What is the Unicode codepoint for the asterisk?

The standard keyboard asterisk is U+002A ASTERISK. It is distinct from U+2217 ASTERISK OPERATOR (∗), the taller symbol used in math typesetting, and from U+2731 HEAVY ASTERISK (✱), a decorative dingbat.

What is the HTML entity for the asterisk?

Use the named entity &ast; or the numeric entity *. A raw * rarely needs escaping in HTML text, but Markdown treats it as emphasis, so escape it there with a backslash: \*.

What is the Alt code for the asterisk?

On Windows, hold Alt and type 42 on the numeric keypad (Alt+42), or use Alt+0042 for the same result.

How do I type an asterisk on a keyboard?

Press Shift+8 on US, UK, and most QWERTY layouts, or press the dedicated * key on a numeric keypad without Shift.

Why does * mean "zero or more" in regular expressions?

The convention comes from early Unix tools. Shell glob patterns and grep used * as a repetition operator, and regex theory later formalized it as the Kleene star, named after mathematician Stephen Kleene.

Why do file wildcards use an asterisk?

Shell glob syntax adopted * to mean "match any sequence of characters," so a pattern like *.txt matches every filename ending in .txt regardless of what comes before it.

Is the asterisk the same as a star symbol?

Visually similar but not the same character. The keyboard asterisk (*, U+002A) is a small multi-pointed mark meant for text; dedicated star characters like ★ (U+2605) are separate Unicode symbols used for ratings and decoration.

Asterisk Symbol

Name: Asterisk Symbol
Availability: InStock
Author: Nham Vu

Copy the asterisk symbol (*) and find its Unicode codepoint, HTML entity, and Alt code.

Asterisk Symbol

Click the symbol to copy it

Formats

Character *

Unicode U+002A

HTML entity &ast;

HTML decimal *

CSS escape \002A

URL encoded %2A

Click any row to copy that exact string.

Common Uses

Field	Example	Meaning
Footnotes		Marks a footnote reference when a plain number is not wanted.
Wildcards		Matches any filename ending in .txt in a shell glob pattern.
Multiplication		Multiplication operator in most programming languages.
Censorship		Masks characters in a partially hidden word or password.
Regex		Quantifier meaning zero or more of the preceding character.
Markdown		Wraps text to render it bold or italic.

Mask a word

Enter a word and keep the first and last letter visible; everything between them becomes asterisks.

p******d

Keyboard input methods

Platform	Shortcut
US / UK / most QWERTY layouts	Shift+8, or press the * key on a numeric keypad without Shift.
Windows (Alt code)	Hold Alt and type 42 on the numeric keypad (Alt+42).
Windows (Word/Office)	Type 002A, then press Alt+X to convert the code into the symbol.
macOS	Shift+8 on a US layout, same as Windows.
Linux (IBus)	Press Ctrl+Shift+U, type 2a, then press Enter or Space.

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Summary

Copy the asterisk symbol (*) and find its Unicode codepoint, HTML entity, and Alt code.

How it works

Click the large asterisk symbol to copy the plain character to your clipboard.
Or click any row in the Formats list to copy that exact encoded form: Unicode, HTML entity, or URL encoding.
Switch to the Fullwidth tab to copy the wide CJK-width variant instead.
Check the keyboard shortcut table for your OS or input method.
Use the "Mask a word" box to censor part of a word and copy the result.

Use cases

Mark a footnote reference in a document, such as "see note*" with a note below.
Match any file in a directory with a wildcard, such as *.jpg for every JPEG.
Multiply two numbers in code, such as 5 * 3 in most programming languages.
Mask part of sensitive text, such as a partially censored password or card number.
Add emphasis in Markdown, such as *italic* or **bold**.
Match zero or more of a character in a regular expression, such as a*.
Dereference a pointer in C, such as *ptr to read the value it points to.
Flag a required field on a web form, such as "Name*".

Frequently Asked Questions

Last updated: 2026-07-22 · Reviewed by Nham Vu