account of: ℀

How to Choose the Right Symbol for Your Purpose

Start with your goal. A school report needs clear math signs. A text post can handle fun hearts and stars. Ask who will read it and on what device. Then test your pick on a phone and a laptop, because some symbols turn into empty boxes on older screens. Keep it simple, and pick marks your reader will know at a glance.

Symbol Name Mistakes to Avoid

• Mixing up look-alikes, like a hyphen, an en dash, and a minus sign.
• Using rare symbols in emails or resumes that may not show up.
• Picking marks with a different meaning in another culture.
• Packing so many symbols that the message gets hard to read.

 How to Type Special Symbols on a Keyboard

On Windows, hold Alt and type 0169 on the number pad to get ©. You can also press the Windows key plus a period to open the emoji and symbol panel. On a Mac, press Control, Command, and Space for the same panel. Option plus G types ©. On a phone, press and hold a key to see more choices, like currency signs.

 Where Are Symbol Names Commonly Used?

You’ll see them in school math, legal papers, and music sheets. Coders use them in every program. Shops use currency signs and trademark marks. Social media users sprinkle in hearts and stars. Road signs, labels, and maps use warning and direction symbols to share news without words.

Frequently Asked Questions About Symbol Names

What are some symbolic names?

Pilcrow, ampersand, tilde, and ankh are all symbol names. Each one points to a mark with its own history and job, from editing text to showing life in ancient Egypt.

What are the symbols’ names?

It depends on the group. Punctuation has periods and commas. Math has plus, minus, and pi. Money has the dollar, euro, and pound. This guide covers 35 groups, so you can look up any mark you see.

What are some British symbols?

The pound sign (£) is the big one, along with the crown and the Union Jack. Each nation has a flower too: the rose for England, the thistle for Scotland, and the daffodil for Wales.

What are some famous symbols?

The heart, the peace sign, the at sign, and the copyright mark are famous worldwide. Yin and yang and the ankh are famous cultural symbols with thousands of years behind them.

Final Thoughts

Symbols are small, but they carry big meaning. Now you know 411 symbol names, from the humble period to the mysterious pilcrow, plus how to pick the right one and type it fast.

Bookmark this list and use it whenever a strange character pops up. Got a mark you can’t name? Copy it, paste it into a search bar, and see what you find. Then come back and share your favorite with a friend.