Female Sign ♀

The Female Sign character (♀) is a standard HTML entity defined in the HTML specification. In HTML source code, it can be written using the named entity reference ♀, the decimal numeric character reference ♀, or the hexadecimal numeric reference ♀. The character is assigned Unicode code point U+2640 in the Universal Character Set.

The female sign (♀) is the astronomical and astrological symbol for Venus, widely adopted as the symbol for female sex and the feminine. It consists of a circle with a cross extending below. The symbol is used in biology, medicine, genealogy, and gender-related content.

Symbol entities encompass a wide variety of special characters used in legal disclaimers, intellectual property notices, typographic ornaments, card suit indicators, and miscellaneous notation throughout web content. These characters appear in website footers for copyright notices, product pages for trademark symbols, academic papers for dagger footnote markers, and decorative or gaming contexts for card suits and stars.

When deciding how to encode the Female Sign character in your HTML documents, the named entity ♀ is generally the most readable choice for developers reviewing or maintaining source code. The decimal form ♀ and hexadecimal form ♀ are equally valid alternatives that work in contexts where named entities may not be supported, or when generating HTML output programmatically from server-side code. All three representations produce identical visual output in every modern web browser.

Use the female sign in biological and medical contexts to indicate female sex, in genealogical records, and in scientific content. It pairs with ♂ (♂) for male. In modern usage, consider context sensitivity — some style guides prefer written labels over gender symbols for clarity and inclusivity.