Symbols, emoji, and smart punctuation

Three ways to type characters that are not on the keyboard: a : suggestion while you type, a picker you can browse, and smart punctuation that turns -> into → for you.

All three write the character itself into the file. A :smile you pick becomes 😄 in the markdown, not a :smile: shortcode, so the file stays standard markdown that any editor reads the same way.

Type : to insert a symbol or emoji

Type : and at least two characters of a name. A menu of matching symbols and emoji opens next to the caret.

You type	You get
:arrow	→ and other arrows
:smile	😄 and other smiling faces
:heart	❤️
:+1	👍️
:화살표	→ — Korean keywords work too
:웃음	😀 and other smiling faces

The character shown is the first match, the one Enter inserts; the menu lists the eight best matches.

• ↑ / ↓ move through the menu, Enter or Tab inserts the highlighted item, and a click inserts the one you click
• Esc closes the menu and leaves what you typed. In Vim insert mode the first Esc closes the menu and the second one returns to normal mode
• Keep typing to narrow the list. A space ends the search

The : has to start a word — at the start of a line or after a space. A colon inside a word or number is left alone, so 10:30, https:// and key: value never open the menu. It also stays closed in code blocks, in inline code (including after a backtick you have not closed yet), and while you are editing an inline math formula.

Emoji come with one appearance each; skin-tone variants are not offered.

To turn the suggestions off, go to Settings > Markdown, the Typography heading, and switch off Symbol & Emoji Suggestions. It is on by default.

Browse the symbol and emoji picker

When you do not know a symbol’s name, open the picker from the slash menu: type / and choose Symbols & Emoji (typing /sym or /emoji finds it). The picker opens at the caret, with the search box focused.

• Search — type an English or Korean keyword to search all symbols and emoji at once; the results replace the sections until you clear the box
• Tabs — jump to a section: Recently used, Symbols (arrows, math, currency, punctuation, marks and shapes, other symbols), and the emoji groups from Smileys & emotion to Flags
• Arrow keys move through the grid, Enter inserts the highlighted character, and a click inserts the one you click. The name of the highlighted character is shown at the bottom
• Esc, or a click outside the picker, closes it without inserting anything. The caret goes back to where it was

Recently used

The Recently used tab keeps up to 24 characters you inserted most recently, newest first. The picker and the : menu both count — a pick from the : menu shows up here too. Smart punctuation replacements are not recorded. The list is kept when you restart Baram.

Smart punctuation

Smart punctuation replaces a typed sequence with the symbol it stands for. It is off by default — turn it on in Settings > Markdown, under Typography, with Smart Punctuation.

You type	You get	Note
->	→
<-	←
<->	↔
=>	⇒
<=	≤
<=>	⇔
>=	≥
!=	≠
...	…
--	—	Replaced when you type the next character, so a -- b becomes a — b

Undo a replacement — press Backspace right after it to get back what you typed. A sequence built from another steps back one stage at a time: after <-> became ↔, one Backspace gives ←>.

What stays as typed:

• Code blocks, inline code, and text after a backtick you have not closed yet in the same paragraph
• An inline math formula you are editing
• Everything after an opener that is not yet closed earlier in the same paragraph — a wikilink ([[…), a link destination (](…), a footnote ([^…), a block reference (((…) or a skill variable ({{…) — until its closer (]], ), ], )), }}) appears. [[a->b stays [[a->b until you close it, so the link keeps its target
• An HTML comment you are typing (<!-- …), a word containing :// (a URL), and a #tag you are typing
• Three dashes (---, a horizontal rule), a table delimiter row written without spaces (|--|), -->, and a -- at the very start of a paragraph
• Anything you paste — only typing is converted
• Skill files — files whose frontmatter has both name: and description: (see Skills), where -> often means a step, not an arrow

One thing to watch: a command-line flag written in prose, like --flag, becomes —flag. Type it inside backticks (`--flag`) and it stays as written.