Unicode Character Lookup & Inspector
Deep-inspect Unicode code points, UTF-8/UTF-16 encodings, HTML entities, and escape sequences for text and emojis.
Character Breakdown
0 Characters AnalyzedWhat is the Online Unicode Character Lookup & Inspector?
The NexTools Unicode Character Lookup & Inspector is an interactive web-based developer tool that inspects any character, glyph, emoji, or text string into its precise technical representations. It parses Unicode code points (such as U+1F680), UTF-8 hexadecimal and binary byte sequences, UTF-16 surrogate pairs (high and low surrogates), HTML named and numerical entities, CSS escaped sequences, and JavaScript unicode string escapes.
Whether you are debugging character encoding mismatches (such as mojibake é instead of é), verifying regex boundaries for international alphabets, converting glyphs into CSS pseudo-element contents, or generating safe database escape codes, this utility offers real-time client-side inspection with zero server latency.
Key Capabilities of Unicode Inspector
Accurate Surrogate Pair Handling
Correctly parses characters outside the Basic Multilingual Plane (BMP, > U+FFFF) including emojis, mathematical symbols, and historic scripts into high and low surrogate pairs.
Multi-Format Escape Generation
Instantly copy the exact syntax needed for HTML (&#x...;), CSS (\1F680), JavaScript ES6 (\u{1F680}), and JSON (\uD83D\uDE80).
UTF-8 Byte & Binary Breakdown
Examines how characters are partitioned into 1, 2, 3, or 4 bytes in standard UTF-8 encoding, complete with hexadecimal and binary representations.
100% Client-Side Privacy
All computations run locally inside your web browser. No strings, tokens, passwords, or private snippets are ever uploaded to any server.
Step-by-Step: How to Inspect Unicode Characters
- Input your content: Type or paste any plain text, foreign language characters (Japanese, Arabic, Cyrillic), emojis, or a Unicode notation like
U+2728into the input field. - View instant character cards: The tool segments the input into individual characters and computes all cryptographic, byte, and encoding properties instantly.
- Copy the needed encoding: Click any code badge (Code Point, UTF-8, HTML Entity, CSS Escape, or JS Escape) to copy it directly to your clipboard.
- Analyze byte metrics: Check the summary dashboard above to inspect total byte weight in UTF-8 versus UTF-16 storage.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
What is the difference between a character, a code point, and a grapheme cluster?
A code point is a numerical index assigned to an abstract character in the Unicode standard (e.g., U+0041 for 'A'). A grapheme cluster is what a user perceives as a single visual unit on screen. For example, some complex emojis consist of multiple code points joined by a Zero Width Joiner (ZWJ, U+200D) or skin tone modifiers, representing several code points within one visible symbol.
What are UTF-16 surrogate pairs?
UTF-16 uses 16-bit code units. Characters with code points above U+FFFF (such as modern emojis like 🚀 U+1F680) cannot fit in a single 16-bit word. UTF-16 splits these into two consecutive 16-bit code units called a high surrogate (0xD800–0xDBFF) and a low surrogate (0xDC00–0xDFFF).
How do I use Unicode characters in CSS content?
In CSS pseudo-elements like ::before or ::after, you write a backslash followed by the hex code point. For instance, for a star (★, U+2605), use content: "\2605";. For emojis (🚀, U+1F680), use content: "\1F680";.
Why does UTF-8 use varying numbers of bytes?
UTF-8 is a variable-length encoding designed for backwards compatibility with ASCII. Standard ASCII characters (0–127) consume only 1 byte. Latin-1 accented letters and Greek/Cyrillic use 2 bytes, East Asian scripts and symbols use 3 bytes, and supplementary emojis and historic scripts use 4 bytes.