What ⏴ means
⏴ signals back, reverse, or the previous item. This left-pointing triangle works like a back button; context separates navigation from reverse playback.
A 2011 Unicode proposal labels it for interface use as “reverse, back.” That records the proposed control meaning, not the shape’s first use.
Unicode 16.0 pairs it with ⏵ for forward movement and prefers both over ◀ for interface controls.
Plain and utilitarian; it carries the brisk tone of a control label.
As a reply to affection or agreement, it can sound like an order to go back.
Don't confuse it with
1Combination ideas
1Questions people ask
1Why does ⏴ show as a box on some devices?
Because that device's fonts have no glyph for it. The character is still correct and still copies correctly — the box is a missing glyph, not a broken character.
How to type ⏴
⏴\23F4Codes and encoding1 code points
A visible symbol can contain several code points. JS .length counts UTF-16 units; UTF-8 counts bytes.