Fancy brackets and where to use them
Brackets are everywhere in writing, but the usual ( ) [ ] { } are only the start. East Asian text uses many more, and they look great around names, headings and short labels. This page collects the plain pairs and the decorative ones, so you do not have to hunt for them on your keyboard.
The main kinds
- Round, square and curly: ( ) [ ] { }. These are on every keyboard and are used in writing, maths and code.
- Angle brackets: ⟨ ⟩ and 《 》 are used for titles and quotes in some languages, and for decoration.
- Corner brackets: 「 」 and 『 』 are the Japanese quotation marks. The double version is used for a quote inside a quote.
- Lenticular brackets: 【 】 are thick and curved. They are popular for headings, labels and tags, like 【NEW】.
- Double brackets: ⦅ ⦆ and ⟦ ⟧ look like two pairs in one and are mostly decorative.
Ideas for names and bios
A pair of brackets around a word makes it look like a label. 【Artist】, 「Gamer」 and ⟦Mod⟧ all read quickly, and the unusual shapes make a name stand out in a list. They also pair well with a gaming name font.
A few rules of thumb
| Use | Pick |
|---|---|
| A heading or tag | 【 】 |
| A quote or title | 「 」 · 『 』 · 《 》 |
| A soft, light look | ⟨ ⟩ · ⦅ ⦆ |
| Normal writing | ( ) · [ ] |
Copy the opening bracket and the closing bracket separately, or tap the pair to copy both. Remember that in code, only the plain brackets have a meaning, so do not swap in a fancy one.
For more decoration, see the bullet symbols, the star symbols and the arrow symbols.
Where fancy brackets can go wrong
Some apps strip unusual characters from usernames, and a few older fonts show wide brackets as small boxes. If a pair does not display, try a simpler one such as 「 」 or ⟨ ⟩, which are supported nearly everywhere. Screen readers may also skip decorative brackets, so keep the important words outside them.