Arrow Symbols Meanings: Complete Guide ← → ↑ ↓
Arrows are among the oldest symbols in human communication — pointing the way, indicating direction, showing cause and effect. In Unicode, there are hundreds of arrow symbols, each with a specific use. This guide explains what every major arrow means and when to use it.
Basic Directional Arrows and Their Meanings
←
Left — Go back, previous
→
Right — Continue, next
↑
Up — Rise, increase, above
↓
Down — Decrease, below
↗
Up-right — Growth, forward
↘
Down-right — Decline
↙
Down-left — Return
↖
Up-left — Origin
Double-Headed Arrows
Double-headed arrows indicate two-way relationships, comparisons, or bidirectional movement:
↔
Horizontal — Width, comparison
↕
Vertical — Height, resize
⇔
Double — Equivalence
⇕
Up-Down — Toggle
Logic and Math Arrows
These arrows have specific meanings in mathematics and formal logic:
- → Implies, leads to, function mapping (A → B means A implies B)
- ⇒ Logical implication (stronger than →)
- ← Reverse implication (B ← A means B if A)
- ⇐ If, reverse implication
- ↔ If and only if (biconditional)
- ⇔ Logical equivalence
- ↦ Maps to (function notation)
- ⟶ Long right arrow (for longer expressions)
Curved and Return Arrows
↩
Return/undo
↪
Enter/redirect
↫
Left loop
↬
Right loop
↺
Anticlockwise
↻
Clockwise refresh
⟲
Anticlockwise
⟳
Clockwise
Heavy and Decorative Arrows
➔
Heavy Right
➜
Heavy Curved
➝
Triangle Right
➞
Heavy Triangle
➟
Dashed
➠
Heavy Dashed
➡
Arrow Right
⬅
Arrow Left
Keyboard Arrows (Everywhere)
◄
Rewind
►
Play/Next
▲
Up/Expand
▼
Down/Collapse
⬆
Big Up
⬇
Big Down
⬈
Upper-Right
⬊
Lower-Right
Arrows in Different Contexts
In Documents and Writing
Arrows in documents communicate relationships and flow without using words:
- → shows "leads to" or "results in"
- ↑ and ↓ show trends (increasing / decreasing)
- ↔ shows "compare to" or "relates to"
- ↩ means "see above" or "undo"
In Social Media
Arrows on social media direct attention:
- ↓ ↓ ↓ in a caption means "read the comments" or "click the link below"
- → points to a specific part of an image or next step
- ↩ is used for reply threads on Twitter/X
- ➔ adds visual weight to a call to action
In Gaming and Discord
Arrow symbols used in gaming and Discord servers:
- ► for play buttons and menu selection
- ▼ for dropdown indicators in channel lists
- ➜ for rule sections and important notices
- ⬆ for level-up and ranking notifications
How to Type Arrows
- Windows (Word): Type the Unicode code then Alt+X (e.g., 2192 Alt+X gives →)
- Mac: Use Character Viewer (Control+Command+Space), search "arrow"
- HTML: → = →, ← = ←, ↑ = ↑, ↓ = ↓
- Any device: Copy from this page
All Arrow Symbols — Quick Copy
← → ↑ ↓ ↗ ↘ ↙ ↖ ↔ ↕ ⇔ ⇕ ⇒ ⇐ ↩ ↪ ↺ ↻ ➔ ➜ ➝ ➞ ➟ ➠ ➡ ⬅ ◄ ► ▲ ▼ ⬆ ⬇ ⬈ ⬊ ➤ ❯ ❮ » «