What #️⃣ means
It is the hash sign dressed as a keycap.
The number sign combines with an invisible emoji-style instruction and a mark that encloses it as a key. Typing # alone gives you plain text, not this emoji.
Usually a literal label, rather than an emotional reaction.
For a clickable hashtag, use plain # before the word.
What it means when someone sends it to you
2 readingsBeside a topic word
A visual nod to a hashtag.
After a phone-menu instruction
The keypad button you should press.
Don't confuse it with
1Worth knowing
- The characters behind #️⃣ existed in Unicode 8 years before anyone was allowed to draw them in colour: Unicode 3.2 in 2002, emoji presentation in 2010.
- #️⃣ is not one character. It is 3 of them glued together, which is why deleting it sometimes takes two presses of backspace and why it breaks character counters.
Questions people ask
1Why does #️⃣ look different on other phones?
Every platform draws its own artwork for the same code point. The character you send is identical; Apple, Google, Samsung and WhatsApp each render it in their own style.
How to type #️⃣
Windows
Win+.Open the emoji picker and search “keycap: #”.
macOS
Control+Command+Spaceopens the character viewer.
iOS / Android
Emoji keyboard → search “keycap”.
Chat apps
:hash:the common shortcode; support varies by platform.HTML
#️⃣Codes and encoding3 code points
HTML decimal
#️⃣
HTML hex
#️⃣
CSS content
content: "\0023\FE0F\20E3";
Each escape is closed by the next backslash; a trailing space is needed before a literal hex digit.
URL encoded
%23%EF%B8%8F%E2%83%A3
1
On screen
3
Code points
3
JS .length
7
UTF-8 bytes
A visible symbol can contain several code points. JS .length counts UTF-16 units; UTF-8 counts bytes.