Quarter Note Symbol ♩ Copy and Paste
Copy the Quarter Note Symbol
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♩
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Unicode and Technical Details
- Unicode: U+2669
- HTML Entity: ♩
- UTF-8: E2 99 A9
- Name: QUARTER NOTE
What Is a Quarter Note?
A quarter note (called a crotchet in British English) is a musical note that lasts for one beat in 4/4 time — the most common time signature in Western music. It gets its name because it represents one-quarter of a whole note. Visually, it consists of a filled-in oval note head with a straight stem extending upward (or downward if the note is below the middle line of the staff).
In 4/4 time, there are four quarter notes per measure. A quarter note lasts twice as long as an eighth note and half as long as a half note. When you tap your foot to a pop song, you are most likely tapping quarter notes.
Quarter Note Duration Chart
How a quarter note compares to other note values:
- Whole note 𝅝 — 4 beats (1 whole note = 4 quarter notes)
- Half note 𝅗𝅥 — 2 beats (1 half note = 2 quarter notes)
- Quarter note ♩ — 1 beat
- Eighth note ♪ — half a beat (2 eighth notes = 1 quarter note)
- Sixteenth note — quarter of a beat (4 sixteenth notes = 1 quarter note)
History of the Quarter Note
Origins
The quarter note emerged during the evolution of mensural notation in the 14th and 15th centuries. As music became rhythmically more complex, composers needed note values between the longa, breve, and semibreve (whole note). The filled-in note head distinguished the quarter note from the half note (which has an open head). This system of proportional note values was developed by French and Italian music theorists during the Ars Nova period.
Standardization
By the Baroque era (1600-1750), the quarter note had become the fundamental unit of rhythm. The time signature system that placed quarter notes as the beat unit (like 4/4, 3/4, 2/4) became standard. The 4/4 time signature — four quarter notes per measure — became so common it is often called "common time" and abbreviated with the letter C on sheet music.
Modern Usage
The quarter note symbol ♩ is widely used beyond sheet music:
- Social media — indicates music, singing, or a musical mood
- App design — used in music player interfaces
- Text messaging — adds a musical flair to conversations
- Education — basic rhythmic notation taught in elementary music classes
How to Type the Quarter Note Symbol
Windows
- Hold Alt and type 13 on the numeric keypad
- Or use Character Map: search for "quarter note"
Mac
- Open Character Viewer (Control+Command+Space)
- Search for "quarter note" and double-click to insert
iPhone and Android
The quarter note is available on some emoji keyboards under the symbols section. If not visible, copy it from above.
Quarter Rest
The quarter rest (𝄾) represents one beat of silence — the rhythmic equivalent of a quarter note but with no sound. In 4/4 time, a measure could contain any combination of quarter notes and quarter rests that adds up to four beats.
Fun Facts About Quarter Notes
- In British English, quarter notes are called "crotchets" — from the Old French word for "hook"
- A tempo marking of 120 BPM means 120 quarter notes per minute — a typical pop song tempo
- Quarter notes are the most common note value in rock, pop, and electronic music drum patterns
- In jazz, "walking bass" lines are built almost entirely from quarter notes
- The quarter note emoji was added to Unicode in 1993 (version 1.1)
Related Symbols
Explore more music notation symbols in our guides for Eighth Note ♪, Whole Note 𝅝, Treble Clef 𝄞, and Music Note Symbols.