Step 1: Determine the UTF-8 encoding bit layout
The character ☿ has the Unicode code point U+263F. In UTF-8, it is encoded using 3 bytes because its codepoint is in the range of
0x0800to0xffff.
Therefore we know that the UTF-8 encoding will be done over 16 bits within the final 24 bits and that it will have the format:1110xxxx 10xxxxxx 10xxxxxx
Where thexare the payload bits.UTF-8 Encoding bit layout by codepoint range Codepoint Range Bytes Bit pattern Payload length U+0000 - U+007F 1 0xxxxxxx 7 bits U+0080 - U+07FF 2 110xxxxx 10xxxxxx 11 bits U+0800 - U+FFFF 3 1110xxxx 10xxxxxx 10xxxxxx 16 bits U+10000 - U+10FFFF 4 11110xxx 10xxxxxx 10xxxxxx 10xxxxxx 21 bits Step 2: Obtain the payload bits:
Convert the hexadecimal code point U+263F to binary:
00100110 00111111. Those are the payload bits.Step 3: Fill in the bits to match the bit pattern:
Obtain the final bytes by arranging the paylod bits to match the bit layout:
11100010 10011000 10111111
MERCURY·U+263F
☿
Character Information
Code Point
U+263F
HEX
263F
Unicode Plane
Basic Multilingual Plane
Category
Other Symbol
Character Representations
Click elements to copy| Encoding | Hex | Binary |
|---|---|---|
| UTF8 | E2 98 BF | 11100010 10011000 10111111 |
| UTF16 (big Endian) | 26 3F | 00100110 00111111 |
| UTF16 (little Endian) | 3F 26 | 00111111 00100110 |
| UTF32 (big Endian) | 00 00 26 3F | 00000000 00000000 00100110 00111111 |
| UTF32 (little Endian) | 3F 26 00 00 | 00111111 00100110 00000000 00000000 |
HTML Entity
☿
URI Encoded
%E2%98%BF
Description
The Unicode character U+263F is the Mercury symbol. It is commonly used in digital text to represent the planet Mercury, the smallest and innermost planet of our solar system. This symbol is frequently employed in various contexts such as astronomy, astrology, and science education to signify the planet or its association with mythology. The character is derived from an iconic representation of the winged messenger god Mercury in Roman mythology, reflecting its traditional usage in both ancient and modern cultural and linguistic contexts. U+263F maintains a significant role in digital communication due to its ability to visually represent complex ideas and concepts concisely and clearly, enhancing the overall readability of texts that discuss or relate to astronomy, astrology, or mythology.
How to type the ☿ symbol on Windows
Hold Alt and type 9791 on the numpad. Or use Character Map.