Colon symbol (:)
U+003A · COLON · Unicode 1.1 (1993)
How to type :
Windows
Alt code (numeric keypad)
Alt+58
Turn on Num Lock, hold the Alt key, type 58 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
003A Alt+X
Type 003A 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 “colon symbol” 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 ;colon.
- Now type ;colon 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 ;colon.
- Type ;colon in any app and tap : in the suggestions.
Linux
Unicode input
Ctrl+Shift+U 003a Enter
Press Ctrl+Shift+U, type 003a and press Enter or Space. Works in GTK apps and with IBus (GNOME, Ubuntu, Fedora).
What : means and how it is used
Colon symbol (:) is the Unicode character U+003A, officially called COLON. It is in the Basic Latin block and has been part of Unicode since version 1.1 (1993).
On this site it is part of the punctuation and typography symbols (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: "\003A"; | |
| JavaScript | \u003A | |
| URL | %3A | |
| UTF-8 bytes | 3A | |
| Unicode | U+003A |
Will it show on my friend's phone?
: has been in Unicode since version 1.1 (1993). Practically every phone, computer and app shows 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.
- :Colon symbolU+003A · COLON
- Two dot punctuationU+205A · TWO DOT PUNCTUATION · General Punctuation
- RatioU+2236 · RATIO · Mathematical Operators
- Musical symbol repeat dotsU+1D108 · MUSICAL SYMBOL REPEAT DOTS · Musical Symbols
- ːU+02D0 · Spacing Modifier Letters
- ˸U+02F8 · Spacing Modifier Letters
- ։U+0589 · Armenian
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 | Colon symbol |
| Português | Dois-pontos |
| Español | Dos puntos |
| Italiano | Due punti |
| Français | Deux-points |
| Deutsch | Doppelpunkt |
| Türkçe | İki nokta üst üste |
| Bahasa Indonesia | Titik dua |
| Polski | Dwukropek |
| Русский | Двоеточие |
| 日本語 | コロン記号 |
| 한국어 | 쌍점 (콜론) |
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 003A and press Alt+X.
What is the difference between : and ⁚?
: is the colon symbol (U+003A). ⁚ is a different character: two dot punctuation (U+205A, 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 ;colon.
What is the HTML code for the colon symbol?
Use the entity : or the numeric code : (hex :). In CSS write \003A, in JavaScript \u003A.
Will : show on every phone?
: has been in Unicode since version 1.1 (1993). Practically every phone, computer and app shows it.