Is there a Unicode glyph that looks like a "key" icon? [closed]

Question

Unicode has a million icon-like glyphs, but they're not always easy to search by, since I don't always know what they look like.

Is there a Unicode glyph that looks like a "key"? Or is there a symbol that's used in database circles to mean "primary key", which is in Unicode?

Couloir

Gucharmap (Gnome/Linux) and the Character Map (Mac OS X) both have search functions. What do you use? – Symphonious

I've created a tool for browsing Unicode visually at unicodinator.com. You may be able to find it there... – Morrow

In case someone else finds this question while searching for how to render keyboard shortcuts like Ctrl-A, the HTML tag is <kbd>. See stackexchange or mozilla – Kharif

Answer 1

I used a little Python 3 script to look, and the closest I found does not display here for me (does display in Idle on my machine), but it is:

9897 ⚩ HORIZONTAL MALE WITH STROKE SIGN

(Looks like a male sign pointed right with a perpendicular stroke added between the arrow and circle)

I searched for various matches like "KEY" and "LOCK" in the unicode names using Python's unicodedata module and no luck there.

Editing to add - Ah hah - one that looks even more like a key:

9911 ⚷ CHIRON

I give both of the above code points in decimal. To see them and their hex codes, go to this link:

http://www.unicode.org/charts/PDF/U2600.pdf

See 26B7 in particular for the Chiron.

Hyperthyroidism

OK, that's pretty impressive. I never would have thought to look under astrological signs, or "Chiron". Unfortunately that's new in Unicode 5.1, which is too new even for me (though that could help explain why I didn't find it). But it does look just like a key. – Couloir

Sorry, but -1 for 3 reasons: 1. To me, that doesn't look like a key. 2. Semantically speaking, that is not a key (there are practical implications to this, e.g. screen readers will read it as "Chiron", it may be displayed as a centaur using certain font faces, &c.), and 3. There is a real key in Unicode: U+1F511 KEY 🔑 – Cedric

For use in XAML ⚷ – Forespeak

Answer 2

U+1F511 🔑 KEY (128273 decimal)

Also:

U+1F5DD 🗝 (Decimal: 🗝) OLD KEY

U+26BF ⚿ SQUARED KEY

U+1F510 🔐 CLOSED LOCK WITH KEY

U+1F512 🔒 LOCK

U+1F513 🔓 OPEN LOCK

U+1F50F 🔏 LOCK WITH INK PEN

Dad

Nice overview, thanks. It's a pity that the OPEN LOCK icon looks almost the same as the LOCK icon. You can barely see that the lock is open. – Ineluctable

@Ineluctable Yeah, that's true for Apple and a few other major vendors. Mozilla, Google and Microsoft make the gap wider, and some mobile-centric smart cookies (WhatsApp) make the lock point the other way, so the difference is obvious at any size. – Dad

Answer 3

To find useful symbols, I have this resource:

http://shapecatcher.com

Allows you to draw a shape, which it then searches for similarly shaped unicode symbols.

I often end up using shapecatcher these days just because it's a fun break just to be able to draw the shape that you want and have the site pull it up for you. At least, sometimes it will pull it up.

Misc. Symbols Blocks

http://shapecatcher.com/unicode/block/Miscellaneous_Symbols_And_Pictographs is also a great category of unicode symbols, though as with all unicode, you may have to test compatibility.

This is duplicated from my answer here because I think the approach will be useful to others besides just me: What Unicode character do you use in your website? (instead of image icons)

Krispin

I'd add an interactive unicode browing tool amp-what.com/unicode/search/%2F%5B%5Ebc%5Dlock%7Ckey%2F – Unmanly

Answer 4

Check out #26bf.

9919 ⚿ SQUARED KEY (HTML: ⚿)

It's the parental lock, which is a key inside a square. It's a newer Unicode specification so standard fonts don't support it, but if you can find a font that has it, you're home free.

Menander

That's probably the closest. Also there is a 🔑 key symbol. – Silvio

FYI this does not render in FF or Chrome + Windows7 – Rhines

@Rhines that would be a font issue, not a browser or OS issue – Mallory

Answer 5

I've found Google to be the best way to find Unicode characters. I didn't find see anything useful for a key symbol, however.

If you want to search visually, use the PDF charts, since HTML-based listings will only show symbols that occur in the particular set of fonts you have installed.

Lacking any specific symbol, I would just use "I" to indicate an index and "PK" for a primary key.

Exodus

Answer 6

I browsed through all the symbols (using a PHP script I created a while back) and can't see a key symbol. You could try one of these:

A mathematic-looking P:
ℙ (#8473)

Various star shapes:
★ (#9733)
☆ (#9734)
✶ (#10038)

Nervous

I think I found those first two star icons at about the same instant you did. :-) – Couloir

Answer 7

There doesn't seem to be a unicode character that fits your description, but I'd recommend the silk icon set by famfamfam if you can use icons in your situation--just a suggestion :P

Aphis

"Dumb characters delay binding; pretty images induce binding. Moral: Add graphics late in the programming process" -- Alan Perlis's evil graphic designer twin, I think. – Couloir