Asterisk (*)
U+002A · ASTERISK · Unicode 1.1 (1993)
How to type *
Windows
Alt code (numeric keypad)
Alt+42
Turn on Num Lock, hold the Alt key, type 42 on the numeric keypad and let go of Alt: * appears.
Uses the old DOS code page 437, which US-English Windows uses for Alt codes without a leading 0; on Windows set to other languages the result can differ.
Word and Outlook: Alt + X
002A Alt+X
Type 002A and press Alt+X right after it: Word turns the code into *. Press Alt+X again to turn it back into the code.
Emoji and symbols panel (Windows 10 and 11)
Win+.
Press Win + full stop (.) to open the panel, go to the Symbols tab (Ω) and pick *.
No numeric keypad on your laptop? See the other ways in our Alt codes guide.
Mac
Character Viewer
Ctrl+⌘ Cmd+Space
Press Ctrl+⌘+Space (or the Globe key + E), search for “asterisk” and click * to insert it.
iPhone
Make a shortcut (Text Replacement)
Turn a short word into * once and type it in any app:
- Copy * from this page.
- Open Settings › General › Keyboard › Text Replacement and tap +.
- Paste * as the Phrase and type a Shortcut, for example ;asterisk.
- Now type ;asterisk anywhere: the keyboard suggests *.
Android
Make a shortcut (Gboard personal dictionary)
Teach your keyboard a short word that turns into *:
- Copy * from this page.
- Open Gboard settings › Dictionary › Personal dictionary, choose your language and tap +.
- Paste * as the word and type a shortcut, for example ;asterisk.
- Type ;asterisk in any app and tap * in the suggestions.
Linux
Unicode input
Ctrl+Shift+U 002a Enter
Press Ctrl+Shift+U, type 002a and press Enter or Space. Works in GTK apps and with IBus (GNOME, Ubuntu, Fedora).
What * means and how it is used
The asterisk * comes from the Greek for 'little star'. It points to footnotes, marks required form fields, stands for multiplication in spreadsheets and code, and works as a wildcard in searches. In chats, *word* often shows emphasis, and many apps such as WhatsApp turn it into bold. Japanese and Korean users call it asutarisuku and byeolpyo.
Asterisk (*) is the Unicode character U+002A, officially called ASTERISK. It is in the Basic Latin block and has been part of Unicode since version 1.1 (1993).
People also call it or search for it as: star, wildcard.
On this site it is part of the punctuation (109 symbols), next to © ® ™ § ¶.
Codes for HTML, CSS and JavaScript
Tap Copy next to the code you need.
| HTML entity | * | |
|---|---|---|
| HTML decimal | * | |
| HTML hex | * | |
| CSS | content: "\002A"; | |
| JavaScript | \u002A | |
| URL | * | |
| UTF-8 bytes | 2A | |
| Unicode | U+002A |
Will it show on my friend's phone?
Very likely yes: * dates from Unicode 1.1 (1993), so every current system has a font for it.
Checking your device…
Don't confuse * with
These look alike but are different characters. Search, sorting and screen readers treat them differently, so copy the one you mean.
- *AsteriskU+002A · ASTERISK
- Low asteriskU+204E · LOW ASTERISK · General Punctuation
- Asterisk operatorU+2217 · ASTERISK OPERATOR · Mathematical Operators
- Small asteriskU+FE61 · SMALL ASTERISK · Small Form Variants
- Fullwidth asteriskU+FF0A · FULLWIDTH ASTERISK · Halfwidth and Fullwidth Forms
- ٭U+066D · Arabic
- 𐌟U+1031F · Old Italic
Names in other languages
What * is called in the 12 languages of this site (Unicode CLDR and our editors). Tap a name to open that language's page.
| Language | Name |
|---|---|
| English | Asterisk |
| Português | Símbolo de asterisco |
| Español | Símbolo de asterisco |
| Italiano | Simbolo asterisco |
| Français | Astérisque |
| Deutsch | Sternchen |
| Türkçe | Yıldız işareti (asterisk) |
| Bahasa Indonesia | Simbol asterisk (bintang) |
| Polski | Gwiazdka (asterisk) |
| Русский | Символ звёздочка |
| 日本語 | アスタリスク |
| 한국어 | 별표 (애스터리스크) |
Related symbols
All Punctuation →Questions people ask
How do I type * on a laptop without a numeric keypad?
On Windows press Win + full stop (.) and pick * in the Symbols tab, or in Word type 002A and press Alt+X.
What is the difference between * and ⁎?
* is the asterisk (U+002A). ⁎ is a different character: low asterisk (U+204E, General Punctuation block). They can look alike, but computers treat them as different letters, so a search for one will not find the other.
How do I type * on an iPhone?
The iPhone keyboard has no key for *. Copy it here, then add it in Settings › General › Keyboard › Text Replacement with a shortcut like ;asterisk.
What is the HTML code for the asterisk?
Use the entity * or the numeric code * (hex *). In CSS write \002A, in JavaScript \u002A.
Will * show on every phone?
Very likely yes: * dates from Unicode 1.1 (1993), so every current system has a font for it.