Box Drawing & Blocks

Box Drawings Light Quadruple Dash Horizontal ┈

U+2508 Added in Unicode 1.1 (1993) Formerly “forms light quadruple dash horizontal”

A dashed horizontal line segment used in text-based box drawing to create dotted borders and dividers.

Alt code Alt+9480
Codes
Unicode
Unicode name
Decimal
Windows Alt code
HTML entity
HTML decimal
HTML hex
Encodings & code escapes +
UTF-8 (hex bytes)
UTF-16 (hex units)
UTF-32
URL encoded
CSS content
JavaScript / TypeScript
JSON, Java, C#, C/C++
Python
Go
Rust, Swift, PHP, Ruby
Perl

Click any value to copy it. All escapes refer to the same code point U+2508.

How to type ┈ on Windows

The fastest method on a full-size keyboard is the Alt code Alt+9480.

  1. Make sure Num Lock is on.
  2. Hold down the Alt key.
  3. Type 9480 on the numeric keypad (the number row will not work).
  4. Release Alt. The box drawings light quadruple dash horizontal symbol ┈ appears.

Note: Alt+9480 is a Unicode decimal code, not a classic code-page Alt code. It works in Microsoft Word, WordPad and some other apps, but not in Notepad or most browsers. In those apps, copy the symbol from this page instead.

No numeric keypad?

Press Win+. to open the emoji panel, choose the Symbols tab (Ω) and search for "box drawings light quadruple dash horizontal". Or open Character Map from the Start menu, find ┈, click Select, then Copy.

How to type ┈ on a Mac

There is no direct keyboard shortcut for ┈ on a Mac.

For any symbol, the Character Viewer works: press Control+⌘+Space, type "box drawings light quadruple dash horizontal" in the search box and double-click the result. It will be remembered under Frequently Used.

How to type ┈ on iPhone and iPad

The iOS keyboard does not include ┈, so the reliable way is to copy it from this page, then press and hold in any text field and tap Paste.

If you use it often, create a shortcut: open Settings → General → Keyboard → Text Replacement, paste ┈ in the Phrase field and type a short code such as ;box in the Shortcut field. Typing that code will then insert ┈ anywhere.

How to type ┈ on Android

Copy the symbol from this page, then long-press in a text field and choose Paste. Gboard also keeps a clipboard history: tap the clipboard icon on the toolbar to paste it again later.

For a permanent shortcut, open Gboard settings → Dictionary → Personal dictionary, add ┈ as the word and a short code as the shortcut.

How to type ┈ in Microsoft Word

  1. Type the Unicode hex code 2508 where you want the symbol.
  2. Press Alt+X. Word converts the code into ┈.

This works on Windows in Word, Outlook and OneNote and needs no numeric keypad. You can also go to Insert → Symbol → More Symbols, set the font to a Unicode font and type 2508 in the Character code box. In Excel, the formula =UNICHAR(9480) returns the symbol.

How to type ┈ in Google Docs

Open Insert → Special characters, then either search for "box drawings light quadruple dash horizontal" or draw the symbol in the sketch box. Click the result to insert it. In Google Sheets, use =CHAR(9480).

┈ in HTML, CSS and code

FormatCode
HTML entity┈
HTML decimal┈
HTML hex┈
CSS content"\2508"
JavaScript"\u2508"
Python"\u2508"
URL encoded%E2%94%88

Because ┈ is a standard Unicode character (U+2508), you can also paste it directly into any UTF-8 file. The escaped forms above are only needed when the file encoding is uncertain or the symbol must be entered on a keyboard without it.

Where the box drawings light quadruple dash horizontal symbol is used

Used in terminal UIs, ASCII/Unicode art, and plain-text tables to draw dashed horizontal borders, like separating rows in a console layout: ┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈. Sometimes confused with the underscore or with other box-drawing dash variants like ┄ which has fewer, longer dashes.

Frequently asked questions

What does U+2508 mean in Unicode? +

It is one of several box-drawing characters made for building lines and borders in text interfaces, specifically a light horizontal line broken into four dashes per unit.

Is this the same as a regular dash or hyphen? +

No, it is a distinct box-drawing character meant for continuous decorative or structural lines, not for punctuation like hyphens or minus signs.

What is the Alt code for the box drawings light quadruple dash horizontal symbol? +

The Alt code for ┈ is Alt+9480. Hold Alt, type 9480 on the numeric keypad, then release Alt. This is a Unicode code, so it works in Word and WordPad but not in every app; in other apps paste the symbol instead.

How do I type ┈ on a Mac? +

There is no dedicated Mac shortcut for ┈. Open the Character Viewer with Control + Command + Space, search for "box drawings light quadruple dash horizontal", and double-click it. Or copy it from this page.

How do I type the box drawings light quadruple dash horizontal symbol on iPhone or Android? +

Phone keyboards do not include ┈ by default. Copy it from this page and paste it, or add it as a text replacement shortcut in Settings so you can type it with a short abbreviation.

What is the HTML code for ┈? +

Use ┈ in HTML. In CSS use content: "\2508" and in JavaScript use "\u2508".

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