Both draw an arrow stopped against an upright bar, and the difference is a second bar at the tail.
Count the bars. The tab key's arrow has a bar at the head and another at the tail. The end key's has one, at the head only. Both read as travel arrested at a boundary, which is why they are mistaken for each other on keyboard legends — but tab moves between fields and end jumps to the end of a line.
Both draw an arrow arrested against an upright bar; the tab key's carries a second bar at its tail.
Drawn from the visual attributes recorded for each symbol. Only traits the two records disagree about are listed.
| Trait | Tab key symbol | End key symbol |
|---|---|---|
| Built from | arrows, lines and dots | arrows |
| Symmetry | horizontal | none |
| Tab key symbol | End key symbol | |
|---|---|---|
| Bars | Two — head and tail | One, at the head |
| What it does | Moves to the next field or tab stop | Jumps to the end of the line |
| Direction | Rightward | Rightward |
| Has a reverse form | Yes, with shift | No |
| Relationship (from Symbolwise's records) | Commonly confused with End key symbol — Both draw an arrow arrested against an upright bar; the tab key's carries a second bar at its tail. | Commonly confused with Tab key symbol — Both draw an arrow stopping against an upright bar; the tab key's arrow carries a second bar at its tail. |
Unicode Code Chart: Arrows (U+2190–U+21FF)
The Unicode Consortium · retrieved 2026-07-31
Authoritative for the character's code point, name and block only. Unicode assigns identity; it does not define what a symbol means in use.
Wikipedia · retrieved 2026-07-31
Tertiary reference. Used for widely-agreed identity and origin summary, not for contested detail or exact dates.
Wikipedia · retrieved 2026-08-01
Tertiary reference. Used for widely-agreed identity, origin and current use, not for contested detail or exact dates.
Both are drawn as one continuous decorative stroke with a closed loop and a tail that crosses back over itself, which is why a description of the shape alone reaches both. The clef is far taller, spans a stave, and its spiral encircles one specific line — that encircled line is the note G, and it is the only reason the shape is drawn where it is.
As punctuation the asterisk points at a footnote or marks a required field. In a filename pattern typed at a shell it matches any run of characters, including none — and the shell expands it against real filenames before the command runs, so the command never sees the pattern at all. That expansion is the part people are surprised by.
Check where the dot sits. A dot immediately to the right of the notehead adds half the note's value again — a dotted half note lasts three beats. A dot directly above or below the head means staccato: play it short and detached. One dot, two opposite instructions, and only position distinguishes them.
Look at whether the adult is standing or seated. Baby changing shows an adult leaning over an infant on a table — a facility for changing a nappy. A nursing room shows a seated figure holding an infant — a private space for feeding. They are separate rooms, and signage that conflates them sends people to the wrong one.