North West Arrow ↖

The North West Arrow 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+2196 in the Universal Character Set.

The northwest arrow points diagonally up and to the left. It is one of four diagonal arrows in Unicode's basic arrow set. Diagonal arrows are used in mapping, navigation, compass directions, and UI design for indicating movement or direction at 45-degree angles.

Arrow entities serve as directional indicators in navigation interfaces, mathematical expressions, flowcharts, and textual content throughout the web. Because they render as scalable text characters rather than bitmap images, HTML arrow entities are resolution-independent, styleable with CSS properties like color and font-size, and fully accessible to assistive technologies including screen readers.

When deciding how to encode the North West Arrow 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 northwest arrow for diagonal direction indicators, map navigation, compass direction displays, and any context where you need to indicate upper-left movement. It complements the other diagonal arrows (↗ ↘ ↙) for full eight-direction coverage.