Master the input of currency symbols from various countries. This comprehensive guide helps you get started quickly.

2025-12-24 13:50:16

Why Is It Important to Understand Currency Symbols?

When engaging in Forex trading and international investments, correctly recognizing currency symbols is fundamental. Currency symbols serve as visual identifiers that help traders quickly distinguish different countries’ currencies and track price fluctuations. Compared to spelling out “40 US dollars,” using “$40” is more concise and easier to read.

For example, seeing the euro symbol (€) immediately indicates involvement with EUR/USD or EUR/JPY currency pairs. This visual shorthand greatly enhances trading efficiency.

List of Common Currency Symbols

Below is a comparison of currency codes and symbols for major countries and regions worldwide:

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

Tips for Quickly Entering Currency Symbols

Entering various currency symbols on a computer keyboard can be done via shortcut keys. Here are the most common methods on Mac and Windows systems:

Main Currency Symbols Shortcut Input Methods

Currency	Currency Code	Symbol	Mac Shortcut	Windows Shortcut
Euro	EUR	€	Shift+Option+2	Alt+E
Pound Sterling	GBP	£	Option+3	Alt+L
US Dollar	USD	$	Shift+4	Shift+4
Yen	JPY	¥	Option+Y	Alt+Y
Canadian Dollar	CAD	C$	No direct shortcut	No direct shortcut

Note: The Canadian Dollar symbol (C$) does not have a direct shortcut on standard keyboards; users can type “C$” directly or copy-paste the symbol.

Using Input Methods to Enter Other Currency Symbols

To input other currency symbols (like ₹, ₩, etc.), you can:

Windows: Open the “Character Map” and search for the currency symbol
Mac: Use the “Emoji & Symbols” viewer to find and insert

Common Confusing Currency Symbols Explained

The Dual Identity of ￥ Symbol

The “￥” symbol represents different currencies in different countries:

In China, it indicates Renminbi (CNY)
In Japan, it indicates Yen (JPY)

To avoid confusion, it is recommended to specify as: CNY￥100 (meaning 100 RMB) or JPY￥100 (meaning 100 Yen).

The Widely Used “$” Symbol

The “$” symbol appears to represent only the US Dollar, but in fact, it is used by over 30 countries worldwide:

Currency Name	English Name	Distinguishing Symbol
US Dollar	United States Dollar	US$
Canadian Dollar	Canadian Dollar	C$
New Taiwan Dollar	New Taiwan Dollar	NT$
Hong Kong Dollar	Hong Kong Dollar	HK$
Australian Dollar	Australian Dollar	A$
New Zealand Dollar	New Zealand Dollar	NZ$
Singapore Dollar	Singapore Dollar	S$
Brazilian Real	Brazilian Real	R$

The Dual Meaning of ฿ Symbol

The “฿” symbol has different meanings in different contexts:

Forex Market: Represents the Thai Baht
Crypto Market: Represents Bitcoin

Understanding this difference is crucial for traders to avoid confusing trading instruments.

Meaning and Application of Forex Currency Pairs

Forex currency pairs refer to the exchange rate relationship between two currencies. For example, USD/GBP:

Symbol Meaning: The exchange rate of US Dollar to British Pound, indicating how many GBP one USD can buy
Base Currency: The first currency, USD
Quote Currency: The second currency, GBP, also called the relative currency

Common forex trading pairs include EUR/USD (Euro vs. US Dollar) and GBP/JPY (British Pound vs. Japanese Yen). Investors buy and sell currency pairs to profit from exchange rate fluctuations.

Mastering how to input currency symbols and understanding their meanings will make you more proficient in forex trading, improving efficiency and accuracy.

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