Quotation Mark Symbols · Double/Single/Corner/Angle Quotes

Quotation marks are punctuation marks used to denote speech, quotations, titles, emphasis, or special meanings. This page organizes them into five categories: straight quotes, curly quotes, CJK corner brackets, guillemets, and special historical quotes, each explained in detail below.

🔤 1. Straight Quotation Marks

" This is the Straight Double Quote (Neutral Double Quote). A relic of the typewriter era, it can be typed directly on modern keyboards (Shift + '). It is the most common generic quotation mark and is widely used in programming to delimit string literals in C, Java, Python, JavaScript, and more. Unicode is U+0022. In LaTeX, typing " directly produces this neutral quote, though curly quotes are preferred in formal typesetting. HTML entity: " or ". In professional publishing, this straight form is generally replaced by curly quotes for better aesthetics.

' This is the Straight Single Quote (Apostrophe). Also from typewriter keyboards, it is used in programming for character literals (C++, JavaScript) and in English as the apostrophe for contractions (don't) and possessives (John's). Unicode: U+0027. LaTeX: type ' directly. HTML entity: ' or '. For formal typesetting, the right single curly quote ’ (U+2019) is recommended for apostrophe usage.

` This is the Grave Accent / Backtick. Rarely used as a quotation mark in English, it serves as a template literal delimiter in JavaScript (ES6), inline code marker in Markdown, and command substitution in shell scripts. As a grave accent, it marks pitch in pinyin (e.g., è). Unicode: U+0060. HTML entity: `. In LaTeX it is used to produce curly left quotes (``).

" This is the Double Prime. Visually similar to a straight double quote but semantically distinct. It denotes inches (5"), arcseconds (30°15'20"), and the second derivative in mathematics (f"). Unicode: U+2033. HTML entity: ″. LaTeX: '' in math mode or \textsecond. Always use the proper prime character for measurements, not the typewriter double quote.

' This is the Prime. Used for feet (6'), arcminutes (30°15'20"), and the first derivative in math (f'). Unicode: U+2032. HTML entity: ′. LaTeX: \textprime or ' in math mode. The prime character (U+2032) should be used instead of the straight single quote (U+0027) in formal contexts.

" This is the Triple Prime. Denotes the third derivative (f"') in mathematics and some specialized units. Unicode: U+2034. HTML entity: ‴. It is relatively rare and can be generated in LaTeX with three primes in math mode (''').

' This is the Reversed Prime. A mirrored version of the prime symbol used for certain specialized notations. Unicode: U+2035. HTML entity: ‵. Rarely seen in modern text; primarily used in academic or historical notation.

" This is the Reversed Double Prime. The mirrored counterpart of the double prime. Unicode: U+2036. HTML entity: ‶. An extremely rare symbol used only in specific mathematical or historical contexts.

" This is the Reversed Triple Prime. Mirrored version of the triple prime. Unicode: U+2037. HTML entity: ‷. Exists primarily for completeness in the Unicode standard; practical usage is negligible.

📖 2. Curly / Smart Quotation Marks

" This is the Left Double Curly Quote (Left Double Quotation Mark). The standard opening quotation mark in English and many other languages. Its elegant curved shape significantly improves typesetting aesthetics over straight quotes. Unicode: U+201C. LaTeX: `` (two backticks). HTML entity: “. Windows input: Alt+0147. Mac: Option + [.

" This is the Right Double Curly Quote (Right Double Quotation Mark). The standard closing double quote paired with “. Unicode: U+201D. LaTeX: '' (two single quotes). HTML entity: ”. Windows: Alt+0148. Mac: Option + Shift + [.

" This is the Double Low-9 Quotation Mark. Used as an opening quote in German, Czech, Polish, Bulgarian, and other Central/Eastern European languages. It sits on the baseline. In German it pairs with “ to form „...“. Unicode: U+201E. HTML entity: „. LaTeX: \quotedblbase.

" This is the Double High-Reversed-9 Quotation Mark. Similar to “ but opens to the right. Used as an alternative opening quote in some Eastern European languages. Unicode: U+201F. HTML entity: ‟. Rare in modern typography; mainly found in historical language-specific settings.

' This is the Left Single Curly Quote. Used as a nested inner quotation mark in English, paired with the right single curly quote. Unicode: U+2018. LaTeX: ` (single backtick). HTML entity: ‘. Windows: Alt+0145. Mac: Option + ].

' This is the Right Single Curly Quote (also Apostrophe). Serves double duty: the closing single quote and the preferred apostrophe for contractions and possessives in professional typesetting. Unicode: U+2019. LaTeX: ' (single quote). HTML entity: ’. Windows: Alt+0146. Mac: Option + Shift + ].

' This is the Single Low-9 Quotation Mark. A low-baseline single quote used in some European languages as an inner opening quote. Unicode: U+201A. HTML entity: ‚. LaTeX: \quotesinglbase.

' This is the Single High-Reversed-9 Quotation Mark. A high-reversed variant of the single quote. Unicode: U+201B. HTML entity: ‛. Its appearance depends on the font and context; it shares a code point with the left single quote in some legacy encodings.

🇨🇳 3. CJK Quotation Marks (Corner Brackets)

" This is the Fullwidth Quotation Mark. Occupies the width of one full CJK character and is the default double quote in many Chinese IMEs. Unicode: U+FF02. HTML entity: ＂. It maintains consistent character width in Chinese/Japanese text layouts.

' This is the Fullwidth Apostrophe. The fullwidth version of the single quote, matching CJK character width. Unicode: U+FF07. HTML entity: ＇. Entered via the single quote key in fullwidth input mode.

" This is the Left Corner Bracket. A hallmark of East Asian typography, widely used in Taiwan, Hong Kong, Macau, and Japan as the primary outer left quotation mark. Its clean, square design works beautifully in both horizontal and vertical text. Unicode: U+300C. HTML entity: 「. LaTeX: can be inserted directly in XeTeX/LuaTeX, or with \text{\u300C}.

" This is the Right Corner Bracket. The closing counterpart to the left corner bracket. Unicode: U+300D. HTML entity: 」. Maintain consistency: do not mix corner brackets with curly quotes in the same document.

" This is the Left Double Corner Bracket. Used for nested (inner) quotations within corner-bracket-quoted text, and also as book-title marks (「」) in Japanese. Unicode: U+300E. HTML entity: 『.

" This is the Right Double Corner Bracket. The closing double corner bracket paired with the left double corner bracket. Unicode: U+300F. HTML entity: 』.

" This is the Vertical Double Prime Quote (Left). Designed for vertical text layouts in traditional East Asian books. Unicode: U+301D. HTML entity: 〝. Rarely used in modern digital typesetting except for historical or specialized vertical designs.

" This is the Vertical Double Prime Quote (Right). The closing vertical double quote. Unicode: U+301E. HTML entity: 〞. Font support varies; verify rendering in target environments.

" This is the Low Double Prime Quotation Mark. A low-baseline variant of the vertical double prime quote. Unicode: U+301F. HTML entity: 〟. Font support is limited; use only when the target environment is confirmed to support it.

" This is the Halfwidth Left Corner Bracket. A halfwidth version of the corner bracket, useful for monospaced CJK environments where it aligns better with Latin characters. Unicode: U+FF62. HTML entity: ｢.

" This is the Halfwidth Right Corner Bracket. The closing halfwidth corner bracket. Unicode: U+FF63. HTML entity: ｣.

🇫🇷 4. Guillemets (Angle Quotes)

" This is the Left Guillemet (Left Angle Quote). The standard opening quotation mark in French, Italian, Spanish, and other European languages. In French typesetting, a non-breaking space is required between the guillemet and the quoted text. Unicode: U+00AB. HTML entity: «. LaTeX: \guillemotleft. Windows: Alt+0171. Mac: Option + \.

" This is the Right Guillemet (Right Angle Quote). The closing counterpart to the left guillemet. Unicode: U+00BB. HTML entity: ». LaTeX: \guillemotright. Windows: Alt+0187. Mac: Option + Shift + \.

" This is the Left Single Guillemet. Used for nested or inner quotations in French. Unicode: U+2039. HTML entity: ‹. LaTeX: \guilsinglleft.

" This is the Right Single Guillemet. The closing single guillemet. Unicode: U+203A. HTML entity: ›. LaTeX: \guilsinglright.

🏺 5. Special & Historical Quotes

" This is the Double Comma Quotation Mark. Resembles two commas; occasionally used in traditional German typography. Unicode: U+2E42. HTML entity: ⹂. An extremely rare symbol from the Supplemental Punctuation block.

" This is the Low Double Comma Quotation Mark. A low-baseline variant of the double comma quote used in historical typesetting. Unicode: U+2E43. HTML entity: ⹃.

" This is the Reversed Double Prime Quotation Mark. A special reversed variant related to the vertical double prime quotes. Unicode: U+2E44. HTML entity: ⹄. Occasionally used in traditional Chinese vertical text.

" This is the Ornamental Left Double Quote. A decorative quote mark used in artistic design, titles, and decorative headings. Unicode: U+275D. HTML entity: ❝. Not intended for standard grammatical quotation.

" This is the Ornamental Right Double Quote. The closing decorative double quote paired with U+275D. Unicode: U+275E. HTML entity: ❞.

" This is the Ornamental Left Single Quote. Decorative single quote for artistic accentuation. Unicode: U+275B. HTML entity: ❛.

" This is the Ornamental Right Single Quote. The closing decorative single quote paired with U+275B. Unicode: U+275C. HTML entity: ❜.

" This is the Heavy Left Double Quote. A bold/weighted variant of the double quote used for emphasis in display settings. Unicode: U+276E. HTML entity: ❮.

" This is the Heavy Right Double Quote. The closing heavy double quote. Unicode: U+276F. HTML entity: ❯.

" This is the Heavy Left Angle Quote. A bold version of the guillemet. Unicode: U+2770. HTML entity: ❰.

" This is the Heavy Right Angle Quote. The closing heavy angle quote. Unicode: U+2771. HTML entity: ❱.

" 6. Usage Summary & Best Practices

1. Choosing English quotes. Use straight double quotes " and straight single quotes ' in programming, JSON, and plain text environments to avoid parsing errors. Use curly quotes “” and ‘’ for formal publications, academic papers, and professional book typesetting. In LaTeX, always use the backtick/quote combinations to generate curly quotes.

2. Choosing Chinese quotes. The national standard of Mainland China (GB/T 15834) specifies curly quotes: outer “” with inner ‘’. Taiwan, Hong Kong, Macau, and Japan use corner brackets: outer 「」 with inner 『』. Both styles are correct; select based on your target audience and maintain consistency within a document.

3. Using guillemets. In French typography, add a non-breaking space after the left guillemet « and before the right guillemet ». Use « and » for HTML entities. Input shortcuts: Windows Alt+0171 and Alt+0187; Mac Option+\ and Option+Shift+\.

4. Special quotes. Prime symbols (', ", "') and their reversed variants are intended for mathematical derivatives and units of measurement — do not confuse them with quotation marks. Heavy and ornamental quotes are for artistic/display purposes only and should be avoided in formal running text. Choose fullwidth or halfwidth quotes based on the language's typesetting conventions.

5. Keyboard input methods. Straight quotes are typed directly. Windows Alt codes for curly quotes: Left double “ Alt+0147, Right double ” Alt+0148, Left single ‘ Alt+0145, Right single ’ Alt+0146. Corner brackets: 「 Alt+12300, 」 Alt+12301, 『 Alt+12302, 』 Alt+12303. Guillemets: « Alt+0171, » Alt+0187.

6. About this page. This comprehensive quotation mark reference includes 48 symbols across five categories: straight quotes, curly quotes, CJK corner brackets, guillemets, and special historical marks. Each entry provides the accurate English name, Unicode, LaTeX command, HTML entity, and detailed usage notes.