Religious Symbols: Meanings and How to Type Them (✝ ☪ ✡ ☸ ☬ ॐ)
Quick answer: religious symbols such as ✝ ☦ ✡ ☪ ☸ ☬ ॐ ☯ ☥ are Unicode characters well above 255, so none of them has a real Windows Alt code. Copy them from this page, use Word's Alt+X with the code below, open Win+. or the Mac Character Viewer (Ctrl+Cmd+Space), or search the emoji keyboard on a phone.
Quick reference: every method
Every Alt code below is verified against the real Windows code pages — where none exists we say so, rather than list one that won’t work.
| Char | Name | Windows | Mac | HTML | Word (Alt+X) | Unicode |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ✝ | Latin Cross | Copy / paste | Copy / paste | ✝ |
271D + Alt+X |
U+271D |
| ☦ | Orthodox Cross | Copy / paste | Copy / paste | ☦ |
2626 + Alt+X |
U+2626 |
| ✡ | Star Of David | Copy / paste | Copy / paste | ✡ |
2721 + Alt+X |
U+2721 |
| ☪ | Star And Crescent | Copy / paste | Copy / paste | ☪ |
262A + Alt+X |
U+262A |
| ☸ | Wheel Of Dharma | Copy / paste | Copy / paste | ☸ |
2638 + Alt+X |
U+2638 |
| ☬ | Adi Shakti | Copy / paste | Copy / paste | ☬ |
262C + Alt+X |
U+262C |
| ☯ | Yin Yang | Copy / paste | Copy / paste | ☯ |
262F + Alt+X |
U+262F |
| ☥ | Ankh | Copy / paste | Copy / paste | ☥ |
2625 + Alt+X |
U+2625 |
| ☮ | Peace Symbol | Copy / paste | Copy / paste | ☮ |
262E + Alt+X |
U+262E |
The symbols, their traditions and codes
| Symbol | Name | Tradition | Code (Word Alt+X) |
|---|---|---|---|
| ✝ | Latin cross | Christianity | 271D |
| ☦ | Orthodox cross | Eastern Orthodox Christianity | 2626 |
| ☩ | Cross of Jerusalem | Christian heraldry | 2629 |
| ✡ | Star of David | Judaism | 2721 |
| ☪ | Star and crescent | Widely associated with Islam | 262A |
| ☸ | Wheel of Dharma | Buddhism (also used in Hinduism and Jainism) | 2638 |
| ☬ | Khanda (Unicode name: Adi Shakti) | Sikhism | 262C |
| ॐ | Om | Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism | 0950 |
| ☯ | Yin yang | Taoism | 262F |
| ☥ | Ankh | Ancient Egyptian religion | 2625 |
| ☮ | Peace symbol | Secular (peace movement) | 262E |
More crosses and peace signs: cross symbols and peace symbols.
How to type them
- Word and Outlook: type the code, for example
271D, then press Alt+X (Word guide). - Windows (any app): Win+. → Symbols, or copy and paste. Numbers such as Alt+10013 are not Alt codes: codes above 255 do not work in most Windows programs; they only work in programs built on Microsoft's RichEdit text control, such as WordPad.
- Mac: Ctrl+Cmd+Space and search by name (Character Viewer).
- Google Docs: Insert → Symbols → Special characters, then search or type the code (Docs guide).
- Linux and Chromebook: Ctrl+Shift+U, the code, then Space (Linux, Chromebook).
- Phones: search the emoji keyboard for "cross", "om", "star of David" and so on; the emoji versions appear there.
- HTML:
✝and similar.
Text or emoji?
✝, ☦, ✡, ☪, ☸, ☯ and ☮ also exist as emoji, and the Om has a separate emoji 🕉. On phones they often appear in colour. ☬, ☥ and ☩ are not emoji and always stay in the text style (emoji vs text symbols).
Use them respectfully
These symbols carry deep meaning for many people. Use them in a way their communities would recognise, for example in greetings, community materials or teaching, rather than as random decoration. When a name matters, add it in words, which also helps screen readers (symbols and screen readers).
If a symbol shows as a box, the font lacks it; Om in particular needs a font with Devanagari (fix).
Frequently asked questions
Is there an Alt code for the cross ✝?
No. Real numpad Alt codes only exist for 0 to 255, and ✝ is U+271D. Numbers like Alt+10013 do not work in most Windows programs; they only work in programs built on Microsoft's RichEdit text control, such as WordPad. In Word, type 271D and press Alt + X, or copy the symbol.
How do I type religious symbols on a Mac?
Press Ctrl + Cmd + Space to open the Character Viewer and search for the name, such as "cross", "crescent" or "dharma". None of these symbols has a built-in Option shortcut.
What is the Khanda symbol called in Unicode?
The Sikh Khanda is usually typed with ☬ U+262C, whose official Unicode name is ADI SHAKTI.
Why do some religious symbols appear as colour emoji?
Several of them, including ✝, ☪, ✡, ☸, ☯ and ☮, are also emoji. Phones often show the emoji version. ☬ and ☥ are not emoji and stay as plain symbols.
Looking for something else? Browse 1,000+ copy-paste symbols, the full Alt Codes finder, or the emoji picker.