What @ means
Read it as “at”; its neighbors tell you the job.
In name@example.com, name identifies the mailbox and example.com is the domain—the service or organization’s internet name. A handle such as @username identifies an account. In prices, “at rate” means the price per item: 5 @ $2 totals $10. In programming, @ has a language-specific job; check the surrounding code.
Does tagging me make it private?
No. An @mention does not make a public post private.
Someone mentioning you usually wants your attention. Where mentions are supported, @username can link to your profile and trigger a notification. Think pointed finger, not private whisper. A bare @ in ordinary prose can simply mean “at”; it is not an account mention by itself.
Neutral in email and prices; attention-directing before a username.
An @mention can notify someone without hiding the message from other readers.
Don't confuse it with
1Combination ideas
3Questions people ask
1Why is @ called a monkey tail?
Because of its curled shape. The Dutch name apenstaartje means “little monkey tail.” Other languages give @ names such as snail or strudel, a rolled pastry.
How to type @
@\0040Codes and encoding1 code points
A visible symbol can contain several code points. JS .length counts UTF-16 units; UTF-8 counts bytes.