The backslash ( \ ), is a glyph mostly used in computing. It has other names, like reverse slash, backslant, and slosh. It is not used in normal writing, which is one reason for its use in computing.
Backslash
Representation in computer systems
| Name | Characters | TeX | |||||
| Position | Name | hexadecimal | decimal | plain TeX | LaTeX | ||
| Backslash | \ | U+005C | reverse solidus |
|
|
|
|
| Backslash as combining character | U+20E5 | Combining reverse solidus overlay |
| ||||
| Difference quantity sign | U+2216 | Set minus |
|
|
| ||
| Diagonal line top left-bottom right | U+2572 | Box drawings light diagonal upper left to lower right |
| ||||
| Operator backslash | U+29F5 | Reverse solidus operator |
| ||||
| backslash with slash | U+29F7 | Reverse solidus with horizontal stroke |
| ||||
| big backslash | U+29F9 | Big reverse solidus |
| ||||
| minor backslash | ﹨ | U+FE68 | Small reverse solidus |
| |||
| full-width backslash | ＼ | U+FF3C | Fullwidth reverse solidus |
| |||
Backslash in local public transport
In local public transport in certain cities, a backslash after the line number is used to indicate so-called crossed-out lines. This applies in particular to older matrix or flip-dot displays, which are not able to show the intended crossing out of the line number due to their coarse image resolution. An example of this is the Belgian city of Liège.