About Unicode Lookup
Unicode Lookup tells you everything a single character hides under the hood: its code point, its decimal value, its UTF-8 bytes and the HTML entity that represents it. When a character looks odd, or you need its exact identifier for code, this is the quick way to pin it down.
Type or paste a character and the tool returns five labelled lines. The code point is written in the U+ form and the decimal value alongside it, the UTF-8 bytes are shown as space-separated hex, and an HTML entity is provided for pasting into markup. The sample character for middle resolves to U+4E2D, decimal 20013, the bytes e4 b8 ad and the numeric character reference 20013.
One subtlety is worth knowing before you rely on the output. The code point and decimal lines report only the first character of the input, while the UTF-8 bytes line encodes the whole string - so for a multi-character input the code point describes one thing and the bytes describe everything. An empty panel returns nothing at all, with no prompt and no error.
How to use Unicode Lookup
- 1 Type or paste the character you want to identify.
- 2 Read the five lines: character, code point, decimal, UTF-8 bytes and HTML entity.
- 3 Copy whichever value you need; the sample character reports U+4E2D and the numeric character reference 20013.
Frequently asked questions
Why do the code point and the bytes not match for a long string?
The code point and decimal lines report only the first character, while the UTF-8 bytes line encodes the whole string. For a single character they agree; for several they describe different things.
Can I look up a character by its code point?
No. The lookup works only from a character. There is no way to paste a number or a name and get the character back, and no list of ranges to browse.
What happens with an empty input?
The tool returns nothing - an empty result with no prompt and no error. There is no validation, so it is worth typing at least one character before reading the output.
Does it handle emoji and astral characters?
Yes. The code point is read with the full code point API, so an emoji reports its complete value such as U+1F600 along with its four UTF-8 bytes.
Free, online, and private
Free to use
Unicode Lookup is completely free. There is no account to create, no login, and no hidden charge or usage limit.
Runs online in your browser
It is a free online tool that runs entirely in your browser. Nothing to download or install — open the page and start using it right away.
Your data stays private
All processing happens locally on your device. Your input is never uploaded, stored, or tracked, so it never leaves your browser.
How Unicode Lookup behaves in detail
These are the specifics of this implementation — the exact ranges, defaults and fixed settings you are working with.
| Parameter | Value |
|---|---|
| Input | one text panel, recalculated live on every keystroke; the sample reads the single CJK character for middle |
| Output | five lines - the character, its code point, its decimal value, its UTF-8 bytes and an HTML entity |
| Code point | the code point and decimal lines report only the first code point of the string |
| Bytes | the UTF-8 bytes line encodes the whole string, so a multi-character input shows bytes for every character |
| Sample | the sample reports U+4E2D, decimal 20013, the bytes e4 b8 ad and the numeric character reference 20013 |
| Empty input | an empty panel returns an empty result with no lines and no error |
Compiled from the implementation of this tool and checked against it by itoolnet.
What Unicode Lookup does not do
Knowing the edges of a tool saves more time than another list of its features. These are the cases where it will not do what you might expect.
- The code point and the bytes answer different questions. The code point is taken from the first character only, while the bytes encode everything, so for a multi-character input the two lines do not describe the same thing and there is no per-character breakdown.
- Lookup works in one direction only, from a character. There is no search by code point or by name, no list of ranges to browse, and no way to paste a number and get the character back.
- An empty panel returns nothing at all - an empty result with no prompt - and there is no validation of input, so a string of many characters silently reports just the first one for the code point lines.
Tested and documented by itoolnet, the team that builds and maintains this site.