⬅️

left arrow

Unicode: 2B05 FE0F

Description

A thick, black arrow pointing to the left.

Group:

Symbols > arrow

Status:

fully-qualified

Emotion:

Neutral, directional. Primarily used for indicating direction or 'back'.

Backstory

The black leftwards arrow was included in Unicode 1.1 (1993). The variation selector-16 (FE0F) specifies an emoji style, though for basic arrows, it often appears as a plain symbol. It's a fundamental directional symbol, widely used in various contexts from navigation to instructional content.

Usage Examples

  • Navigation: 'Please go back to the previous page. ⬅️'
  • Instruction: '⬅️ Turn left at the next intersection.'
  • Referring to something on the left: 'Look at the sign ⬅️ here.'
  • Undo action: 'Hit ⬅️ to undo your last action.'

Cultural Differences

Western culture:

Universally recognized as a 'back' or 'left' indicator. Common in digital interfaces for navigation.

East Asian culture:

Similar usage to Western culture, often found in UI/UX for 'back' functionality or pointing left.