Understand popular star characters, from ★ and ☆ to sparkles, asterisks and celestial symbols.
The short version
Start here if you only have one minute. The full guide below explains each point.
Filled and outline stars differ
A filled star often shows a choice. An outline star can show an empty choice.
Stars are not all the same
Stars, sparkles, and asterisks have different names and jobs.
Check the local meaning
A star can mark a rating, award, note, belief, or official badge.
01
Filled and outline stars
★ is a filled star. ☆ is the hollow version of the same shape. Interfaces pair them to show what is selected and what is not.
Hollow does not mean white. In Unicode names, WHITE means hollow and BLACK means filled.
02
Stars, asterisks and sparkles
An asterisk is punctuation. It marks footnotes, required fields and wildcards. A star symbol is a shape.
Sparkles are different again. They arrived as dingbats and now read as delight or emphasis, a meaning that came from use rather than the standard.
- ★ / ☆ — ratings and favourites
- ✦ / ✧ — sparkle and decorative emphasis
- ✩ / ✪ — ornamental stars
- * — asterisk with typographic and technical functions
- ⁂ — asterism used as a section break
03
Cultural and institutional uses
Stars appear on flags, medals, military insignia, religious art and political emblems. The number, colour and position all carry meaning in those settings.
Check what a particular arrangement means before you borrow it.
✦A lone star is broad and flexible; a precise arrangement of stars may reference a flag, rank or organization.
04
Choosing a star for text
Match the weight to the text around it. A heavy ★ works as a strong bullet or a selected state. A light ✧ suits a quiet accent.
Test the pair together. A filled and hollow star from different blocks may not be the same size.
05
Stars in rating interfaces
The filled and hollow pair is the most established convention in interface design built from Unicode characters. Five stars, some filled, reads as a rating without a legend.
It fails for anyone not looking at it. A screen reader announces five star characters, not four out of five. Always put the number in text as well.
- Filled and outline stars read as a rating without explanation
- Always provide the numeric value in text as well
- Half-star characters exist but their font coverage is poorer
06
Asterisk, star and the difference that matters
The asterisk on your keyboard is punctuation with jobs in footnotes and required fields. Software treats it as punctuation for word-breaking and search, and often as a wildcard.
Use the asterisk for footnotes. Use a star character when you mean the shape. Keep the two jobs apart.
07
Stars beyond ratings
Outside ratings, stars do several unrelated jobs. In a table they often mark a footnote. In documentation they can flag a recommended option.
Sparkle characters have drifted furthest from their names. They are widely read as delight now, which makes them useful, but the formal name says nothing about it.
Star and sparkle identity table
These similar shapes are separate characters with different standardized names and technical roles.
| Character | Unicode identity | Typical role |
|---|---|---|
| ★ | U+2605 BLACK STAR | Filled rating, favorite or strong bullet |
| ☆ | U+2606 WHITE STAR | Outline rating, favorite or decoration |
| ✦ | U+2726 BLACK FOUR POINTED STAR | Sparkle-like decorative emphasis |
| ✧ | U+2727 WHITE FOUR POINTED STAR | Lighter sparkle-like ornament |
| * | U+002A ASTERISK | Footnotes, wildcards and technical syntax |
Asterisks are not safe substitutes for star ornaments in code, mathematics or reference notation, even when a font makes them look similar.
08
Copy the symbols discussed in this guide
This guide explains the topic. Use star symbols for the main copyable set, compare it with sparkle symbols, and browse hanging star symbols for another useful angle. Each collection includes searchable Unicode names and HTML references.
Star Symbols
89 copyable entries
✦ ✧ ✨Sparkle Symbols
73 copyable entries
˚₊· ┊͙Hanging Star Symbols
26 copyable entries
More collections covered by this guide
The same ideas also help when you browse sun symbols, moon symbols, zodiac symbols, and trophy symbols. Open any collection to compare exact Unicode names, code points, and copy-ready forms.
09
Questions, answered
What is the outline star?+
☆ is the white star character.
Is an asterisk a star?+
It is star-shaped punctuation with distinct technical roles.
How should ratings be written accessibly?+
Provide a text or programmatic value such as 4 out of 5.
10
Sources and review notes
Character identities were checked against Unicode charts; contextual guidance distinguishes standardized names from broader cultural use.