Zero Width Joiner Symbol
The Zero Width Joiner (ZWJ) is an invisible character used to control how other characters are joined or rendered.
U+200D
The Zero Width Joiner (ZWJ) is a punctuation character that is not visible on its own. It helps text rendering systems decide how to combine adjacent characters. Use it when you need specific joining behavior in supported fonts and platforms.
Zero Width Joiner Symbol Meaning
Zero Width Joiner (U+200D) is an invisible “format/control” character. In many text systems, it influences glyph shaping by signaling that two surrounding characters should be treated as connected. A typical use case is emoji rendering: adding a ZWJ between emoji can request a combined or “joined” emoji presentation when the font supports it. ZWJ can also affect how certain scripts and ligature-like forms are displayed, depending on the shaping engine. Because it is invisible, copy/paste accuracy matters—use the provided character or Unicode escape forms to avoid accidental removal.
Common uses
- •Create joined emoji sequences that request a combined emoji presentation in supported systems
- •Control how characters are shaped or joined by the text rendering engine
- •Prevent unwanted separation between adjacent characters in systems that respect ZWJ
- •Compose UI text where consistent glyph shaping is needed across platforms that honor ZWJ
- •Write or debug text strings where hidden formatting characters must be preserved
Examples
Zero Width Joiner (ZWJ) Symbol
- Family: 👨👩👧👦
- Rocket: 🚀
- Technologist: 👩💻
- Construction worker: 👷♂️
- Couple with heart: 💑
Variations
Ready to copy
Technical codes
| Unicode | U+200D | |
| HTML Entity | ‍ | |
| HTML Code | ‍ | |
| CSS | \200D | |
| Alt Code | Alt + 8205 | |
| Decimal | 8205 |
How to type Zero Width Joiner Symbol ()
On Windows
Hold Alt and type 8205 on the numeric keypad. In Word, type 200D then press Alt + X.
On Mac
Switch to the Unicode Hex Input keyboard, then hold Option and type 200D. Or press Control + Command + Space and search.
On Linux
Press Control + Shift + U, type 200d, 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 Zero Width Joiner symbol mean?
Zero Width Joiner (U+200D) is an invisible “format/control” character. In many text systems, it influences glyph shaping by signaling that two surrounding characters should be treated as connected. A typical use case is emoji rendering: adding a ZWJ between emoji can request a combined or “joined” emoji presentation when the font supports it. ZWJ can also affect how certain scripts and ligature-like forms are displayed, depending on the shaping engine. Because it is invisible, copy/paste accuracy matters—use the provided character or Unicode escape forms to avoid accidental removal.
Is the Zero Width Joiner (ZWJ) visible in text?
No. It is an invisible character, so it may not appear when viewing or copying unless you compare codepoints or render it in a context that changes the joining behavior.
How do I copy the correct symbol?
Copy the character shown on this page (U+200D). For code, you can also use the provided HTML entity (‍) or escape forms (\\200D or \\u{200D}).
Why doesn’t ZWJ always change what I see?
ZWJ only produces the intended joined result when the font, platform, and rendering engine support the specific joining behavior for the surrounding characters (commonly for emoji).
What is the Unicode code point and HTML entity for ZWJ?
The Unicode code point is U+200D, and the HTML entity is ‍.