Currency symbol

A currency symbol or currency sign is a graphic symbol used to denote a currency unit. Usually it is defined by a monetary authority, such as the national central bank for the currency concerned.

Symbols of the four most widely held reserve currencies (dollar, euro, yen, pound)

A symbol may be positioned in various ways, according to national convention: before, between or after the numeric amounts: €2.50, 2,50€ and 2Dollar sign with two vertical lines50.

Symbols are neither defined nor listed by international standard ISO 4217, which only assigns three-letter codes.

Usage

When writing currency amounts, the location of the symbol varies by language. For currencies in English-speaking countries and in most of Latin America, the symbol is placed before the amount, as in $20.50. In most other countries, including many in Europe, the symbol is placed after the amount, as in 20,50€. Exceptionally, the symbol for the Cape Verdean escudo (like the Portuguese escudo, to which it was formerly pegged) is placed in the decimal separator position, as in 2 50.[1]

Design

Formal dimensions of the euro sign
The euro sign as implemented in a selection of typefaces

Older currency symbols have evolved slowly, often from previous currencies. The modern dollar and peso symbols originated from the mark employed to denote the Spanish dollar,[2] whereas the pound and lira symbols evolved from the letter L (written until the seventeenth century in blackletter type as ) standing for libra, a Roman pound of silver.[3]

Newly invented currencies and currencies adopting new symbols have symbolism meaningful to their adopter. For example, the euro sign is based on ϵ, an archaic form of the Greek epsilon, to represent Europe;[4] the Indian rupee sign is a blend of the Latin letter 'R' with the Devanagari letter (ra);[5] and the Russian Ruble sign is based on Р (the Cyrillic capital letter 'er').[6]

There are other considerations, such as how the symbol is rendered on computers and typesetting. For a new symbol to be used, its glyphs needs to be added to computer fonts and keyboard mappings already in widespread use, and keyboard layouts need to be altered or shortcuts added to type the new symbol. For example, the European Commission was criticized for not considering how the euro sign would need to be customized to work in different fonts.[7] The original design was also exceptionally wide. These two factors have led to most type foundries designing customized versions that match the 'look and feel' of the font to which it is to be added, often with reduced width.

List of currency symbols currently in use

SymbolNameCurrencyNotesUnicode
؋
AfAfs
afghaniAfghan afghaniAf is the singular and Afs is the pluralU+060B ؋ AFGHANI SIGN
ArariaryMalagasy ariary[8]
฿bahtThai bahtAlso B when ฿ is unavailableU+0E3F ฿ THAI CURRENCY SYMBOL BAHT
B/balboaPanamanian balboa
BrbirrEthiopian birr
bitcoinBitcoinCryptocurrencyU+20BF BITCOIN SIGN
BsbolívarVenezuelan bolívar
bolivianoBolivian boliviano
cediGhanaian cediU+20B5 CEDI SIGN
¢cent, centavo, etc.Fraction
A centesimal subdivision of the US dollar, the Canadian dollar and the Mexican peso
U+00A2 ¢ CENT SIGN
ccent etc. variantFraction
In currencies Australian and New Zealand dollar; the South African rand; the West African CFA centime, and divisions of the euro.
ChchhertumBhutanese chhertumFraction
A centesimal division of the ngultrum
colonCosta Rican colónAlso C when ₡ is unavailableU+20A1 COLON SIGN
C$córdobaNicaraguan córdoba[9]Also used informally for Canadian dollar; see Can$.[10]
DdalasiGambian dalasi
ден
DEN
denarMacedonian denar
дин
DIN
dinarSerbian dinar
.د.ج
DA
dinarAlgerian dinar
.د.ب
BD
dinarBahraini dinar
.د.ع
ID
dinarIraqi dinar
.د.أ
JD
dinarJordanian dinar
.د.ك
KD
dinarKuwaiti dinar
.د.ل
LD
dinarLibyan dinar
.د.ت
DT
dinarTunisian dinar
.د.م
DH
DhDhs
dirhamMoroccan dirhamDh is the singular and Dhs is the plural
.د.إ
DH
DhDhs
dirhamEmirati dirhamDh is the singular and Dhs is the plural
DbdobraSão Tomé and Príncipe dobra
$dollarMay appear with either one or two bars ( ); in Unicode considered as same glyph (variants).U+0024 $ DOLLAR SIGN
peso
pataca$: Macanese pataca

đ
Đ
dongVietnamese đồngU+20AB DONG SIGN
֏dramArmenian dramU+058F ֏ ARMENIAN DRAM SIGN

Esc
escudoCape Verdean escudoSpecifically the double-barred dollar sign (cifrão)As double barred: not defined in Unicode
ΞetheretherCryptocurrencyU+039E Ξ GREEK CAPITAL LETTER XI
euroEuroThis eurosign is used in all scripts used in the Eurozone countries (Latin, Cyrillic, Greek)U+20AC EURO SIGN
فلسfilsfilsFraction
11000 or 1100 of various Arabic country currencies; see also falus
ƒflorinAlso fl when ƒ is unavailableU+0192 ƒ LATIN SMALL LETTER F WITH HOOK
FtforintHungarian forint
FBufrancBurundian franc
F
Fr
fr
francThe symbol , an F with a double bar, was proposed but never officially adopted as the symbol of the French franc[14][15] In some fonts, this code point is represented by Fr combined in a typographic ligature).U+20A3 FRENCH FRANC SIGN
GgourdeHaitian gourde
grgroszPolish groszFraction
A centesimal division of the złoty
guaraniParaguayan guaraníAlso Gs when ₲ is unavailableU+20B2 GUARANI SIGN
hhellerCzech hellerFraction
A centesimal division of the koruna

грн
hrn
hryvniaUkrainian hryvniaU+20B4 HRYVNIA SIGN
kipLao kipAlso K or KN when ₭ is unavailableU+20AD KIP SIGN
korunaCzech crown
krkrone,
krona
KzkwanzaAngolan kwanza
Kkina, kwacha
KKskyatMyanmar kyatK is the singular form and Ks is the plural
lariGeorgian lariU+20BE LARI SIGN
LeklekAlbanian lekAlso occasionally L
LlempiraHonduran lempiraAlso used as the currency symbol for the Lesotho and Swazi currencies as the singular form. Also used as a pound sign (see: Lebanese, Sudanese and Syrian pounds and Turkish lira)
leu
lei
leuLeu is the singular and Lei is the plural. Also sometimes L
LeleoneSierra Leonean leone
лев
lev
levBulgarian lev
LElilangeniSwazi lilangeniL is the singular and E is the plural
liraTurkish liraPreviously official sign was TL, still used when ₺ is unavailableU+20BA TURKISH LIRA SIGN
LMlotiLesotho lotiL is the singular and M is the plural
manatAlso m or man. when ₼ is unavailableU+20BC MANAT SIGN
KMmarkBosnia and Herzegovina convertible mark
MtmeticalMozambican metical[16]Also MTn
mmilMil, mill, etc.Fraction
A millesimal subdivision of several currencies. As a subdivision of the US dollar the symbol ₥ is used (U+20A5 MILL SIGN)
NfknakfaEritrean nakfaAlso Nfa[17]
nairaNigerian nairaAlso N when ₦ is unavailableU+20A6 NAIRA SIGN
NungultrumBhutanese ngultrum
UMouguiyaMauritanian ouguiya[18]
T$paangaTongan paʻanga
paisaIndian paisaFraction
Centesimal division of the Indian rupee. Before 2010, official sign was ps. Still used when is not available.
Not in Unicode
pspaisaPakistani and Nepalese paisasFraction
A centesimal division of the rupee
ppennyPenny sterling, and the pegged pennies of Alderney, the Falklands, Gibraltar, Guernsey, Jersey, Isle of Man and Saint HelenaFraction
The centesimal subdivision of a pound sterling, known as the "New Penny" when introduced in 1971
piastreLebanese and Syrian piastresA centesimal subdivision of the Lebanese and Syrian pounds
pesoPhilippine pesoAlso and PU+20B1 PESO SIGN
PTpiastreEgyptian and Sudanese piastresFraction
A centesimal subdivision of the Egyptian and Sudanese pounds
.ج.م
LE
poundEgyptian poundAlso abbreviated £E in Latin script
.ل.ل
LL
poundLebanese poundAlso abbreviated £L in Latin script
LSpoundSudanese pound also abbreviated £Sd in Latin script.
Syrian pound also abbreviated £S, £Syr and SP in Latin script.
£poundPound sterlingMay be displayed with one or two bars, depending on typeface.U+00A3 £ POUND SIGN
SSPpoundSouth Sudanese poundAlso represented by £[19]
PpulaBotswana pula
QquetzalGuatemalan quetzal
qqintarAlbanian qintarFraction
A centesimal subdivision of the lek
RrandSouth African randAlso Russian and Belarusian currencies in Latin script
R$realBrazilian realThe $ is sometimes written with a double bar like a double-barred dollar sign:

IR
RlRls
rialIranian rialRl is singular and Rls is pluralU+FDFC RIAL SIGN
.ر.ي
YRlYRls
RlRls
rialYemeni rialRl is singular and Rls is plural
.ر.س
SR
SRlSRls
RlRls
riyalSaudi riyalRl is singular and Rls is plural
.ر.ع
RO
rialOmani rial
.ر.ق
QR
rialQatari riyal

CR
rielCambodian rielU+17DB KHMER CURRENCY SYMBOL RIEL
RMringgitMalaysian ringgit
rublaPridnestrovie rublanot in Unicode
RblRbls
R
rubelBelarusian rubelRbl is the singular and Rbls is the plural. Also used for the Russian ruble

RblRbls
rubleRussian rubleU+20BD RUBLE SIGN
ރ
Rf
MRf
rufiyaaMaldivian rufiyaa
rupeeIndian rupeeBefore 2010, official sign was Re/Rs; still used when ₹ is unavailableU+20B9 INDIAN RUPEE SIGN
ReRsrupee
Re is the singular form and Rs is the pluralU+20A8 RUPEE SIGN
RprupiahIndonesian rupiah

NIS
shekelIsraeli new shekelU+20AA NEW SHEQEL SIGN
TShshillingTanzanian shilling
KShshillingKenyan shilling
Sh.So.shillingSomali shilling[24]
UShshillingUgandan shilling
S/solPeruvian sol

сом
som
somKyrgyzstani som : Kyrgyz National Bank approved the underlined С (Cyrillic Es) as currency symbol (2017)[25]U+20C0 SOM SIGN

Tk
takaBangladeshi TakaThe Unicode code character name is "Bengali Rupee sign"U+09F3 BENGALI RUPEE SIGN
WS$talaSamoan tālāSymbol based on previous name "West Samoan tala". Also T and ST.
tengeKazakhstani tengeAlso T when ₸ is unavailableU+20B8 TENGE SIGN
tetritetriGeorgian lariFraction
togrogMongolian tögrögAlso Tog when ₮ is unavailableU+20AE TUGRIK SIGN
VTvatuVanuatu vatu[26]
wonU+20A9 WON SIGN

 & U+FFE6 FULLWIDTH WON SIGN

¥yuanRenminbi yuan (元 / 圆)Used with one and two crossbars, depending on font
元 is also used in reference to the Macanese pataca and the Hong Kong and Taiwanese dollars
U+00A5 ¥ YEN SIGN & U+FFE5 FULLWIDTH YEN SIGN
yenJapanese yen (円 / 圓); (en, lit. "circle") is usually used in Japan
zlotyPolish złotyAlso zl when ł is unavailable
¤genericGeneric placeholder for any actual symbol, for example in formatting pattern "12¤00"U+00A4 ¤ CURRENCY SIGN


Rupee symbols by language

Rupee sign in other languages (scripts)
LanguageSign in UnicodeCurrency
TeluguU+0C30 రూ రూపాయిIndian rupee
TamilU+0BF9 TAMIL RUPEE SIGNIndian rupee / Sri Lankan rupee
GujaratiU+0AF1 GUJARATI RUPEE SIGNIndian rupee
KannadaU+0CB0 KANNADA LETTER RAIndian rupee
Sinhalaරු (U+0DBB SINHALA LETTER RAYANNA) + (U+0DD4 SINHALA VOWEL SIGN KETTI PAA-PILLA)Sri Lankan rupee
North IndicU+A838 NORTH INDIC RUPEE MARKIndian rupee
WanchoU+1E2FF 𞋿 WANCHO NGUN SIGN[27]Indian rupee

List of historical currency symbols

Some of these symbols may not display correctly.

SymbolUses
Argentine austral (1985–1991)
Cz$Brazilian cruzado (1986–1989)
₢$Brazilian cruzeiro (1942–1967)
Cr$Brazilian cruzeiro (1970–1986)
Brazilian cruzeiro (1990–1993)
CR$Brazilian cruzeiro real (1993–1994)
NCz$Brazilian cruzado novo (1989–1990)
NCr$Brazilian cruzeiro novo (1967–1970)
Rs$Brazilian real (1747–1942)
Pfennig, a subdivision of the German Mark (1875–1923) and the German Reichsmark (1923–1948)
MEast German Deutsche Mark (east) (1948–1964)
DMWest German and united German Deutsche Mark (west) (1948–2001)
Nordic mark symbol used by Ludvig Holberg in Denmark and Norway in the 17th and 18th centuries[28]
Greek drachma
ECU (1979–1998, not widely used and now historical; replaced by the euro)
Chilean escudo (1960–1975)
ƒDutch gulden, currently used in the Netherlands Antilles and Aruba
FrFranc, used in France and other countries; in France an F with double bar (₣) was proposed in 1988 but never adopted
KčsCzechoslovak koruna (1919–1993)
KnCroatian kuna (1994–2023)
Italian lira (1861–2002)
LmMaltese lira
LpLipa, a subdivision of the Croatian kuna (1994–2023)
LsLatvian lats (1922–2013, not continuously)
LtLithuanian litas (1922–2014, not continuously)
MEast German Mark der DDR (1968–1990)
ℳ︁German Mark (1875–1923)
MDNEast German Mark der Deutschen Notenbank (1964–1968)
mkFinnish markka (1860–2002)
o$sArgentine peso oro sellado (1881–1970)
PFPhilippine peso fuerte (1852–1901)
Salvadoran colón (1892–2001)
Spanish peseta (1869–2002)
R or RDSwedish riksdaler (1777–1873)
ℛ︁ℳ︁Reichsmark (1923–1948)
Portuguese escudo (cifrão)
SkSlovak koruna (1993–2008)
Spesmilo (1907 – First World War) in the Esperanto movement
Livre tournois (13th century – 1795)
𐆚As coin used during the Roman Empire and Roman Republic
𐆖Denarius coin used in Ancient Rome from 211 BC to the 3rd century AD
𐆙Dupondius coin used during the Roman Empire and Roman Republic
𐆗Quinarius coin used in Ancient Rome from 211 BC to the 3rd century AD
𐆘Sestertius coin used in Ancient Rome from 211 BC to the 3rd century AD
I/.Peruvian inti (1985-1991)
Bengali rupee mark[29][30]
Bengali ānā, historically used to represent 1/16 of a taka or rupee[30]
Bengali gaṇḍā, historically used to represent 1/20 of an ānā (1/320 of a taka or rupee)[30]
߾Dorome sign using the N'Ko alphabet[31]
߿Taman sign using the N'Ko alphabet[31]
𞲰Indic Siyaq rupee mark[32]

See also

References