An X mark (also known as an ex mark or a cross mark or simply an X or ex or a cross) is used to indicate the concept of negation (for example "no, this has not been verified", "no, that is not the correct answer" or "no, I do not agree") as well as an indicator (for example, in election

ballot papers A ballot is a device used to cast votes in an election and may be found as a piece of paper or a small ball used in secret voting. It was originally a small ball (see blackballing) used to record decisions made by voters in Italy around the 16t ...

or in

map A map is a symbolic depiction emphasizing relationships between elements of some space, such as objects, regions, or themes. Many maps are static, fixed to paper or some other durable medium, while others are dynamic or interactive. Although ...

s as an x-marks-the-spot). Its opposite is often considered to be the

check mark A check or check mark (American English), checkmark (Philippine English), tickmark (Indian English) or tick ( Australian, New Zealand English, and British English) is a mark (✓, ✔, etc.) used, primarily in the English-speaking world, to in ...

or tick (or the

O mark An O mark, also known as Marujirushi () in Japan and Gongpyo (, ball mark) in Korea, is the name of the symbols "◯" or "⭕" used to represent affirmation in East Asia, similar to its Western equivalent of the tick (check mark), checkmark. Its ...

used in

Japan Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...

and

Korea Korea ( ko, 한국, or , ) is a peninsular region in East Asia. Since 1945, it has been divided at or near the 38th parallel, with North Korea (Democratic People's Republic of Korea) comprising its northern half and South Korea (Republic o ...

). In Japanese, the X mark (❌) is called "batsu" (ばつ) and can be expressed by someone by crossing their arms. It is also used as a replacement for a

signature A signature (; from la, signare, "to sign") is a handwritten (and often stylized) depiction of someone's name, nickname, or even a simple "X" or other mark that a person writes on documents as a proof of identity and intent. The writer of a ...

for a person who is blind or

illiterate Literacy in its broadest sense describes "particular ways of thinking about and doing reading and writing" with the purpose of understanding or expressing thoughts or ideas in written form in some specific context of use. In other words, hum ...

and thus cannot write their name. Typically, the writing of an X used for this purpose must be witnessed to be valid. As a verb, to X (or ex) off/out or to cross off/out means to add such a mark. It is quite common, especially on printed forms and document, for there to be squares in which to place x marks, or interchangeably checks. It is also traditionally used on maps to indicate locations, most famously on

treasure map A treasure map is a map that marks the location of buried treasure, a lost mine, a valuable secret or a hidden locale. More common in fiction than in reality, "pirate treasure maps" are often depicted in works of fiction as hand drawn and cont ...

s. It is also used as a set of three to mark jugs of

moonshine Moonshine is high-proof liquor that is usually produced illegally. The name was derived from a tradition of creating the alcohol during the nighttime, thereby avoiding detection. In the first decades of the 21st century, commercial dist ...

for having completed all distillation steps, while additionally signifying its potency (as high as 150 proof) relative to legal spirits, which rarely exceed 80 proof (40% ABV).

Unicode

Unicode Unicode, formally The Unicode Standard,The formal version reference is is an information technology Technical standard, standard for the consistent character encoding, encoding, representation, and handling of Character (computing), text expre ...

provides various related symbols, including: The mark is generally rendered with a less symmetrical form than the following cross-shaped symbols:

Footnotes

{{reflist Cross symbols Mathematical symbols Typographical symbols it:Segno di spunta

Unicode

See also

Footnotes