U+2981 · Math symbol
LaTeX
\mdsmblkcircle
Z Notation Spot Symbol ⦁
⦁ is z notation spot, U+2981 — \mdsmblkcircle in LaTeX. It was added in Unicode 3.2, and Unicode files it under Math symbol.
What Unicode says about ⦁
medium-small-sized black circle
— annotation from the Unicode Standard, NamesList.txt
Codes & technical data
| Unicode | U+2981 | |
|---|---|---|
| HTML hex | ⦁ | |
| HTML decimal | ⦁ | |
| CSS | \2981 | |
| JavaScript | \u{2981} | |
| Python | \U00002981 | |
| Java / C# | \u2981 | |
| Rust | \u{2981} | |
| Swift | \u{2981} | |
| PHP | \u{2981} | |
| URL encoded | %E2%A6%81 | |
| UTF-8 bytes | E2 A6 81 | |
| UTF-16 bytes | 2981 | |
| Base64 | 4qaB | |
| Decimal | 10625 | |
| LaTeX | \mdsmblkcircle | |
| Category | Math symbol (Sm) | |
| Introduced | Unicode 3.2 | |
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 Mathematical Symbols-B
Brackets, fences and operators for advanced notation — the ceiling and floor variants, angle brackets and the many circled and squared operators.
All 128 characters in Miscellaneous Mathematical Symbols-B →
How to type ⦁
| Windows | Type 2981 then press Alt+X |
|---|---|
| macOS | Press Ctrl+Cmd+Space, then search for “z notation spot” |
| Linux | Press Ctrl+Shift+U, type 2981, press Enter |
| HTML | ⦁ |
About Unicode’s Math symbol category
Unicode classifies this as a mathematical symbol, which means software that lays out formulas treats it as an operator or relation and gives it spacing accordingly, rather than setting it tight against its neighbours like a letter.
Frequently asked questions
- How do I type the ⦁ z notation spot symbol?
- On Windows, type 2981 and press Alt+X. On Linux press Ctrl+Shift+U then 2981. On any system the quickest route is the copy button on this page.
- What is the code for ⦁?
- Z Notation Spot is U+2981 and in LaTeX as \mdsmblkcircle. In UTF-8 it takes 3 bytes. The table above lists every escape format.
- What kind of character is ⦁?
- Z Notation Spot is filed under Math symbol in the Miscellaneous Mathematical Symbols-B block, and was introduced in Unicode 3.2. Unicode classifies this as a mathematical symbol, which means software that lays out formulas treats it as an operator or relation and gives it spacing accordingly, rather than setting it tight against its neighbours like a letter.