U+2B51 · Other symbol
LaTeX
\medblackstar
Black Small Star Symbol ⭑
⭑ is black small star, U+2B51 — \medblackstar in LaTeX. It was added in Unicode 5.1, and Unicode files it under Other symbol.
Codes & technical data
| Unicode | U+2B51 | |
|---|---|---|
| HTML hex | ⭑ | |
| HTML decimal | ⭑ | |
| CSS | \2B51 | |
| JavaScript | \u{2B51} | |
| Python | \U00002B51 | |
| Java / C# | \u2B51 | |
| Rust | \u{2b51} | |
| Swift | \u{2B51} | |
| PHP | \u{2B51} | |
| URL encoded | %E2%AD%91 | |
| UTF-8 bytes | E2 AD 91 | |
| UTF-16 bytes | 2B51 | |
| Base64 | 4q2R | |
| Decimal | 11089 | |
| LaTeX | \medblackstar | |
| Category | Other symbol (So) | |
| Introduced | Unicode 5.1 | |
Will ⭑ survive being pasted?
- Normalisation. Yes. ⭑ is unchanged by NFKC, so it survives normalising systems intact.
- Legacy encodings. ⭑ is Unicode-only — it has no Latin-1 equivalent, so a system stuck on an 8-bit encoding cannot represent it.
- Size. 3 bytes in UTF-8. Character-limited fields — SMS, bios, some form validators — usually count bytes, not characters.
Unicode cross-references
The standard points readers of ⭑ at these characters — usually because they look alike, or because one is the correct choice where the other is often used by mistake.
Other star characters
Unicode names 6 characters ending in “star”. They differ by direction, weight or decoration rather than by meaning.
Nearby in Miscellaneous Symbols and Arrows
A mixed block of arrows, stars, and geometric shapes in weights and colours the earlier blocks did not cover, plus a set of astronomical symbols.
How to type ⭑
| Windows | Type 2B51 then press Alt+X |
|---|---|
| macOS | Press Ctrl+Cmd+Space, then search for “black small star” |
| Linux | Press Ctrl+Shift+U, type 2b51, press Enter |
| HTML | ⭑ |
About Unicode’s Other symbol category
Unicode files this under "other symbol" — the catch-all for pictographs, signs and marks that are neither maths, currency, nor letter-like. It is the largest symbol category in the standard.
Frequently asked questions
- How do I type the ⭑ black small star symbol?
- On Windows, type 2B51 and press Alt+X. On Linux press Ctrl+Shift+U then 2b51. On any system the quickest route is the copy button on this page.
- What is the code for ⭑?
- Black Small Star is U+2B51 and in LaTeX as \medblackstar. In UTF-8 it takes 3 bytes. The table above lists every escape format.
- What kind of character is ⭑?
- Black Small Star is filed under Other symbol in the Miscellaneous Symbols and Arrows block, and was introduced in Unicode 5.1. Unicode files this under "other symbol" — the catch-all for pictographs, signs and marks that are neither maths, currency, nor letter-like. It is the largest symbol category in the standard.