How do I insert special characters like arrows, math symbols, or accented letters in Vim?

Explanation

Vim has a built-in digraph system that lets you type special characters using short two-character codes. Instead of hunting for Unicode code points or copy-pasting from external sources, you can press <C-k> in insert mode followed by a two-character sequence to produce the character directly.

How it works

• <C-k>{char1}{char2} — in insert mode, press Ctrl-K then type two characters that represent the digraph
• Vim inserts the corresponding Unicode character at the cursor
• Use :digraphs to see the full list of available digraph codes

Example

Some commonly useful digraphs:

<C-k>->  →  (right arrow)
<C-k><=  ≤  (less than or equal)
<C-k>>=  ≥  (greater than or equal)
<C-k>!=  ≠  (not equal)
<C-k>OK  ✓  (checkmark)
<C-k>XX  ✗  (ballot X)
<C-k>Eu  €  (Euro sign)
<C-k>Co  ©  (copyright)
<C-k>e'  é  (e acute)
<C-k>PI  π  (pi)

Typing in insert mode:

Before: The cost is  EUR
Type:   <C-k>Eu
After:  The cost is € EUR

Tips

• Run :digraphs to browse all available codes — the output shows the two-char code, the resulting character, and its decimal value
• You can define custom digraphs with :digraph {char1}{char2} {decimal} — for example, :digraph hh 9829 maps hh to ♥
• If you know the exact Unicode code point, use <C-v>u{hex} instead — for example, <C-v>u2192 for →