Global Currency Symbols Quick Guide: From US Dollar to Renminbi, All Currency Symbols Covered in One Go

2025-12-24 16:07:52

Why Is It Important to Know Different Countries’ Currency Symbols?

When engaging in Forex trading or international transactions, quickly recognizing the currency symbols of different countries is crucial. Currency symbols serve as visual mnemonic tools that help traders instantly identify which currency is involved, track price fluctuations, and avoid trading confusion. For example, seeing the € symbol indicates a Euro-related currency pair (such as EUR/USD), while £ represents the British Pound trading pair (GBP/JPY).

The core value of currency symbols lies in improving recognition efficiency — writing “$40” is much more concise and clear than writing “40 USD,” enhancing the reading experience.

Keyboard Shortcut Input Methods: Mac vs. Windows

If you frequently need to input various currency symbols in documents or trading platforms, this shortcut key comparison table can greatly improve your efficiency:

Currency	Currency Code	Symbol	Mac Shortcut	Windows Shortcut
Euro	EUR	€	Shift+option+2	Alt+E
British Pound	GBP	£	Option+3	Alt+L
US Dollar	USD	$	Shift+4	Shift+4
Japanese Yen	JPY	¥	Option+Y	Alt+Y

Commonly Confused Currency Symbols and Recognition Methods

In the global financial markets, some symbols are used by multiple countries, which can cause confusion:

￥ Symbol’s Dual Identity

“￥” is widely used in Asia but represents different currencies. China uses it for the Renminbi (CNY), while Japan uses it for the Yen (JPY). To avoid confusion, the correct approach is to add the currency code before the amount: CNY￥100 means “100 RMB,” while JPY￥100 means “100 Yen.”

$ Symbol Used in Over 30 Countries

The seemingly simple “$” symbol is actually used as a currency symbol in over 30 countries, including:

Currency	Notation
US Dollar	US$
New Taiwan Dollar	NT$
Canadian Dollar	C$
Brazilian Real	R$
Hong Kong Dollar	HK$
Singapore Dollar	S$
Australian Dollar	A$
New Zealand Dollar	NZ$

฿ Symbol’s Dual Meaning

In the Forex market, “฿” represents the Thai Baht. However, in the Crypto domain, the same symbol denotes Bitcoin, so context is necessary to determine its meaning.

Complete List of Major Country Currency Symbols

The following table covers mainstream currencies from the Americas, Asia, Europe, and the Middle East & Africa:

Region	Country	Currency Name	Code	Symbol
Americas	USA	US Dollar	USD	$
	Canada	Canadian Dollar	CAD	$
	Brazil	Brazilian Real	BRL	R$
Asia	China	Renminbi	CNY	￥/元
	Taiwan	New Taiwan Dollar	TWD	NT$
	Hong Kong	Hong Kong Dollar	HKD	$/HK$
	Japan	Yen	JPY	¥
	Singapore	Singapore Dollar	SGD	$
	South Korea	Won	KRW	₩
	India	Rupee	INR	₹
	Indonesia	Rupiah	IDR	Rp
	Malaysia	Ringgit	MYR	RM
	Philippines	Peso	PHP	₱
	Thailand	Baht	THB	฿
	Vietnam	Dong	VND	₫
Oceania	Australia	Australian Dollar	AUD	$
	New Zealand	New Zealand Dollar	NZD	$
Europe	UK	Pound Sterling	GBP	£
	Eurozone	Euro	EUR	€
	Russia	Ruble	RUB	₽
	Ukraine	Hryvnia	UAH	₴
	Turkey	Lira	TRY	₺
Middle East & Africa	UAE	Dirham	AED	د.إ
	Israel	New Shekel	ILS	₪
	Nigeria	Naira	NGN	₦
	Kenya	Kenyan Shilling	KES	Ksh
	South Africa	Rand	ZAR	R

Understanding Currency Pairs in Forex Market

Forex currency pairs indicate the exchange rate between two currencies. For example, USD/GBP represents the exchange rate of US Dollar to British Pound — how many GBP one USD can buy.

In currency pairs, the first currency (USD) is called the “base currency,” and the second (GBP) is the “quote currency.” Traders buy or sell one currency to exchange for the other, profiting from exchange rate fluctuations. Common pairs include EUR/USD (Euro/US Dollar), GBP/JPY (British Pound/Japanese Yen), etc.

Understanding these symbols and currency pairs is fundamental for engaging in global Forex trading.

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