U+2009 · General Punctuation

Thin Space

The thin space is a narrow blank, typically about one-fifth or one-sixth of an em. Style guides use it to group digits in large numbers, as in 1 000 000 under SI convention, to separate a number from its unit, and to keep nested quotation marks apart. In math typesetting it adds a little breathing room around symbols.

UnicodeU+2009

HTML

U+2009

Character codes

Unicode code point	`U+2009`
Decimal	`8201`
HTML named entity
HTML (hex)
HTML (decimal)
CSS	`\2009`
JavaScript	`\u2009`
Python	`\u2009`
UTF-8 bytes	`E2 80 89`
UTF-16	`2009`
URL-encoded	`%E2%80%89`

Character details

Official name	THIN SPACE
Unicode block	General Punctuation
General category	Space Separator (Zs)
SymbolHero category	Spaces & Invisible Characters
Decomposition	`<compat> U+0020`
Emoji	No

How to type the Thin Space

Windows

In Microsoft Word or Outlook: type 2009 then press Alt + X.
Open Character Map (search “Character Map” in Start), tick “Advanced view”, search for “thin space”, then Select and Copy.

Mac

Press Control + Command + Space to open the Character Viewer, search “thin space”, and double-click the result.
With the Unicode Hex Input keyboard enabled (System Settings → Keyboard → Input Sources), hold Option and type 2009.

iPhone & Android

Tap Copy at the top of this page, then long-press where you want it and choose Paste.

Docs & web

Google Docs: Insert → Special characters, then search “thin space” or enter U+2009.
HTML: or
Excel / Google Sheets: =UNICHAR(8201)

Examples

Grouping digits in long numbers, as SI style recommends.
Separating a value from its unit, such as between 5 and kg.
Placing a small gap between adjacent single and double quotation marks.

Good to know

Don’t mix it up: It is often confused with the narrow no-break space (U+202F), which has a similar width but prevents a line break.

Tip: Because a thin space allows a line break, use U+202F when a number and its unit must stay on the same line.

Display: the character itself is always the same code point, but its shape comes from the font on the device showing it. If you see an empty box, the font lacks this glyph—the text is still correct.