5.2 Directory Paths
5.2.2 Path components
Lets look at the individual components of the path to the /home/user2/dir1/coffees subdirectory shown in the Figure. The slashes within the pathname are delimiters between object names. The slashes act like separators. Object names can be directories, subdirectories or files. DOS and Windows indicate directories using a backward slash (\) or backslash. The backslash key is usually near the backspace key on a keyboard.

All UNIX file systems use a forward slash (/) in pathnames. The forward slash is usually near the right shift key on most keyboards. A slash (/) in the first position of any pathname represents the root directory.

Note - Depending on the setup of your system, users' home directories can be found in either /home or /export/home. If your home directory is on your system, it is usually found in /export/home. If it is on a server, it is usually in /home. For the purposes of this discussion, /home is used.