Music Natural Sign Symbol
♮ is the music natural sign used in sheet music to cancel a prior sharp or flat.
U+266E
The ♮ symbol, called the music natural sign, appears in musical notation. It tells performers to play a note as natural. This page helps you copy the character and use it correctly in text or code.
Music Natural Sign Symbol Meaning
The ♮ (music natural sign) indicates that a pitch should be played “natural,” cancelling the effect of a previous sharp (♯) or flat (♭) within the same measure or musical context. For example, if a note was altered earlier with a sharp, using ♮ on that note resets it back to its unaltered scale degree. You’ll typically see it placed immediately before a note in staff notation. Because it’s a Unicode character (U+266E), it can be used in digital sheet music labels, educational notes, score commentary, or UI text that references notation rules.
Common uses
- •Annotating or explaining accidentals in music theory notes
- •Labeling exercises in apps or worksheets about sharps and flats
- •Adding brief notation references in course materials and lesson plans
- •Using in digital score commentary, comments, or tooltips
- •Representing the natural sign in music-related user interfaces
Examples
♮ Music Natural Sign
- ♮Play C as written: use ♮ to cancel a prior flat.
- ♮The ♮ restores the natural note within the bar.
- ♮Notice how ♮ changes E from flat back to natural.
- ♮In this measure, F is sharp earlier, then ♮ resets it.
- ♮When you see ♮ before the note, ignore the earlier accidental.
Variations
Ready to copy
Technical codes
| Unicode | U+266E | |
| HTML Entity | ♮ | |
| HTML Code | ♮ | |
| CSS | \266E | |
| Alt Code | Alt + 9838 | |
| Decimal | 9838 |
How to type Music Natural Sign Symbol (♮)
On Windows
Hold Alt and type 9838 on the numeric keypad. In Word, type 266E then press Alt + X.
On Mac
Switch to the Unicode Hex Input keyboard, then hold Option and type 266E. Or press Control + Command + Space and search.
On Linux
Press Control + Shift + U, type 266e, 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 ♮ music natural sign do?
It cancels a previous sharp or flat so the note is played natural.
Where is ♮ placed in sheet music?
It’s typically written immediately before the note it affects.
Is ♮ a Unicode character?
Yes. The character is MUSIC NATURAL SIGN with Unicode code point U+266E.
How can I paste or use ♮ in code?
You can copy the character directly, or use HTML entity ♮ or the CSS escape \\266E.