What ◯ means
◯ is a hollow-circle mark; context decides its reading.
Beside an option, an O mark can show selection. In Japan, maru (“circle”) marks correct answers; as of 2025, × marks the wrong one and ◎ signals stronger approval.
Unicode included ◯ for compatibility with JIS X 0208-1990, a Japanese character standard. The Japanese maru reading belongs to a marking convention.
Don't confuse it with
4Questions people ask
1Why does ◯ look wider in Japanese text?
It can. A 2009 Japanese layout guide lists ◯ as proportional—less than a full cell; Unicode’s ambiguous-width property lets other layouts allot a full cell.
How to type ◯
Windows (Word)
Alt+XType 25EF, then Alt+X to get ◯.
Windows
Win+Rrun charmap for the full table, or use the emoji picker's Ω symbols tab (Win + .).
macOS
Control+Command+SpaceOpen the character viewer and search “large circle”.
Linux
Ctrl+Shift+UType 25ef, then Enter or Space.
HTML
◯CSS
\25EFCodes and encoding1 code points
HTML decimal
◯
HTML hex
◯
CSS content
content: "\25EF";
Each escape is closed by the next backslash; a trailing space is needed before a literal hex digit.
URL encoded
%E2%97%AF
1
On screen
1
Code points
1
JS .length
3
UTF-8 bytes
A visible symbol can contain several code points. JS .length counts UTF-16 units; UTF-8 counts bytes.