U+2BFF "⯿" Hellschreiber Pause Symbol Unicode Character
Unicode Version 17.0
⯿
U+2BFF "⯿" Hellschreiber Pause Symbol is a typographic mark originally used in the Hellschreiber teleprinter system, a device that transmitted text via radio or wire by scanning characters as a series of dots. This specific symbol represents a pause signal in the transmission protocol, indicating a momentary stop in the flow of data to synchronize or control the receiving device. Visually, it resembles a stylized, rounded "X" or asterisk-like shape with eight radial arms, designed to be distinct from letters and numbers to avoid misinterpretation. Though obscure today, it remains part of the Unicode standard as a historical communication artifact, preserving a functional marker from early telecommunication technology.
General Properties
| Code Point | U+2BFF |
| Version Added | 12.0 |
| Name | Hellschreiber Pause Symbol |
| Block | Miscellaneous Symbols and Arrows |
| General Category | Other Symbol |
| Canonical Combining Class | Not Reordered |
| Bidirectional Class | Other Neutral |
Encodings
| HTML Decimal Encoding | ⯿ |
| HTML Hex Encoding | ⯿ |
| UTF-8 Encoding | 0xE2 0xAF 0xBF |
| UTF-16 Encoding | 0x2BFF |
| UTF-32 Encoding | 0x00002BFF |
| C/C++/Java Escape | \u2bff |
Unicode Properties
| NFC Quick Check | Yes |
| NFD Quick Check | Yes |
| NFKC Quick Check | Yes |
| NFKD Quick Check | Yes |
| Numeric Type | None |
| Numeric Value | NaN |
| Line Break | Alphabetic |
| Script | Common |
| Script Extensions | Common |
| Indic Syllabic Category | Other |
| Pattern Syntax | Yes |
| Vertical Orientation | Upright |
| Grapheme Base | Yes |
| Grapheme Cluster Break | Other |
| Word Break | Other |
| Sentence Break | Other |