U+2423 · Other symbol
HTML entity
␣
LaTeX
\mathvisiblespace
Open Box Symbol ␣
␣ is open box. Write it in HTML as ␣ or paste the character directly. It was added in Unicode 1.1, and Unicode files it under Other symbol.
What Unicode says about ␣
graphic for space
— annotation from the Unicode Standard, NamesList.txt
Codes & technical data
| Unicode | U+2423 | |
|---|---|---|
| HTML hex | ␣ | |
| HTML decimal | ␣ | |
| CSS | \2423 | |
| JavaScript | \u{2423} | |
| Python | \U00002423 | |
| Java / C# | \u2423 | |
| Rust | \u{2423} | |
| Swift | \u{2423} | |
| PHP | \u{2423} | |
| URL encoded | %E2%90%A3 | |
| UTF-8 bytes | E2 90 A3 | |
| UTF-16 bytes | 2423 | |
| Base64 | 4pCj | |
| Decimal | 9251 | |
| HTML entity | ␣ | |
| LaTeX | \mathvisiblespace | |
| Category | Other symbol (So) | |
| Introduced | Unicode 1.1 | |
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 box characters
Unicode names 4 characters ending in “box”. They differ by direction, weight or decoration rather than by meaning.
Nearby in Control Pictures
Visible pictures of the invisible ASCII control characters — a way to print "there is a tab here" without printing a tab. Terminal emulators and hex editors use them; almost nothing else does.
How to type ␣
| Windows | Type 2423 then press Alt+X |
|---|---|
| macOS | Press Ctrl+Cmd+Space, then search for “open box” |
| Linux | Press Ctrl+Shift+U, type 2423, 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 ␣ open box symbol?
- On Windows, type 2423 and press Alt+X. On Linux press Ctrl+Shift+U then 2423. On any system the quickest route is the copy button on this page.
- What is the code for ␣?
- Open Box is U+2423, written in HTML as ␣ and in LaTeX as \mathvisiblespace. In UTF-8 it takes 3 bytes. The table above lists every escape format.
- What kind of character is ␣?
- Open Box is filed under Other symbol in the Control Pictures block, and was introduced in Unicode 1.1. 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.