The ♏ (Scorpio) Symbol: Meaning, History, and How to Type It
The ♏ (Scorpio) symbol represents the eighth astrological sign of the zodiac. Characterized by a distinctive "M" shape with an outward-pointing arrow tail, it visually depicts a scorpion's stinger ready to strike. Internet users frequently use this symbol online to identify their star sign, celebrate "Scorpio season" between late October and late November, or signal personality traits like intensity, passion, and mystery.
In ancient Babylonian and Greek astronomy, this glyph denoted the Scorpius constellation. Over the centuries, Western astrology adopted the symbol to represent the fixed water sign ruled by Pluto and Mars. The "M" base connects to ancient medical astrology and early scripts, while the sharp arrow tail distinguishes it from similar signs. This aggressive tail perfectly highlights the scorpion's famous defensive weapon, mirroring the sign's reputation for having a sharp sting when provoked.
Officially added to the Unicode Standard in 1993, ♏ sits at the code point U+264F within the Miscellaneous Symbols block. While originally designed as a standard text character for typography and astronomical charts, modern operating systems like iOS, Android, and Windows now render it as a colorful emoji. You will usually see it stylized as a white symbol inside a vibrant purple square. Today, it dominates social media bios, daily horoscope apps, and astrology memes to flag anything related to the water sign.
Typing the ♏ symbol is straightforward across all major platforms. On smartphones, simply search "scorpio" or "zodiac" in your standard emoji keyboard. On a Mac, press Control + Command + Space to open the Character Viewer and type the name. Windows users can press the Windows key + Period (.) to pull up the emoji menu. If you prefer keyboard shortcuts, hold down the Alt key and type 9807 on your numeric keypad. Web developers and programmers can easily insert it into HTML using the entity ♏ or ♏.
The Scorpio symbol frequently gets mixed up with the ♍ (Virgo) sign. Both share the same foundational "M" base, but Virgo features a loop curling inward rather than a striking arrow. When discussing horoscopes online, you will often see ♏ paired with the literal 🦂 (Scorpion) emoji for extra visual flair. It also frequently appears alongside ♋ (Cancer) and ♓ (Pisces) when users discuss the emotional and intuitive water signs of the zodiac family.