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Character to Binary Converter

developer · number system

Convert Character to Binary with a fixed input and output format, step-by-step formulas under the result, and reference tables. Parsing matches the main hub (0b, 0x, leading 0 for octal; one optional . for fractional digits on numeric bases; single character for character mode).

Calculator

From: Character

To: Binary

Formulas

Enter a value → place-value expansion + division chain.

About Character

Character mode treats exactly one character as its Unicode (UTF-16 code unit) scalar value in the range 0–65535. There is no fractional part in this mode. Control and C1 characters are labeled by name in the output when relevant.

About Binary

Binary (base 2) uses digits 0 and 1. This tool accepts an optional 0b prefix. You may use one radix point; digits after it use negative powers of two (½, ¼, …). It is the native representation for digital logic and bitwise operations.

How to convert character to binary

Three steps: symbols → the right math move for this pair → worked examples you can copy on paper. Numeric bases (binary, octal, decimal, hex) also support one radix point and digits after it; character mode stays a single code unit.

Step 1 — Identify the symbols

Input (Character): Exactly one symbol; its numeric code is the value you convert.

Output (Binary): Each position is either 0 or 1.

Dev note
  • This tool uses the UTF-16 code unit (0–65535 for BMP).
  • Many tools allow a 0b prefix (e.g. 0b1010).

Step 2 — The Two-Step Method (via Decimal)

First express the left format as a decimal value (one optional . for a fractional part is allowed on numeric bases), then rewrite that value in the right format. The calculator automates both steps.

Part A — Into decimal

Look up the numeric code for your character. That integer is the decimal value for the next step.

Part B — Out of decimal

Repeated division by 2: divide the decimal number by 2, write each remainder, replace the number with the whole quotient, repeat until the quotient is 0. Read the remainders from last division to first to read the binary digits.

Fractional decimal values: convert the whole part with repeated division, then multiply the fractional part by the target base over and over; each integer you get is the next digit after the radix point (same idea the calculator shows in Formulas).

Step 3 — Worked examples

Two practice values in Character, converted to Binary using the same rules as Step 2.

Example 1

‘A’ (Character) → Binary.

Toward decimal

Character 'A'
→ code point (decimal) N₁₀ = 97

From decimal to output

Whole part — repeated division:
97 ÷ 2 = 48  R 1
48 ÷ 2 = 24  R 0
24 ÷ 2 = 12  R 0
12 ÷ 2 = 6  R 0
6 ÷ 2 = 3  R 0
3 ÷ 2 = 1  R 1
1 ÷ 2 = 0  R 1

Read remainders bottom → top → 1100001

→ tool: 0b1100001

Verify: A → 0b1100001

Example 2

‘*’ (Character) → Binary.

Toward decimal

Character '*'
→ code point (decimal) N₁₀ = 42

From decimal to output

Whole part — repeated division:
42 ÷ 2 = 21  R 0
21 ÷ 2 = 10  R 1
10 ÷ 2 = 5  R 0
5 ÷ 2 = 2  R 1
2 ÷ 2 = 1  R 0
1 ÷ 2 = 0  R 1

Read remainders bottom → top → 101010

→ tool: 0b101010

Verify: * → 0b101010

Summary

To convert Character to Binary, the tool first parses your input strictly as character, producing a decimal value. For binary, octal, decimal, and hex, you may include one radix point and fractional digits; character input remains a single code unit with no dot. That value is formatted as binary using the same rules as the main Number System Converter (prefixes 0b, 0, 0x where applicable; character output uses symbolic names for common controls and requires a whole-number code point). Long fractional expansions are truncated to a fixed digit cap; ordinary floating-point rounding may appear in extreme cases.

Relationship context

Character input maps one code point to an integer, which is then shown in binary. That integer is the numeric value the character occupies in UTF-16 (BMP code units 0–65535).

Conversion tables

Character (input)Binary (output)
——
U+0030 (0)0b110000
U+0031 (1)0b110001
U+0041 (A)0b1100001
U+0061 (a)0b1100001
U+007E (~)0b1111110
U+00FF (ÿ)0b11111111
Character (input)Binary (output)
U+0100 (Ā)0b100000001
U+0200 (Ȁ)0b1000000001
U+0400 (Ѐ)0b10001010000
U+0800 (ࠀ)0b100000000000
U+1000 (က)0b1000000000000
U+20AC (€)0b10000010101100
U+FFFF (￿)0b1111111111111111

More number system pairs

Other fixed input/output converters use the same parsing rules as the hub. Open any pair for the same calculator layout and reference tables.

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