What the male symbol means
♂︎ is the standard sign for male in biology, medicine and genealogy, and you see it on restroom doors, dating profiles and forms around the world. It is a circle with an arrow pointing up and to the right.
The sign started as the old astronomical symbol for the planet Mars, named after the Roman god of war, which is why it is also called the Mars symbol. It is traditionally described as Mars's shield and spear. Alchemists used the same sign for iron. The Swedish botanist Carl Linnaeus popularized ♂︎ and ♀︎ as the signs for male and female in biology in the 18th century.
Male symbol variants and emoji
Two linked male signs ⚣ are widely used for gay men or a male couple. ⚤ interlocks ♂︎ with the female symbol ♀︎, and ⚥ merges both into one sign. The male sign with a stroke ⚦ forms one arm of the transgender symbol ⚧︎, and ⚨ and ⚩ are further stroke variants. Compare them all on the gender symbols page.
Your phone may show ♂︎ as a colored emoji ♂️. Emoji keyboards also use it behind the scenes: the man versions of many emoji, such as 🤷♂️ (man shrugging), are a base emoji joined to ♂︎. The blue sign 🚹 is the men's restroom emoji.
How to type the male symbol
On Windows, hold Alt and type 11 on the number pad; this works in many Windows programs. In Microsoft Word, type 2642 and press Alt + X. In HTML, write ♂ or ♂.
On a Mac, press Control + Command + Space to open the Character Viewer and search "male". On iPhone and Android, open the emoji keyboard and search "male sign". Or just click ♂︎ above to copy it.