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I keep running into this symbol: ※

What is it, exactly? How is it used?

According to this
[Wikipedia](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Japanese_typographic_symbols#Other_special_marks)
link on Japanese typographic symbols, this `※` is called `米{こめ}` or
`米印{こめじるし}`. It is used in notes as a reference mark, similar to an asterisk.

With that being said, I seem to find it in situations where there is more to
it then a simple asterisk, and I'd really like to hear from people who are
more familiar with it.

The specific example that prompted my question is in my grammar workbook,
there are several grammar patterns/points on a page, along with relevant
explanations and example sentences. One example sentence goes like this:

> 例文 ： xxxxxxxxxxxxxx[grammar pattern]。 ※[grammar point variation]

(I'll give the exact sentence at the bottom, but I thought it would be better
to keep it generic as to not confuse the question.)

I take it to mean both are valid, but I wonder if it means that the secondary
one is not correct. Also, I realize that this may vary from book to book, but
I wonder if there is a standard for this sort of thing.

The exact sentence was: 今の成績では合格する可能性などありはしない。 ※合格などできはしない
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usage punctuation
What exactly is this ※ symbol, and what does it mean/how is it used?
This is the excerpt I found
[here](http://www.jekai.org/entries/aa/00/nn/aa00nn28.htm):

> The symbol ※, called 米印（こめじるし）, literally "rice symbol," is used in Japanese
> texts to introduce comments and remarks. Unlike the asterisk (*) in English,
> ※ is usually not used to link an item in the body of the text to a footnote.
> Rather, the purpose of ※ is to draw the reader's attention to an instruction
> or precaution or to indicate that some information is subsidiary or
> parenthetical to the main text. For this reason, it is usually not
> appropriate to replace ※ with an asterisk in texts translated from Japanese
> to English (and it is almost never appropriate to leave ※ intact in English
> texts).
>
> When they do link body text to footnotes, ※s are often used with Arabic
> numerals, such as ※1, ※2, etc. In translations, these, too, should be
> replaced with suitable English footnote markers.

Like that page states, I would guess that the information after the ※ in your
example is to give information that is parenthetical.
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In Japan it is used as a sign for rice sellers and coin operated rice washing
machines.
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As stated above, the _komejirushi_ or Reference Mark ( **※** , Unicode 203B)
is generally used preceding an additional comment or supplemental information.
The best way to translate it into English is to write **Note:** (including the
colon) followed by a translation of the comment text. Other possibilities
include **Attention** or **Important**.

I have seen translations leave the _komejirushi_ as-is, but it is not a symbol
with a generally recognized meaning in English. Others "translate" it as an
asterisk, as if the two symbols are interchangeable, but that is true only
when it is used as a footnote marker, which is rare. See below.

The name "Reference Mark" suggests the symbol could also be translated
"Reference," often abbreviated "Ref.," or "For Reference (Only)." Although
widely used by Japanese, these terms do not usually fit the actual meaning
well. Another possible translation is "Reference information," also a bit off-
target in most cases, besides being wordy and stilted. One might consider
"Refer to (...)" if there is a citation of some document or page number, but
that is also almost never the way it is used. (The Japanese term for Reference
is 参照 _sanshou_ and when there is a source listed it can simply be translated
"See" or "Source.")

The _komejirushi_ is also used to preface a proviso, condition, or an
exception to a rule. In this case as well, the translation **Note(:)** can
serve. Other possibilities are **Caution** , **Warning** , or **Exception** ,
followed by a colon and the comment.

The abbreviation **N.B.** for the Latin _nota bene_ ("note well") may also be
used, but many people are unfamiliar with this somewhat bookish term. In many
cases, it would be fine to simply use the word **However** followed by a comma
and the comment.

There are the rare cases where the _komejirushi_ is actually inserted to mark
a footnote. If used in isolation and in a matched pair (with the symbol
inserted both immediately following the text and preceding the footnote), an
asterisk **(*)** is the correct translation. But in some cases the
_komejirushi_ is used for multiple footnotes and accompanied by a number
(Arabic numeral), such as "※１", etc. For one or two footnotes on a page, an
asterisk and then a double-asterisk (**) with no numerals is the preferred
solution.

Finally, there is an old custom of using the dagger ( **†** ) and then a
double dagger ( **‡** ) for the third and fourth footnotes when there are not
more than four in all. A more modern method may be to use only superscript
numbers with no asterisks or daggers. (However, if the footnoted items are
actually numerical data, it is preferable to use either asterisks and daggers
or alphabetical superscripts.)
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