Less-than Sign Symbol
The less-than sign (<) is a punctuation symbol used to show “less than” in comparisons and to mark tags in code.
U+003C
The less-than sign (<) is a common punctuation character you’ll see in writing, design, and programming. It helps express comparisons like “A is less than B,” and it also starts HTML/XML tags.
Less-than Sign Symbol Meaning
The less-than sign (<), Unicode name “LESS-THAN SIGN” (U+003C), has two widely recognized uses. In math and logic contexts, it indicates a “less than” relationship between values, such as x < 10. In markup languages, it begins an HTML/XML tag (for example, <p> or <div>), where it signals that a tag is starting. Because it also has special meaning in markup and in some template languages, you may need escaping when you want it to appear as plain text in code or web pages.
Common uses
- •Showing comparisons in text, like “version < 2.0”
- •Starting HTML/XML tags in markup, such as <strong>...</strong>
- •Writing configuration rules or conditions that use “less than”
- •Creating UI indicators or prompts that sort items in ascending order
- •Displaying the start of angle-bracket notation in technical writing
Examples
Less-than sign (<) — Symbol Meaning & Copy
- <Speed must be < 50 km/h for school zones.
- <The input value should be less than < 100 to continue.
- <Use <p> to start a paragraph in HTML.
- <Set priority: level < 3 is treated as low.
- <In notation, a < b means a is smaller than b.
Variations
Ready to copy
Technical codes
| Unicode | U+003C | |
| HTML Entity | < | |
| HTML Code | < | |
| CSS | \003C |
FAQ
What is the Unicode code point for the less-than sign (<)?
It is U+003C, with the Unicode name “LESS-THAN SIGN”.
How do I display “<” as text on a webpage?
In HTML, use the entity < so the browser shows the character instead of starting a tag.
What does “<” mean in HTML?
It begins an HTML/XML tag. For example, <p> starts a paragraph element.
Can I copy the symbol into CSS or JavaScript?
Yes. CSS escape is \\003C, and JavaScript escape is \\u{003C}.