How do I insert a Unicode character by its code point in Vim?

Explanation

In insert mode, <C-v> followed by u and a 4-digit hex code inserts the Unicode character with that code point. For characters beyond the Basic Multilingual Plane, use U followed by an 8-digit hex code.

How it works

" In insert mode:
<C-v>u00e9     " Inserts é (e with acute accent)
<C-v>u2192     " Inserts → (right arrow)
<C-v>u2713     " Inserts ✓ (check mark)
<C-v>u03b1     " Inserts α (Greek alpha)
<C-v>U0001f600 " Inserts 😀 (grinning face, requires U for >4 hex digits)

Other insert methods with

<C-v>065       " Insert by decimal code (A = 65)
<C-v>o101      " Insert by octal code (A = 101 octal)
<C-v>x41       " Insert by 2-digit hex (A = 0x41)
<C-v>u0041     " Insert by 4-digit Unicode hex (A = U+0041)
<C-v>U00000041 " Insert by 8-digit Unicode hex
<C-v><Esc>     " Insert a literal Escape character
<C-v><Tab>     " Insert a literal Tab (even when expandtab is set)

Practical uses

• Insert special characters for documentation: →, ←, ✓, ✗, •
• Insert math symbols: α, β, ∑, ∞, ≤, ≥
• Insert currency symbols: € (u20ac), £ (u00a3), ¥ (u00a5)
• Insert literal control characters for scripts and data files

Tips

• Use ga on a character to see its code point (then use that code to insert it elsewhere)
• Vim's digraph system (<C-k>) is often faster for common accented characters
• <C-v> in insert mode is your escape hatch for inserting any literal character
• Ensure your terminal and Vim use UTF-8 encoding: :set encoding=utf-8
• Documented under :help i_CTRL-V_digit