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Greater Than Sign (>)

The greater than sign (>) shows that the value on the left is bigger than the value on the right — as in 7 > 3.

Greater-Than Sign · U+003E · Comparison Signs

Click the symbol or the button to copy it, then paste it anywhere — documents, messages, bios and code.

Greater Than Sign codes

Code	Value
Unicode code point	`U+003E`
Unicode name	`Greater-Than Sign`
HTML named entity	`>`
HTML decimal	`>`
HTML hex	`>`
CSS content code	`\3E`
JavaScript / JSON	`\u003E`
Windows Alt code	No standard Alt code — copy it from the card above
LaTeX	`>`

Greater Than Sign variants (8)

8 related glyphs — click any tile to copy it. Tiles with a page open that symbol's own page.

≥Greater-Than Or Equal To≫Much Greater-Than<Less-Than Sign ≤Less-Than Or Equal To ≠Not Equal To»Right-Pointing Double Angle Quotation Mark›Single Right-Pointing Angle Quotation Mark〉Right-Pointing Angle Bracket

Meaning & usage

The greater than sign compares two values and says the left one is larger. The sign always opens towards the bigger number and points at the smaller one, which gives the classic memory trick: the symbol looks like an alligator's mouth that wants to eat the larger value. It is also everywhere outside maths — in code it tests conditions, in menus and breadcrumbs it separates steps (Home > Settings > Profile), and in quotes it marks the original message.

Examples in use

12 > 5 — twelve is greater than five
Home > Account > Security (breadcrumb navigation)
if (age > 18) in programming code

How to type the greater than sign

Windows

Press Shift+period — the Greater Than Sign is a standard keyboard character.

Mac

Press Shift+period — the same as on Windows.

iPhone & Android

Most phone keyboards have no built-in key for >. Open this page on your phone, tap Copy, then paste it into your message or bio. (On Android, Gboard's emoji search finds some symbols by name.)

Linux

Press Ctrl+Shift+U, type 003e and press Enter (works in most GTK apps and terminals with IBus). Or copy it from this page.

Frequently asked questions

Which side is bigger with the greater than sign?

The wide, open side always faces the bigger value and the point faces the smaller value. In 9 > 4, the opening faces 9, so 9 is the bigger number.

What is the difference between > and ≥?

The sign > means strictly greater than, so 5 > 5 is false. The sign ≥ means greater than or equal to, so 5 ≥ 5 is true.

How do I type the greater than sign?

On most keyboards it is Shift + the full stop / period key. On this page you can also just click the symbol to copy it and paste it anywhere.

Why does > sometimes show as a box or question mark?

The box (called tofu) means the device or font viewing it has no drawing for U+003E (Greater-Than Sign). The character itself is fine — try a different font or a newer device, or use one of the variants on this page.

Is the Greater Than Sign free to use?

Yes. > is a standard Unicode text character published in the Unicode Character Database. You may use it in personal and commercial documents, designs and products without permission or payment.