U+003C
Less-than Sign<
Less-than Sign is a monochrome text character from the Unicode Basic Latin block, listed here under Basic Latin (ASCII). Copy it with one click, or use the hex, octal, decimal and HTML entity codes below to embed it in web pages, code, and documents. It is often searched for as "less", "than", "angle", "bracket".
Quick facts
- Unicode
- U+003C
- Decimal
- 60
- Hex
- 0x003C
- Octal
- 0o74
Unicode identity
| Format | Value | Copy |
|---|---|---|
| Code pointOfficial Unicode notation | U+003C | |
| Official nameUnicodeData.txt, Unicode 18.0.0 | LESS-THAN SIGN | |
| DecimalBase 10 | 60 | |
| HexadecimalBase 16 | 0x003C | |
| OctalBase 8 | 0o74 | |
| BinaryBase 2 | 0000000000111100 | |
| General categorySymbol, math | Sm | |
| Unicode blockU+0000–U+007F | Basic Latin | |
| Plane | Basic Multilingual Plane (BMP, Plane 0) |
HTML & CSS
| Format | Value | Copy |
|---|---|---|
| HTML entity (decimal) | < | |
| HTML entity (hex) | < | |
| HTML entity (named) | < | |
| CSS content escapeUse inside content: "…" | \003C | |
| URL encodedPercent-encoded UTF-8 | %3C |
Programming languages
| Format | Value | Copy |
|---|---|---|
| JavaScript / TypeScript | \u003C | |
| JSONUTF-16 surrogate pairs | \u003C | |
| Python | \u003C | |
| Java / C# / Kotlin | \u003C |
Byte encodings
| Format | Value | Copy |
|---|---|---|
| UTF-81 byte | 3C | |
| UTF-16 (BE) | 003C | |
| UTF-32 (BE) | 0000003C |
How to type Less-than Sign
Windows
Hold Alt and type +3C with the hex numeric keypad option enabled, or type 3C then press Alt+X in Word and most Office apps.
macOS
Enable the Unicode Hex Input keyboard, hold Option, and type 003C. Or open Character Viewer (Control+Command+Space) and search "Less-than Sign".
Linux
Press Ctrl+Shift+U, type 3c, then press Space or Enter in GTK apps. IBus and most terminals support the same sequence.
HTML, CSS & code
Paste the character directly, or use the escapes above: < in HTML, \003C in CSS, and \u003C in JavaScript.
Official Unicode reference
- Character name
- LESS-THAN SIGN
- Block
- Basic Latin (U+0000–U+007F)
- General category
- Sm — Symbol, math
Data from the Unicode Character Database, version 18.0.0. See the official code chart for the Basic Latin block: U0000.pdf (PDF, unicode.org).
Frequently asked questions
How do I copy the Less-than Sign symbol?
Click the Copy button at the top of this page, or select < and press Ctrl+C (Cmd+C on Mac). It is plain Unicode text, so it pastes into documents, chats, code, and design tools.
What is the Unicode code point for Less-than Sign?
Less-than Sign is U+003C (decimal 60, hexadecimal 0x003C, octal 0o74). It lives in the Basic Latin block (U+0000–U+007F) of the Basic Multilingual Plane (BMP, Plane 0).
What is the official Unicode name of Less-than Sign?
The Unicode Standard (version 18.0.0) names this character "LESS-THAN SIGN". Its General_Category is Sm (Symbol, math).
What is the HTML code for Less-than Sign?
Use < or <, or the named entity <. In CSS, use content: "\003C".
How do I type Less-than Sign in code?
JavaScript: "\u003C". Python: "\u003C". JSON and Java: "\u003C". The UTF-8 byte sequence is 3C.
Is Less-than Sign an emoji?
No. Less-than Sign is a text symbol and renders as a monochrome glyph in the current font. Some platforms may offer an emoji variant when U+FE0F is appended.