{"id":117115,"date":"2026-11-11T11:04:43","date_gmt":"2026-11-11T11:04:43","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/mailrelay.com\/glossary\/symbols\/"},"modified":"2026-11-13T07:07:08","modified_gmt":"2026-11-13T07:07:08","slug":"symbols","status":"publish","type":"glossary","link":"https:\/\/mailrelay.com\/en\/glossary\/symbols\/","title":{"rendered":"Symbols"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

A symbol<\/strong> is a character that represents an idea, a unit or an object without using letters: \u20ac, \u00a9, \u2605, \u2713 or \u2192.<\/p>\n\n

Almost all of them are in Unicode, the standard that phones and computers use to display text. That’s why you can copy them in one place and paste them in another.<\/p>\n\n

Here are the most searched-for symbols to copy and paste<\/strong>, sorted by type. You’ll also see how to type them on your keyboard and when it makes sense to use them in an email subject line<\/a> or in an SMS.<\/p>\n\n

How do you copy and paste symbols?<\/h2>\n\n

On a computer, double-click the symbol or select it by dragging the mouse. Then press Ctrl + C (Cmd + C on Mac) and paste it with Ctrl + V.<\/p>\n\n

On a phone, hold your finger on the symbol until the menu appears and choose “Copy”.<\/p>\n\n

If you see an empty square or a question mark when you paste it, the problem isn’t the symbol. The font of that app doesn’t include it.<\/p>\n\n

Symbols to copy and paste by type<\/h2>\n\n

These are the most searched-for groups. Select only the one you need: each one is a separate character.<\/p>\n\n

Type<\/th>Symbols to copy<\/th><\/tr><\/thead>
Arrows<\/td>\u2192 \u2190 \u2191 \u2193 \u2194 \u2195 \u21d2 \u21d0 \u21d4 \u279c \u2794 \u27a4 \u2197 \u2198 \u21a9 \u21aa<\/td><\/tr>
Stars<\/td>\u2605 \u2606 \u2726 \u2727 \u2729 \u272a \u272b \u272c \u272d \u272e \u272f \u2730 \u22c6<\/td><\/tr>
Hearts<\/td>\u2665 \u2661 \u2764 \u2765 \u2763 \u10e6 \u2665\ufe0e<\/td><\/tr>
Check marks<\/td>\u2713 \u2714 \u2611 \u2717 \u2718 \u2612<\/td><\/tr>
Currencies<\/td>\u20ac $ \u00a3 \u00a5 \u00a2 \u20bf \u20bd \u20b9 \u20a9 \u20b1 \u20a1<\/td><\/tr>
Math<\/td>\u00b1 \u00d7 \u00f7 \u2260 \u2248 \u2264 \u2265 \u221e \u03c0 \u221a \u2211 \u2206 % \u2030 \u00b0<\/td><\/tr>
Trademarks and legal<\/td>\u00a9 \u00ae \u2122 \u00a7 \u00b6 \u2117<\/td><\/tr>
Punctuation and typography<\/td>\u00ab \u00bb \u201c \u201d \u2018 \u2019 \u2014 \u2013 \u2026 \u2022 \u00b7 \u00bf \u00a1 \u2020 \u2021<\/td><\/tr>
Shapes<\/td>\u25a0 \u25a1 \u25b2 \u25b3 \u25bc \u25bd \u25cf \u25cb \u25c6 \u25c7 \u25aa \u25ab<\/td><\/tr>
Communication<\/td>\u260e \u2706 \u2709 \u2708 \u231a \u231b \u270e \u2702<\/td><\/tr>
Weather and nature<\/td>\u2600 \u2601 \u2602 \u2744 \u26a1 \u263e \u273f \u2740 \u2741<\/td><\/tr>
Music and games<\/td>\u266a \u266b \u266c \u2669 \u2660 \u2663 \u2666 \u2667 \u2664 \u2662<\/td><\/tr>
Other popular symbols<\/td>\u262e \u262f \u270c \u267b \u26a0 \u263a \u2639 \u2640 \u2642 \u26a5<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n

So-called “aesthetic symbols” usually come from the rows of stars, flowers and shapes: \u2727, \u22c6, \u273f or \u263e look good in an Instagram bio or in a profile name.<\/p>\n\n

Looking for faces made with characters? You’ll find almost a hundred in the kaomoji<\/a> entry. And if what you need is a gap that can’t be seen, check the one on invisible text<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n

\"Infographic<\/figure>\n\n
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Make your subject line stand out<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

With Mailrelay you write your subject lines with any symbol you like and send up to 80,000 emails a month for free, with human support on every plan.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Create a free account<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n

How do you type symbols on your keyboard?<\/h2>\n\n

You don’t always have to copy them. Each system has its own shortcut for the most common ones.<\/p>\n\n

On Windows<\/strong>, hold down the Alt key and type the code on the numeric keypad. When you release Alt, the symbol appears. You can also press Windows + period (.) and open the symbols tab (\u03a9) in the emoji panel.<\/p>\n\n

On Mac<\/strong>, press Ctrl + Cmd + Space to open the Character Viewer and search for the symbol by name.<\/p>\n\n

On a phone<\/strong>, press and hold a key to see its variants. For example, the $ hides other currencies.<\/p>\n\n

And in Word<\/strong> you can type the Unicode code and press Alt + X to convert it: 2192 followed by Alt + X gives \u2192.<\/p>\n\n

Symbol<\/th>Name<\/th>Windows (Alt + code)<\/th>Unicode<\/th><\/tr><\/thead>
\u20ac<\/td>Euro<\/td>Alt + 0128<\/td>U+20AC<\/td><\/tr>
\u00a9<\/td>Copyright<\/td>Alt + 0169<\/td>U+00A9<\/td><\/tr>
\u00ae<\/td>Registered trademark<\/td>Alt + 0174<\/td>U+00AE<\/td><\/tr>
\u2122<\/td>Trademark<\/td>Alt + 0153<\/td>U+2122<\/td><\/tr>
\u00b0<\/td>Degree<\/td>Alt + 0176<\/td>U+00B0<\/td><\/tr>
\u00b1<\/td>Plus-minus<\/td>Alt + 0177<\/td>U+00B1<\/td><\/tr>
\u00d7<\/td>Multiplication<\/td>Alt + 0215<\/td>U+00D7<\/td><\/tr>
\u00f7<\/td>Division<\/td>Alt + 0247<\/td>U+00F7<\/td><\/tr>
\u00ab \u00bb<\/td>Guillemets (angle quotes)<\/td>Alt + 0171 \/ Alt + 0187<\/td>U+00AB \/ U+00BB<\/td><\/tr>
\u2014<\/td>Em dash<\/td>Alt + 0151<\/td>U+2014<\/td><\/tr>
\u2026<\/td>Ellipsis<\/td>Alt + 0133<\/td>U+2026<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n

Alt codes only work with the numeric keypad. On a laptop without one, use the Windows + period panel.<\/p>\n\n

Can I use symbols in an email subject line?<\/h2>\n\n

Yes. Gmail, Outlook and Apple Mail display most Unicode symbols, and a well-chosen one helps your subject line stand out in the inbox.<\/p>\n\n

But it’s worth following three rules:<\/p>\n\n