An arrow consists of a long and thin shaft made formerly of wood and now also from aluminium or carbon fiber composite. It is pointed or armed with an arrowhead at one end and with a nock or notch in the other. Arrowheads fit hunting and military purpose better than a mere point, which is mostly useful for target-shooting. The main type of arrowheads used in medieval periods for battle purposes were broadhead, swallowtail, bodkin, and pitch and tar arrows for setting fire to the fields enemies were attacking on. Near the notch end are vanes which keep the arrow pointed in the direction of travel by strongly damping down any tendency to pitch or yaw. There are often three vanes but many fletchings have four or even more. They were originally made from feathers (often from a Goose or Turkey) bound to the arrow's shaft, but are now often made of plastic.
Artisans who make arrows by hand are known as "fletchers," a word related to the French word for arrow, flèche. To fletch an arrow means to provide it with its vanes.
As an arrow flies toward its target, its shaft will bend and flex from side to side, almost like a fish swimming through water.
The term "arrow" is also used for a graphics symbol like →, ←, used to point or indicate direction, being in its simplest form a line segment with a triangle affixed to one end, and in more complex forms a representation of an actual arrow.
In Unicode, arrow symbols occupy the hexadecimal range 0x2190–0x21ff (8592–8704 decimal), as described below.
| |
hex |
name |
|
hex |
name |
|
hex |
name |
|
hex |
name |
| ← |
0x2190 |
Leftwards Arrow |
↬ |
0x21ac |
Rightwards Arrow With Loop |
⇈ |
0x21c8 |
Upwards Paired Arrows |
⇤ |
0x21e4 |
Leftwards Arrow To Bar |
| ↑ |
0x2191 |
Upwards Arrow |
↭ |
0x21ad |
Left Right Wave Arrow |
⇉ |
0x21c9 |
Rightwards Paired Arrows |
⇥ |
0x21e5 |
Rightwards Arrow To Bar |
| → |
0x2192 |
Rightwards Arrow |
↮ |
0x21ae |
Left Right Arrow With Stroke |
⇊ |
0x21ca |
Downwards Paired Arrows |
⇦ |
0x21e6 |
Leftwards White Arrow |
| ↓ |
0x2193 |
Downwards Arrow |
↯ |
0x21af |
Downwards Zigzag Arrow |
⇋ |
0x21cb |
Leftwards Harpoon Over Rightwards Harpoon |
⇧ |
0x21e7 |
Upwards White Arrow |
| ↔ |
0x2194 |
Left Right Arrow |
↰ |
0x21b0 |
Upwards Arrow With Tip Leftwards |
⇌ |
0x21cc |
Rightwards Harpoon Over Leftwards Harpoon |
⇨ |
0x21e8 |
Rightwards White Arrow |
| ↕ |
0x2195 |
Up Down Arrow |
↱ |
0x21b1 |
Upwards Arrow With Tip Rightwards |
⇍ |
0x21cd |
Leftwards Double Arrow With Stroke |
⇩ |
0x21e9 |
Downwards White Arrow |
| ↖ |
0x2196 |
North West Arrow |
↲ |
0x21b2 |
Downwards Arrow With Tip Leftwards |
⇎ |
0x21ce |
Left Right Double Arrow With Stroke |
⇪ |
0x21ea |
Upwards White Arrow From Bar |
| ↗ |
0x2197 |
North East Arrow |
↳ |
0x21b3 |
Downwards Arrow With Tip Rightwards |
⇏ |
0x21cf |
Rightwards Double Arrow With Stroke |
⇫ |
0x21eb |
Upwards White Arrow On Pedestal |
| ↘ |
0x2198 |
South East Arrow |
↴ |
0x21b4 |
Rightwards Arrow With Corner Downwards |
⇐ |
0x21d0 |
Leftwards Double Arrow |
⇬ |
0x21ec |
Upwards White Arrow On Pedestal With Horizontal Bar |
| ↙ |
0x2199 |
South West Arrow |
↵ |
0x21b5 |
Downwards Arrow With Corner Leftwards |
⇑ |
0x21d1 |
Upwards Double Arrow |
⇭ |
0x21ed |
Upwards White Arrow On Pedestal With Vertical Bar |
| ↚ |
0x219a |
Leftwards Arrow With Stroke |
↶ |
0x21b6 |
Anticlockwise Top Semicircle Arrow |
⇒ |
0x21d2 |
Rightwards Double Arrow |
⇮ |
0x21ee |
Upwards White Double Arrow |
| ↛ |
0x219b |
Rightwards Arrow With Stroke |
↷ |
0x21b7 |
Clockwise Top Semicircle Arrow |
⇓ |
0x21d3 |
Downwards Double Arrow |
⇯ |
0x21ef |
Upwards White Double Arrow On Pedestal |
| ↜ |
0x219c |
Leftwards Wave Arrow |
↸ |
0x21b8 |
North West Arrow To Long Bar |
⇔ |
0x21d4 |
Left Right Double Arrow |
⇰ |
0x21f0 |
Rightwards White Arrow From Wall |
| ↝ |
0x219d |
Rightwards Wave Arrow |
↹ |
0x21b9 |
Leftwards Arrow To Bar Over Rightwards Arrow To Bar |
⇕ |
0x21d5 |
Up Down Double Arrow |
⇱ |
0x21f1 |
North West Arrow To Corner |
| ↞ |
0x219e |
Leftwards Two Headed Arrow |
↺ |
0x21ba |
Anticlockwise Open Circle Arrow |
⇖ |
0x21d6 |
North West Double Arrow |
⇲ |
0x21f2 |
South East Arrow To Corner |
| ↟ |
0x219f |
Upwards Two Headed Arrow |
↻ |
0x21bb |
Clockwise Open Circle Arrow |
⇗ |
0x21d7 |
North East Double Arrow |
⇳ |
0x21f3 |
Up Down White Arrow |
| ↠ |
0x21a0 |
Rightwards Two Headed Arrow |
↼ |
0x21bc |
Leftwards Harpoon With Barb Upwards |
⇘ |
0x21d8 |
South East Double Arrow |
⇴ |
0x21f4 |
Right Arrow With Small Circle |
| ↡ |
0x21a1 |
Downwards Two Headed Arrow |
↽ |
0x21bd |
Leftwards Harpoon With Barb Downwards |
⇙ |
0x21d9 |
South West Double Arrow |
⇵ |
0x21f5 |
Downwards Arrow Leftwards Of Upwards Arrow |
| ↢ |
0x21a2 |
Leftwards Arrow With Tail |
↾ |
0x21be |
Upwards Harpoon With Barb Rightwards |
⇚ |
0x21da |
Leftwards Triple Arrow |
⇶ |
0x21f6 |
Three Rightwards Arrows |
| ↣ |
0x21a3 |
Rightwards Arrow With Tail |
↿ |
0x21bf |
Upwards Harpoon With Barb Leftwards |
⇛ |
0x21db |
Rightwards Triple Arrow |
⇷ |
0x21f7 |
Leftwards Arrow With Vertical Stroke |
| ↤ |
0x21a4 |
Leftwards Arrow From Bar |
⇀ |
0x21c0 |
Rightwards Harpoon With Barb Upwards |
⇜ |
0x21dc |
Leftwards Squiggle Arrow |
⇸ |
0x21f8 |
Rightwards Arrow With Vertical Stroke |
| ↥ |
0x21a5 |
Upwards Arrow From Bar |
⇁ |
0x21c1 |
Rightwards Harpoon With Barb Downwards |
⇝ |
0x21dd |
Rightwards Squiggle Arrow |
⇹ |
0x21f9 |
Left Right Arrow With Vertical Stroke |
| ↦ |
0x21a6 |
Rightwards Arrow From Bar |
⇂ |
0x21c2 |
Downwards Harpoon With Barb Rightwards |
⇞ |
0x21de |
Upwards Arrow With Double Stroke |
⇺ |
0x21fa |
Leftwards Arrow With Double Vertical Stroke |
| ↧ |
0x21a7 |
Downwards Arrow From Bar |
⇃ |
0x21c3 |
Downwards Harpoon With Barb Leftwards |
⇟ |
0x21df |
Downwards Arrow With Double Stroke |
⇻ |
0x21fb |
Rightwards Arrow With Double Vertical Stroke |
| ↨ |
0x21a8 |
Up Down Arrow With Base |
⇄ |
0x21c4 |
Rightwards Arrow Over Leftwards Arrow |
⇠ |
0x21e0 |
Leftwards Dashed Arrow |
⇼ |
0x21fc |
Left Right Arrow With Double Vertical Stroke |
| ↩ |
0x21a9 |
Leftwards Arrow With Hook |
⇅ |
0x21c5 |
Upwards Arrow Leftwards Of Downwards Arrow |
⇡ |
0x21e1 |
Upwards Dashed Arrow |
⇽ |
0x21fd |
Leftwards Open-Headed Arrow |
| ↪ |
0x21aa |
Rightwards Arrow With Hook |
⇆ |
0x21c6 |
Leftwards Arrow Over Rightwards Arrow |
⇢ |
0x21e2 |
Rightwards Dashed Arrow |
⇾ |
0x21fe |
Rightwards Open-Headed Arrow |
| ↫ |
0x21ab |
Leftwards Arrow With Loop |
⇇ |
0x21c7 |
Leftwards Paired Arrows |
⇣ |
0x21e3 |
Downwards Dashed Arrow |
⇿ |
0x21ff |
Left Right Open-Headed Arrow |
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