Single Left-Pointing Angle Quotation Mark ‹

The Single Left-Pointing Angle Quotation Mark 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+2039 in the Universal Character Set.

The single left-pointing angle quotation mark is the single-character counterpart to the double guillemet «. Used as a quotation mark in some European languages, it also serves as a compact navigation arrow in web interfaces. It provides a lighter visual weight than the double guillemet.

Punctuation and whitespace entities are among the most frequently used HTML entities in web development. They handle characters that either have special meaning in HTML syntax — such as angle brackets and ampersands — or represent typographic characters that improve the visual quality of text, like em dashes and curly quotes. Proper use of punctuation entities is essential for producing valid, well-formed HTML documents and achieving professional-looking typography on the web.

When deciding how to encode the Single Left-Pointing Angle Quotation Mark 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 single left guillemet for nested quotations in French and other languages that use guillemets, or as a compact backward-pointing navigation indicator in web interfaces (‹ Back). It pairs with › and offers a more subtle alternative to the double guillemets for UI elements.