Circle Symbols

Circles are one of the most universal geometric shapes, and Unicode provides a remarkable variety of circle-based characters spanning geometric shapes, mathematical operators, enclosed alphanumerics, dingbats, and combining marks. From simple filled and outlined circles to circled numbers, circled letters, and specialized mathematical circle operators, this guide catalogs the full range of Unicode circle symbols, their code points, and their practical applications.

Basic Circle Shapes

The simplest circle characters appear in the Geometric Shapes block (U+25A0-U+25FF):

The half-filled and quarter-filled circles (◐◑◒◓◔◕) are particularly useful for creating visual indicators of progress, phases, or partial completion in plain text.

Circle Sizes

Unicode provides circles in multiple sizes for different typographic contexts:

And for outlined circles:

Mathematical Circle Operators

Mathematics uses circles as operators and modifiers. These appear in the Mathematical Operators block (U+2200-U+22FF):

The circled plus (⊕) is especially common, appearing in linear algebra (direct sum of vector spaces), logic (exclusive OR), and cryptography (XOR operation).

Enclosed Alphanumerics: Circled Numbers

Unicode provides circled numbers in several styles across multiple blocks:

Circled Digits (1-20)

The full set of circled numbers 0-20:

Negative Circled Digits (Filled Background)

Double Circled Digits

Enclosed Alphanumerics: Circled Letters

Unicode provides circled forms of the Latin alphabet:

Circled Uppercase Letters

Circled Lowercase Letters

These circled letters are used for list markers, annotations, diagram labels, and decorative purposes.

CJK Enclosed Characters

The Enclosed CJK Letters and Months block (U+3200-U+32FF) and Enclosed Ideographic Supplement block (U+1F200-U+1F2FF) contain circled CJK characters:

The Combining Enclosing Circle

Unicode provides a combining character that can turn any base character into a circled version:

Usage: Place U+20DD after any character to enclose it in a circle. For example, A + U+20DD produces A⃝. However, font support for combining enclosing marks is inconsistent, and the result often looks poorly aligned. Precomposed circled characters (Ⓐ, ①) are preferred when available.

Working with Circled Characters in Python

import unicodedata

# Enumerate circled numbers 1-20
for i in range(1, 21):
    cp = 0x2460 + (i - 1)  # U+2460 = circled digit one
    char = chr(cp)
    name = unicodedata.name(char)
    print(f"{char}  U+{cp:04X}  {name}")

# Enumerate circled uppercase letters A-Z
for i in range(26):
    cp = 0x24B6 + i
    char = chr(cp)
    name = unicodedata.name(char)
    print(f"{char}  U+{cp:04X}  {name}")

# Convert a number to its circled form
def circled_number(n: int) -> str:
    if n == 0:
        return chr(0x24EA)
    if 1 <= n <= 20:
        return chr(0x2460 + n - 1)
    raise ValueError(f"No circled form for {n}")

print(circled_number(7))  # ⑦

Practical Uses

Emoji Circles

Modern Unicode also includes circle-related emoji:

These are useful for color-coded status indicators in messaging and documentation contexts where emoji rendering is supported.

Summary

Unicode provides an extensive collection of circle-based characters serving geometric, mathematical, typographic, and pictographic purposes. From basic filled and outlined circles through circled numbers and letters to mathematical operators and colored emoji, the circle is one of the most thoroughly represented shapes in Unicode. Developers working with lists, indicators, mathematical notation, or decorative text will find a circle character for virtually any need.