What ⇽ means
It sits between formula expressions and can stretch to fit them.
For ⇽ in MathML 3, a web standard for marking up equations, the 2014 operator table groups it with the rightward ⇾ and two-way ⇿ open-headed arrows. The table gives all three matching spacing and stretching behavior.
Don't confuse it with
4Questions 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.
How to type ⇽
Windows (Word)
Alt+XType 21FD, 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 “leftwards open-headed arrow”.
Linux
Ctrl+Shift+UType 21fd, then Enter or Space.
HTML
⇽CSS
\21FDHTML
In HTML, `⇽` is a named character reference for ⇽; the HTML Standard lists it as of 2026-09-17.
Codes and encoding1 code points
HTML decimal
⇽
HTML hex
⇽
CSS content
content: "\21FD";
Each escape is closed by the next backslash; a trailing space is needed before a literal hex digit.
URL encoded
%E2%87%BD
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.