🔣 Unicode Character Lookup

What is the Unicode Character Lookup?

Every character you can type, from a plain letter to an emoji, has a number assigned to it by the Unicode standard. That number is called a code point, and it is usually written in the form U+ followed by four or more hexadecimal digits, so the capital letter A is U+0041 and the star ★ is U+2605. The same number can also be written in plain decimal (A is 65) or as a numeric HTML entity (A), and this tool shows all three side by side for each character.

A subtle but important point is the difference between a character and a code unit. JavaScript strings store text as UTF-16, where most common characters take one 16-bit code unit but characters above U+FFFF (such as most emoji) take two, called a surrogate pair. A naive loop over a string counts those code units and would split an emoji in half. This tool uses codePointAt and iterates by code point (via Array.from), so an emoji like 😀 (U+1F600) is reported as a single character, not two broken pieces.

The reverse direction uses String.fromCodePoint, which turns a number back into the matching character. That is handy when you have a code point from a font chart, a spec, or another tool and want to see (and copy) the actual glyph. You can enter the code in whatever form you have it: the U+ notation, raw hexadecimal with a 0x prefix, or a plain decimal number, and you can list several at once to build a short string.

When to use it

• Finding the exact code point of a symbol so you can reference it in code, CSS content, or documentation.
• Spotting invisible or look-alike characters (a non-breaking space, a smart quote, a zero-width joiner) that are breaking your text or a regex.
• Converting a code point from a font chart or specification back into the visible character it represents.
• Generating the numeric HTML entity (&#NNNN;) for a character so it renders reliably regardless of page encoding.
• Checking whether a string contains astral characters like emoji that take two UTF-16 code units.

How to use the Unicode Character Lookup

1. Keep the default Text to code points mode and paste or type the text you want to inspect.
2. Read the table: each row shows the character, its U+XXXX code point, the decimal code, and the HTML entity.
3. To go the other way, switch to Code point to character mode.
4. Enter a code point as U+2605, 0x4F60, or a decimal like 9733 (list several separated by spaces or commas).
5. Copy the resulting character or any of the codes straight from the result.

Formula & method

Worked examples

Common characters and their Unicode code points

How a code point can be written

Common mistakes to avoid

• Counting code units instead of characters. A string length in JavaScript counts UTF-16 code units, not characters. An emoji such as 😀 has length 2 because it is a surrogate pair, even though it is one character. This tool iterates by code point so each emoji is reported once, and it also shows the code unit count for clarity.
• Mixing up hexadecimal and decimal. The U+XXXX form is hexadecimal, while the HTML entity &#NNNN; is decimal. U+0041 and A are the same character (A), not different ones. Reading 0041 as a decimal number would point at the wrong character entirely.
• Confusing &#NNNN; with &#xNNNN;. A numeric HTML entity can be decimal (★) or hexadecimal with an x (★). Both produce ★. Dropping the x but keeping the hex digits, as in ਭ, points at a completely different character.
• Assuming look-alike characters are identical. A straight quote, a curly quote, and a prime all look similar but have different code points. Pasting text into this lookup reveals which one you actually have, which often explains a failing search or comparison.

Glossary

Unicode

The standard that assigns a unique number, called a code point, to every character across the world's writing systems, symbols, and emoji.

Code point

The number Unicode assigns to a character, written as U+ followed by hexadecimal digits, for example U+0041 for the letter A.

Code unit

The fixed-size piece a string is stored in. In UTF-16 (used by JavaScript) each unit is 16 bits, and characters above U+FFFF use two units.

Surrogate pair

Two UTF-16 code units that together encode a single code point above U+FFFF, such as most emoji.

HTML entity

A way to write a character in HTML by its number, decimal as A or hexadecimal as A, so it renders regardless of encoding.

Hexadecimal

A base-16 number system using digits 0 to 9 and letters A to F. Code points are conventionally written in hexadecimal.

Frequently asked questions