Overview of Global Currency Symbols: Quickly Master Each Country's Currency Signs and Input Techniques

2025-12-24 13:12:16

Why Is It Important to Understand Currency Symbols of Different Countries?

In Forex trading and international investments, currency symbols play a vital role. They serve as shorthand icons that help us quickly identify the currencies of different countries. Whether it’s viewing EUR/USD, GBP/JPY on the trading screen or tracking price fluctuations of various coins, mastering currency symbols can make trading more efficient.

The most intuitive benefit is simplifying writing—writing “$40” instead of “40 US dollars” is obviously more convenient and easier to recognize quickly. This simplification has become the standard practice in global financial transactions.

Quick Reference Table of Major Global Currency Symbols

The table below shows currencies from different continents and countries along with their corresponding symbols:

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	￥/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	Indonesian Rupiah	IDR	Rp
	Malaysia	Ringgit	MYR	RM
	Philippines	Peso	PHP	₱
	Thailand	Baht	THB	฿
	Vietnam	Dong	VND	₫
Australia	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	UAE Dirham	AED	د.إ
	Israel	New Shekel	ILS	₪
	Nigeria	Naira	NGN	₦
	Kenya	Kenyan Shilling	KES	Ksh
	South Africa	Rand	ZAR	R

Clarification of Confusing Currency Symbols

In actual trading, some symbols can cause confusion and require special attention:

￥ Symbol’s Dual Identity

The “￥” symbol represents different currencies in different countries. In China, it indicates Renminbi (CNY), while in Japan, it stands for Yen (JPY). To avoid confusion, it is recommended to add the country code before the symbol, e.g., CNY￥100 for “100 Yuan Renminbi” and JPY￥100 for “100 Yen.”

$ Symbol’s Wide Usage

Seeing “$” does not necessarily mean US Dollar. In fact, over 30 countries worldwide use this symbol for their local currencies. Common examples include:

Currency Name	Standard 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

The “฿” symbol traditionally represents the Thai Baht in Forex markets, but in the crypto domain, it signifies Bitcoin. Depending on the trading environment, this symbol has very different meanings.

How to Input Currency Symbols on the Keyboard

Mastering shortcut keys can significantly improve trading efficiency. Here are common methods for inputting currency symbols on Mac and Windows systems:

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	-

Once you master these shortcuts, you can input currency symbols more quickly when quoting or recording on trading platforms, especially during rapid market movements where efficiency is crucial.

Understanding the Meaning of Forex Currency Pairs

The core of Forex trading is currency pairs, which indicate the exchange rate between two currencies. Common pairs include EUR/USD (Euro vs. US Dollar) and GBP/JPY (Pound Sterling vs. Japanese Yen).

For example, USD/GBP

This currency pair symbol indicates the exchange rate between US Dollar and British Pound, meaning how many GBP one USD can buy. In this context:

USD is the base currency (the first one)
GBP is the quote or counter currency (the second one)

Investors buy or sell one currency to exchange for another, seeking profit from exchange rate fluctuations. Understanding currency symbols and how currency pairs are represented is fundamental to engaging in Forex trading.

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