Currency Symbols

Common currency symbols and what they stand for

Many currencies share a sign. $ is used for the US, Canadian and Australian dollars and for the Mexican peso, among others, and ¥ for both the Japanese yen and the Chinese yuan. When it matters which one you mean, add letters (US$, C$, CN¥) or use the three-letter ISO 4217 code (USD, CAD, CNY).

₿ has no ISO code; exchanges and apps usually write BTC.

How to type currency symbols

$ has its own key (Shift + 4). For the others, copy them from this page or use these shortcuts. Windows Alt codes need the numeric keypad, with Num Lock on: hold Alt, type the four digits, then let go. The Mac shortcuts are for the U.S. keyboard layout; Keyboard Viewer shows the characters each key types while you hold Option or Option + Shift.

1. Windows 10 or 11: press Windows key + . (period), select Symbols in the emoji panel and scroll to the currency signs.
2. Word for Windows: type a symbol's Unicode code, such as 20B9 for ₹, and press Alt + X right after it.
3. Mac: choose Edit > Emoji & Symbols (or press Fn/Globe + E) and search for a currency name such as rupee or won.
4. iPhone and Android: on the number keyboard, touch and hold the $ key to choose ¢, €, £, ¥ or another sign. Which signs appear depends on your keyboard.

How to write dollar amounts in the US

In US English the dollar sign goes right before the number, with no space: $5, $4.99, $1,250.00. A period separates the cents and commas group the thousands. Price tags often show amounts under a dollar with the cent sign (99¢), while most writing uses $0.99 or 99 cents.

For a negative amount, put the minus sign before the dollar sign: -$5.00. Accounting statements often show negative amounts in parentheses instead: ($5.00).

When readers might confuse dollars, write US$20, C$20 or A$20, or put the ISO code before the number with a space: USD 20.

Does the € go before or after the number?

In English, currency signs go before the number: €5, £5, ¥500. Many European languages put the sign after the number with a space, so German, French and Spanish texts usually write 5 € (and 5,50 € with a decimal comma). Follow the convention of the language you're writing in; for US readers, €5 is right.

The Unicode Standard uses one sign, ¥, for both the Japanese yen and the Chinese yuan (renminbi). Write JP¥ or CN¥, or the codes JPY and CNY, when the difference matters.

Why some currency symbols show as boxes

A sign shows as an empty box when the font on that device doesn't include it. Newer signs are the usual cause: the Bitcoin sign ₿ was added to Unicode in 2017 (version 10.0) and the Kyrgyzstani som ⃀ in 2021 (version 14.0). If a reader might see a box, write the code instead, such as BTC or KGS.

Many currencies have no special sign and are written with letters, such as kr (krona and krone), zł (złoty), R$ (Brazilian real) or CHF (Swiss franc). Letters work in every font.

Sources and standards

• Unicode — Currency Symbols code chart (U+20A0–U+20CF)
• Unicode — C1 Controls and Latin-1 Supplement code chart
• Unicode — The Unicode Standard, Chapter 22: Symbols
• Unicode — Character age (DerivedAge.txt)
• ISO — ISO 4217 currency codes
• Microsoft — Insert ASCII or Unicode Latin-based symbols and characters
• Microsoft — Windows keyboard tips and tricks
• Apple — Use the Keyboard Viewer on Mac
• Apple — Use emoji and symbols on Mac
• WHATWG — HTML named character references

Frequently asked questions