Block Octant-1237

It builds low-resolution pictures from text-sized blocks.

On Kaypro computers in the 1980s, a character cell could work as a 2-by-4 pixel grid. “Semigraphics” means using ready-made text characters as pixels: programs placed these tiles side by side to plot a larger image. The digits in this character’s name identify its four filled parts.

A 2021 Unicode proposal included this tile to preserve old computer graphics for conversion and emulation. Its role shifted from a drawing piece on a Kaypro screen to an exact character in reusable text.

Why does the same tile look different in fonts?

The official chart drawing is a guide, not a font rule.

Fonts can give the same tile slightly different edges or weight. Microsoft’s Cascadia Code update added all 256 octants in 2024, showing one font’s full tile set. If a blank box appears instead, the selected font may not contain its drawing.