U+02F9 "˹" Modifier Letter Begin High Tone Unicode Character
Unicode Version 17.0
˹
U+02F9 "˹" Modifier Letter Begin High Tone is a spacing modifier letter used primarily in linguistic transcription systems, particularly within the International Phonetic Alphabet, to denote the beginning of a high tone in a syllable or word. It is visually represented as a small upward pointing arrow or caret-like symbol, and its official Unicode name specifies its function as marking the onset of a high pitch level in tonal languages. This character is distinct from combining diacritical marks as it occupies its own character space rather than modifying a preceding letter, making it useful for precise tonal notation in phonetic texts or dictionaries.
General Properties
| Code Point | U+02F9 |
| Version Added | 4.0 |
| Name | Modifier Letter Begin High Tone |
| Block | Spacing Modifier Letters |
| General Category | Modifier Symbol |
| Canonical Combining Class | Not Reordered |
| Bidirectional Class | Other Neutral |
Encodings
| HTML Decimal Encoding | ˹ |
| HTML Hex Encoding | ˹ |
| UTF-8 Encoding | 0xCB 0xB9 |
| UTF-16 Encoding | 0x02F9 |
| UTF-32 Encoding | 0x000002F9 |
| C/C++/Java Escape | \u02f9 |