Left Square Bracket Symbol
The left square bracket “[[” is a punctuation mark used to open bracketed text in writing and code.
U+005B
The left square bracket “[” (U+005B) is a common punctuation character. You’ll see it in documents, programming languages, and text formatting. This page helps you copy it and understand how it’s typically used.
Left Square Bracket Symbol Meaning
The left square bracket “[” is used to start a bracketed group. In plain writing, it often introduces a note, citation, or editorial comment when paired with “]”. In programming and technical text, it commonly marks the beginning of an array, list, or indexed access (for example, accessing elements by position), and it may appear in patterns and markup where bracketed sections have specific meaning. Because “[” is the opening counterpart to the right square bracket “]”, its main role is to clearly signal the start of a delimited section. Its Unicode code point is U+005B.
Common uses
- •Opening and closing bracketed notes or citations: content [note] style
- •Declaring or indexing arrays and lists in programming languages: name[index]
- •Writing character classes or bracketed patterns in tools that use bracket expressions
- •Formatting references in templates or lightweight markup languages that use [ and ] pairs
- •Grouping text in search queries or document syntax that requires bracketed sections
Examples
[ Left Square Bracket ]
- [Please read [Section 2] before continuing.
- [Use the syntax: myList[0] to get the first item.
- [Type [A-Z] to represent uppercase letters in many pattern tools.
- [Her note was added in brackets: [edited for clarity].
- [The result appears as item [3] in the list.
Variations
Ready to copy
Technical codes
| Unicode | U+005B | |
| HTML Entity | [ | |
| HTML Code | [ | |
| CSS | \005B | |
| Alt Code | Alt + 91 | |
| Decimal | 91 |
How to type Left Square Bracket Symbol ([)
On Windows
Hold Alt and type 91 on the numeric keypad. In Word, type 005B then press Alt + X.
On Mac
Switch to the Unicode Hex Input keyboard, then hold Option and type 005B. Or press Control + Command + Space and search.
On Linux
Press Control + Shift + U, type 005b, 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 Left Square Bracket symbol mean?
The left square bracket “[” is used to start a bracketed group. In plain writing, it often introduces a note, citation, or editorial comment when paired with “]”. In programming and technical text, it commonly marks the beginning of an array, list, or indexed access (for example, accessing elements by position), and it may appear in patterns and markup where bracketed sections have specific meaning. Because “[” is the opening counterpart to the right square bracket “]”, its main role is to clearly signal the start of a delimited section. Its Unicode code point is U+005B.
What is the Unicode code point for the left square bracket “[”?
It is U+005B (LEFT SQUARE BRACKET).
How do I type “[” on a keyboard?
On most English/US keyboards, press Shift+[ to produce the left square bracket “[”. If your layout differs, check your keyboard mapping.
What are the HTML and JavaScript escapes for “[”?
HTML entity: [ for the left square bracket. JavaScript escape: \\u{005B}.
Is “[” the same character as “［” or “﹝”?
No. Those are different bracket characters (fullwidth and small forms). For consistent behavior in code and data, use the standard ASCII “[” (U+005B).