You are using “Modifier Letter Circumflex Accent” with code
julia> Char('ˆ')
'ˆ': Unicode U+02C6 (category Lm: Letter, modifier)
You need CIRCUMFLEX ACCENT
julia> Char('^')
'^': ASCII/Unicode U+005E (category Sk: Symbol, modifier)
(edited: using Char instead of UInt16, 
to @Palli )