What ⁄ means
It separates the numerator and denominator of a fraction. In 15⁄16, 15 is the numerator (the parts you have) and 16 the denominator (how many parts make a whole). It works only on numbers; alternatives, dates and web addresses still take the ordinary slash.
The diagonal form evolved from older fraction writing rather than from one inventor. Arabic mathematics put a horizontal bar between the two numbers; printers found that bar awkward, because it needs type set on two levels. A slanted bar keeps everything on one line. An early handwritten example appears in Thomas Twining's 1718 ledger, and the diagonal bar later picked up the names solidus and virgule.
How do I type a fraction slash?
Use Unicode input for code 2044, or ⁄ in HTML. The / key on your keyboard enters a different character, even when a font draws both marks alike.
Keep the digits right against ⁄, with no spaces, as in 15⁄16. Fonts and software that support it shrink the digits into a compact fraction; others leave full-size digits beside a slanted line. Test it in the app that will display the text: entering the right character and getting polished typesetting are separate jobs.
Use ⁄ when fraction typesetting matters; use / for ordinary slash punctuation or predictable plain text.
Do not assume ⁄ and / will render or behave the same way.
Part of the collection
Don't confuse it with
2
Related characters
2
Combination ideas
5Questions 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.
More like this
14
Collections with ⁄
5
How to type or find ⁄
- Also called
- fraction bar · diagonal fraction bar
- Search it as
- diagonal fraction · solidus · frasl
- Shows up in
- Anything that takes text · its shape is whatever your font draws
⁄\2044Codes and encoding1 code points
A visible symbol can contain several code points. JS .length counts UTF-16 units; UTF-8 counts bytes.