What { means
It opens a brace-delimited block or data structure.
In JavaScript the open brace can start a statement block or an object with key-value pairs. In Python braces start dictionaries and non-empty sets, while {} on its own makes an empty dictionary.
Its partner } closes the structure, so a lone { means something was left unfinished.
How else can I type { on Windows?
Your layout may have moved the left brace.
US-English uses Shift[. On other layouts check the key legends and try the AltGr combination, or open the Symbols panel with Windows. and pick the brace. With a numeric keypad, hold Alt and type 123, then release Alt.
Strictly technical punctuation; a lone brace in ordinary prose looks unfinished or nerdy.
Part of the collection
Don't confuse it with
3
Related characters
2
Combination ideas
5Questions people ask
2Is { the same as a JSON object?
No. JavaScript object literals allow shorthand properties and methods that strict JSON does not.
Why does {} mean different things in Python?
It does. In Python {} makes an empty dictionary, while braces with comma-separated values make a set.
More like this
15
∅Empty Set
∈Element Of
⊂Subset Of
⊆Subset Of Or Equal To
〈Left-Pointing Angle Bracket
〉Right-Pointing Angle Bracket
⎰Upper Left Or Lower Right Curly Bracket Section
yLatin Small Letter Y
zLatin Small Letter Z
|Vertical Line
}Right Curly Bracket
➰Curly Loop
➿Double Curly Loop
¡Inverted Exclamation Mark
§Section SignCollections with {
6
How to type or find {
- Also called
- open curly bracket · left brace · open brace
- Search it as
- brace · brace keyboard · alt 123
- Shows up in
- Anything that takes text · its shape is whatever your font draws
{\007BCodes and encoding1 code points
A visible symbol can contain several code points. JS .length counts UTF-16 units; UTF-8 counts bytes.