What 𝄱 means
In a quarter-tone system, it raises a note by a quarter tone. A quarter tone is half a semitone: the downward arrow lowers the sharp by that amount, leaving the pitch above a natural note but below a full sharp.
Is sharp down a quarter tone? MusicXML 4.0 and MEI 5.1 define it as a quarter-tone accidental. If a score assigns arrow signs to smaller steps, follow that score’s legend.
Why is sharp down arrow notation ambiguous?
The arrow adjusts the sharp; it does not mark a note moving down.
Arrowed accidentals appear in quarter-tone systems and in notation for smaller pitch steps. Tristan Murail’s 1999 score uses 𝄱 for a rise of 3/8 tone.
What does 𝄱 mean when sent alone?
Treat it as a fragment of musical notation.
If it arrives alone, ask which score or tuning system it belongs to; the glyph by itself does not specify the intended interval.
Specialist and score-bound: it marks a microtonal pitch in notation.
The arrow lowers a sharp; the score sets the interval.
Part of the collection
What it means when someone sends it to you
3 readingsRaises the pitch by a quarter tone; the arrow lowers a full sharp by that amount.
Don't confuse it with
3
Questions people ask
2Why does sharp down show as a box?
With display fallback, a font or app without this glyph may show a box or blank while the underlying text remains intact.
Can I use 𝄱 without a tuning legend?
No. In an unfamiliar score, define the arrow’s interval in the legend; the same shape can represent different microtonal steps.
More like this
9
♯Music Sharp Sign𝄯Musical Symbol Natural Down𝄲Musical Symbol Quarter Tone Sharp𜼀Znamenny Combining Mark Gorazdo Nizko S Kryzhem On Left𜼁Znamenny Combining Mark Nizko S Kryzhem On Left𜼂Znamenny Combining Mark Tsata On Left𜼃Znamenny Combining Mark Gorazdo Nizko On Left𜼄Znamenny Combining Mark Nizko On LeftHow to type or find 𝄱
- Also called
- sharp down · sharp-down accidental · sharp with down arrow
- Search it as
- microtonal sharp · arrow accidental
- Shows up in
- Anything that takes text · its shape is whatever your font draws
𝄱\1D131𝄱 in HTML or \u{1D131} in JavaScript.Codes and encoding1 code points
A visible symbol can contain several code points. JS .length counts UTF-16 units; UTF-8 counts bytes.