Circled Minus Symbol
⊖ is the Circled Minus symbol, commonly used to indicate subtraction, removal, or a “negative” action.
U+2296
The ⊖ (Circled Minus) symbol is a compact way to show subtraction or a negative choice. It’s often used in UI labels, diagrams, and math-style writing where an explicit “minus” needs a distinct look.
Circled Minus Symbol Meaning
⊖ is the Unicode character named CIRCLED MINUS (U+2296). Visually, it combines a minus sign with a circle, which makes it stand out from a plain “-”. The most common meaning is subtraction or a negative operation, similar to a minus sign in mathematics. Outside pure math, it can also suggest removal, “decrease,” or an “undo/remove” action in interfaces, checklists, and controls. Because the symbol is distinct, designers sometimes prefer ⊖ over a bare hyphen to improve readability and convey an action clearly.
Common uses
- •Math notes to represent subtraction in a more typographic, circled form
- •UI icons or labels for “remove,” “decrease,” or “subtract” actions
- •Document formatting where a distinct minus/bullet marker is needed
- •Diagrams to show elimination or a negative step in a process
- •Messaging and design mockups to indicate decline, rollback, or undo
Examples
⊖ Circled Minus symbol
- ⊖Subtract: 5 ⊖ 2 = 3.
- ⊖Click ⊖ to remove the selected item.
- ⊖Set the value to start minus the adjustment: x ⊖ y.
- ⊖Stage 2: reduce the total by marking items with ⊖.
- ⊖Undo last change using ⊖.
Variations
Ready to copy
Technical codes
| Unicode | U+2296 | |
| HTML Entity | ⊖ | |
| HTML Code | ⊖ | |
| CSS | \2296 | |
| Alt Code | Alt + 8854 | |
| Decimal | 8854 |
How to type Circled Minus Symbol (⊖)
On Windows
Hold Alt and type 8854 on the numeric keypad. In Word, type 2296 then press Alt + X.
On Mac
Switch to the Unicode Hex Input keyboard, then hold Option and type 2296. Or press Control + Command + Space and search.
On Linux
Press Control + Shift + U, type 2296, then press Enter or Space.
Anywhere
Copy ⊖ with the button above and paste it wherever you need it — this works on every device and in every app, with no keyboard shortcut to remember.
FAQ
What does the Circled Minus symbol mean?
⊖ is the Unicode character named CIRCLED MINUS (U+2296). Visually, it combines a minus sign with a circle, which makes it stand out from a plain “-”. The most common meaning is subtraction or a negative operation, similar to a minus sign in mathematics. Outside pure math, it can also suggest removal, “decrease,” or an “undo/remove” action in interfaces, checklists, and controls. Because the symbol is distinct, designers sometimes prefer ⊖ over a bare hyphen to improve readability and convey an action clearly.
What is the Unicode name and codepoint for ⊖?
⊖ is named CIRCLED MINUS and has Unicode codepoint U+2296.
How can I copy ⊖ into my text?
Copy the character directly from this page (⊖) and paste it into your document, editor, or design tool.
Can I insert ⊖ using an escape sequence in code?
Yes. The CSS escape is \\2296, and the JavaScript escape is \\u{2296}.
Is ⊖ just the same as a normal minus sign?
It represents a minus/negative idea, but it is visually different (a minus inside a circle) and can also be used to convey an action like removal or decrease in UI contexts.