U+263C · Other symbol
LaTeX
\sun
White Sun With Rays Symbol ☼
☼ is white sun with rays, U+263C. Unicode also records it as “compass”. It was added in Unicode 1.1, and Unicode files it under Other symbol.
Also known as
- compass
Codes & technical data
| Unicode | U+263C | |
|---|---|---|
| HTML hex | ☼ | |
| HTML decimal | ☼ | |
| CSS | \263C | |
| JavaScript | \u{263C} | |
| Python | \U0000263C | |
| Java / C# | \u263C | |
| Rust | \u{263c} | |
| Swift | \u{263C} | |
| PHP | \u{263C} | |
| URL encoded | %E2%98%BC | |
| UTF-8 bytes | E2 98 BC | |
| UTF-16 bytes | 263C | |
| Base64 | 4pi8 | |
| Decimal | 9788 | |
| LaTeX | \sun | |
| 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.
Nearby in Miscellaneous Symbols
A broad block covering weather, astrology, chess, music, religion and warning signs. Many members also have an emoji presentation, which is why the same character can look monochrome in one app and full-colour in another.
How to type ☼
| Windows | Type 263C then press Alt+X |
|---|---|
| macOS | Press Ctrl+Cmd+Space, then search for “white sun with rays” |
| Linux | Press Ctrl+Shift+U, type 263c, 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 ☼ white sun with rays symbol?
- On Windows, type 263C and press Alt+X. On Linux press Ctrl+Shift+U then 263c. On any system the quickest route is the copy button on this page.
- What is the code for ☼?
- White Sun With Rays is U+263C and in LaTeX as \sun. In UTF-8 it takes 3 bytes. The table above lists every escape format.
- What kind of character is ☼?
- White Sun With Rays is filed under Other symbol in the Miscellaneous Symbols 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.