Triangle Down in LaTeX (\triangledown)

Where it is used

Small downward-pointing open triangle, an ordinary symbol rather than an operator.

\triangledown is a smaller, ordinary-spacing triangle pointing down, used as a decoration or marker in some notations. It is not the same as \nabla, the gradient operator, which has a different shape and is what you want for \nabla f; nor is it \bigtriangledown, which is a larger binary operator. If you use \triangledown as an operation, wrap it in \mathbin for operator spacing. For filled versions, \blacktriangledown is available. In finished papers it appears rarely, mostly as a plot-marker reference in captions or as a custom operation.

Minimal compilable example

Paste this into an empty .tex file and compile it with pdfLaTeX, XeLaTeX or LuaLaTeX.

\documentclass{article}
\usepackage{amssymb}
\begin{document}
Triangle Down: $\triangledown$

\[ x \mathbin{\triangledown} y = y \mathbin{\triangledown} x \]
\end{document}

Related symbols

• Nabla\nabla
• Triangle Up\triangle
• Square\square
• Big Circle\bigcirc
• Wedge\wedge
• Diamond\diamond

Frequently asked questions

How do I write Triangle Down in LaTeX?

Type \triangledown in math mode, for example $x \mathbin{\triangledown} y = y \mathbin{\triangledown} x$. Load amssymb first with \usepackage{amssymb}.

Which package do I need for \triangledown?

\triangledown needs amssymb: add \usepackage{amssymb} to your preamble before the document starts.

Can I use \triangledown in text mode, or only in math mode?

Only in math mode. Outside $...$ LaTeX stops with "Missing $ inserted", so write $\triangledown$ in running text. If you only need the glyph in text, paste the Unicode character ▽ instead (with XeLaTeX or LuaLaTeX and a font that has it).