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Two downward triangles separated by a single bar.
The same rule as fire and air, inverted. Water is a plain downward triangle; earth is the same triangle with a bar across its lower part. The four element signs are one designed set: two point up, two point down, and within each pair the bar is the only difference.
Both point downward and differ only by a horizontal bar across the earth sign.
Drawn from the visual attributes recorded for each symbol. Only traits the two records disagree about are listed.
| Trait | Alchemical symbol for water | Alchemical symbol for earth |
|---|---|---|
| Built from | triangles | triangles, lines and dots |
| Alchemical symbol for water | Alchemical symbol for earth | |
|---|---|---|
| Triangle direction | Point downward | Point downward |
| Crossing bar | None | One horizontal bar across the lower portion |
| Unicode | U+1F704 | U+1F703 |
| Position in the set | One of the two 'heavy' elements | One of the two 'heavy' elements |
| Relationship (from Symbolwise's records) | Commonly confused with Alchemical symbol for earth — Both point downward and differ only by a horizontal bar across the earth sign. | Commonly confused with Alchemical symbol for water — Both point downward and differ only by a horizontal bar across the earth sign. |
Wikipedia · retrieved 2026-07-31
Tertiary reference. Used for the character's identity, its documented astronomical and alchemical use, and the fact that astrology assigns it a meaning. Never used to support the astrological claim itself, which is recorded as a tradition rather than a finding.