What ≛ means
It relates two expressions; its rule comes from the notation.
In mathematical typesetting, ≛ is an infix operator: it goes between the expressions it relates. That placement shows how the formula is structured, not what special rule the relation follows.
A formal math relation; without its defining notation, the star-marked sign may look like decoration.
Don't infer the relation from the star; use the definition attached to the formula.
Don't confuse it with
3=≡≝
Equals Sign
The plain equals sign states equality. ≛ is a separate relation, not a decorative version of the same sign.
Identical To
This is the distinct “identical to” relation; it has its own meaning and is not a substitute for ≛.
Equal To By Definition
Equals by definition marks one expression as a definition of the other; ≛ does not specify that job by its name.
Questions 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 225B, 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 “star equals”.
Linux
Ctrl+Shift+UType 225b, then Enter or Space.
HTML
≛CSS
\225Bstareq LaTeX
In a LaTeX math document using the unicode-math package, enter `\stareq`.
Codes and encoding1 code points
HTML decimal
≛
HTML hex
≛
CSS content
content: "\225B";
Each escape is closed by the next backslash; a trailing space is needed before a literal hex digit.
URL encoded
%E2%89%9B
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.