Eighth Note Symbol ♪ Copy and Paste

Copy the Eighth Note Symbol

Highlight and copy the eighth note below:

♪

Paste it anywhere — documents, social media, messages, or music-related content.

Unicode and Technical Details

• Unicode: U+266A
• HTML Entity: ♪
• UTF-8: E2 99 AA
• Name: EIGHTH NOTE

What Is an Eighth Note?

An eighth note (called a quaver in British English) is a musical note that lasts for half a beat in 4/4 time. It gets its name because it represents one-eighth of a whole note. Visually, it looks like a quarter note (filled oval head with a stem) but has a single flag — a small tail curving from the top of the stem.

When two or more eighth notes appear next to each other, their flags are typically joined by a beam (a horizontal line connecting the stems). This makes the music easier to read. A group of four beamed eighth notes fills one measure of 4/4 time.

Eighth Note Duration Chart

• Whole note 𝅝 — 4 beats (= 8 eighth notes)
• Half note 𝅗𝅥 — 2 beats (= 4 eighth notes)
• Quarter note ♩ — 1 beat (= 2 eighth notes)
• Eighth note ♪ — half a beat
• Sixteenth note — quarter of a beat (= half an eighth note)

Beaming Rules

Eighth notes are typically beamed (grouped) together based on the beat structure:

• 4/4 time: beamed in groups of 2 or 4
• 3/4 time: beamed in groups of 3 (one group per beat)
• 6/8 time: beamed in groups of 3 (two groups per measure)

Beaming helps musicians see the beat structure at a glance. Composers sometimes break standard beaming to indicate specific phrasing or rhythmic groupings.

History of the Eighth Note

Origins

The eighth note originated in the late medieval period as music became more rhythmically complex. Composers needed subdivisions of the beat beyond quarter notes. The flag (and later beam) was added to the stem to visually distinguish faster note values. By the Renaissance, eighth notes were standard in music notation across Europe.

In Popular Music

Eighth notes are the backbone of most popular music genres:

• Rock and pop: strumming patterns and hi-hat rhythms are built on eighth notes
• Funk: syncopated eighth-note patterns define the groove
• Disco and dance: the famous "four-on-the-floor" pattern uses eighth-note subdivisions
• Blues shuffle: swung eighth notes create the characteristic shuffle feel

Modern Usage of the ♪ Symbol

The eighth note symbol ♪ has transcended music notation:

• Social media — one of the most widely used music symbols in bios and posts
• Branding — music apps, labels, and venues use it in logos
• Messaging — indicates singing, listening to music, or a musical mood
• Design — popular decorative element in music-themed graphics

How to Type the Eighth Note Symbol

Windows

• Hold Alt and type 14 on the numeric keypad
• Or use Character Map: search for "eighth note"

Mac

• Open Character Viewer (Control+Command+Space)
• Search for "eighth note" and double-click to insert

iPhone and Android

The eighth note ♪ is available on most emoji keyboards in the symbols section. It is one of the more accessible music symbols on mobile devices.

Straight vs Swung Eighth Notes

Eighth notes can be played in two main ways:

• Straight: both notes in a pair are equal in length — common in rock, pop, and classical
• Swung: the first note is longer, the second shorter — creates a triplet-like feel. Common in jazz, blues, and swing music

Sheet music sometimes includes the word "swing" or a swung eighth note marking at the top to tell musicians to play with a swing feel.

Fun Facts About Eighth Notes

• In British English, eighth notes are called "quavers" — and the popular chocolate snack "Quavers" is named after them
• The beamed eighth notes symbol ♫ is actually Unicode U+266B (BEAMED EIGHTH NOTES)
• At 120 BPM, each eighth note lasts exactly 0.25 seconds
• Jazz musicians often practice playing "eighth-note lines" — continuous streams of eighth notes through chord changes

Related Symbols

Explore more music symbols in our guides for Quarter Note ♩, Whole Note 𝅝, Treble Clef 𝄞, and Music Symbols Copy and Paste.