Talk:Manicule

In Mac OS
In Mac OS X 10.4.10, running Firefox 2.0.0.7, the "fist" character shows up incorrectly. It's rendered similarly to U+252B, although I'm not sure if that's the actual character being displayed.

I tried to correct the problem by directly entering the proper Unicode character (U+261F), but couldn't figure out how to do so. Could someone else fix this? — Preceding unsigned comment added by 24.21.192.112 (talk • contribs) 23:47, 22 September 2007


 * I have no idea what the index looks like. My computer can't read it, and shows a little box instead.  Is there any way to show the index without resorting to typing it? Savie Kumara 07:37, 4 November 2007 (UTC)


 * Perhaps for this and other similar non-standard character articles, the right-hand summary/navigation pane could feature a graphic of the character, rather than the large-point character itself. Like many, I see only the no-character box.

If there are instructions somewhere in Wikipedia for adjusting your browser to display these characters correctly, a link could be prominently featured. ozNoz 23:49, 5 November 2007 (UTC)

In video games
Should this article make mention of the similar hand symbol used as a cursor in many video games? Kouban (talk) 22:31, 26 November 2007 (UTC)


 * Good idea, done. Theseven7 (talk) 18:46, 29 November 2007 (UTC)


 * Say, this symbol isn't supposed to look like a question mark - is it? 75.129.135.47 (talk) 08:53, 27 October 2008 (UTC)


 * That is an up fist sign, not a sideway. This is dealing with a unique symbol. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 71.184.14.79 (talk • contribs) 19:31, 18 April 2009 (UTC)



In place of modern arrows
The article probably should point out that in the 19th century and before, this was commonly used as a directional indicator in a variety of contexts where we would now generally use abstract arrow shapes (see the pointing sign in the image). Churchh (talk) 22:42, 20 November 2008 (UTC)

20th Century Boys
The index is (or was, I can't recall) used in Shonen Jump magazine to mark the page numbers, and is used as a rather major detail in Shonen Jump's series "20th Century Boys".

Should this be pointed out in the page, or is it considered pointless trivia? —Preceding unsigned comment added by 189.160.209.98 (talk) 18:33, 1 September 2009 (UTC)

What about this...?
I've also seen a ✌. I don't know whether or not this should be part of the Index article because it's just a fist. I don't know it's Unicode. D: Colabcalub (talk) 13:14, 28 May 2012 (UTC)
 * It actually has its own article: V sign. I added a "see also" link from this article.  If you happen to come across any other hand-related Unicode symbols, you might try putting them into Wikipedia's internal search engine (or a general-use search engine).  That's how I found the V-sign article; we actually have a redirect there from the character.  Neat!  -- Beland (talk) 17:45, 28 June 2013 (UTC)

Use of the symbol in a retro fashion.
No mention of how the symbol is used to give things a Victorian feel? 88.104.254.106 (talk) 18:20, 5 November 2013 (UTC)

Replaced by arrow
This morning, u|Dbachmann updated the article with this addition: "The overthrow of dr. slop.jpg The now-ubiquitous arrow symbol (→) being easier to draw and recognize, has largely replaced the manicule in many contexts. The arrow symbol appears only in the 18th century, at first in technical diagrams. Its widespread use to indicate directions in signposts etc. does not develop before the early 20th century, and signposts of the 18th and 19th century would sometimes use a pointing hand in place of what would now be an arrow symbol."

I wrote this as an edit note to explain a bunch of citation needed tags, but on further consideration, I think we need a discussion on how best to express this. I wrote "Arrow: credible but a lot of uncited assertions, so tagged as cn. It may be true in hand annotations but in print? What about finger posts? Chevrons on road signs? Index [manicule] is definitely still used, but perhaps decoratively rather than functionally."

I didn't revert u|Dbachmann's addition outright but it needs a lot of work, IMO. --John Maynard Friedman (talk) 08:07, 3 June 2020 (UTC)