In forex trading and international investments, being able to quickly identify each country’s currency symbol is like holding a key to the global financial markets. Currency symbols serve as visual identifiers, allowing traders to instantly determine the involved currency types and track the value fluctuations of different currencies.
For example, when you see “€” on a quote sheet, you immediately understand it involves the European currency market, with common trading pairs like EUR/USD (Euro to US Dollar) or EUR/JPY (Euro to Japanese Yen) coming to mind. Concise and efficient currency symbol notation replaces lengthy text descriptions, substituting “$40” for the cumbersome “40 US Dollars,” greatly enhancing trading efficiency.
Major Countries’ Currency Symbols Lookup Table
The following table covers mainstream currencies and their corresponding currency symbols across the Americas, Asia, Europe, the Middle East, and Africa:
Continent
Country
Currency Name
Currency Code
Currency Symbol
Americas
USA
US Dollar
USD
$
Canada
Canadian Dollar
CAD
$
Brazil
Brazilian Real
BRL
R$
Asia
China
Renminbi (Yuan)
CNY
¥/元
Taiwan
New Taiwan Dollar
TWD
NT$
Hong Kong
Hong Kong Dollar
HKD
$/HK$
Japan
Japanese Yen
JPY
¥
Singapore
Singapore Dollar
SGD
$
Korea
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
₫
Australia
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
UAE Dirham
AED
د.إ
Israel
New Shekel
ILS
₪
Nigeria
Naira
NGN
₦
Kenya
Kenyan Shilling
KES
Ksh
South Africa
South African Rand
ZAR
R
Currency Symbol Keyboard Input Tips
The shortcuts for inputting common currency symbols on different operating systems are shown below:
Currency Name
Code
Currency 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
Japanese Yen
JPY
¥
Option+Y
Not applicable
Mac users can quickly input via key combinations, while Windows often uses Alt codes. These shortcuts are especially useful when drafting daily trading documents and reports.
Clarification of Confusing Currency Symbols
¥ Symbol’s Dual Identity
The “¥” symbol has two completely different uses in Asia. In Japan, it represents the Japanese Yen (JPY), while in China, it indicates the Renminbi (CNY). To avoid ambiguity, industry practice is to add the currency code before the symbol, for example:
CNY¥100 indicates 100 Renminbi
JPY¥100 indicates 100 Yen
$ Symbol’s Global Usage
The seemingly simple “$” symbol is used in over 30 countries worldwide. Common ways to distinguish currency symbols include:
Currency Name
English Name
Symbol Prefix
US Dollar
United States Dollar
US$
New Taiwan Dollar
New Taiwan Dollar
NT$
Canadian Dollar
Canadian Dollar
C$
Brazilian Real
Brazilian Real
R$
Hong Kong Dollar
Hong Kong Dollar
HK$
Singapore Dollar
Singapore Dollar
S$
Australian Dollar
Australian Dollar
A$
New Zealand Dollar
New Zealand Dollar
NZ$
Adding a prefix letter to the “$” symbol for different currencies in official documents can effectively prevent misreading.
฿ Symbol’s Meaning in Two Worlds
The “฿” symbol traditionally refers to the Thai Baht (THB) in the forex market, but in digital assets, the same symbol represents Bitcoin. This dual meaning requires users to distinguish based on context.
Understanding the Structure of Forex Currency Pairs
Forex currency pairs indicate the exchange rate relationship between two different currencies. For example, EUR/USD reflects the Euro against the US Dollar, while GBP/JPY shows the British Pound against the Japanese Yen.
Taking USD/GBP as an example, the meaning of this currency pair is:
Base Currency (the first one): USD, the price basis
Quote Currency (the second one): GBP, the standard for measuring the base currency’s value
Therefore, USD/GBP = 0.73 means 1 US Dollar can be exchanged for 0.73 British Pounds. Investors profit by buying or selling one currency to exchange for the other, based on exchange rate fluctuations. Mastering these currency symbols and the structure of exchange rates is fundamental to becoming a professional forex trader.
The forex market offers the most popular and highly liquid trading opportunities worldwide, and understanding each country’s currency symbols is the first step into this market.
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Global List of Money Symbols: 30+ Currency Symbols Quick Reference Guide
Why Is Mastering Currency Symbols So Important?
In forex trading and international investments, being able to quickly identify each country’s currency symbol is like holding a key to the global financial markets. Currency symbols serve as visual identifiers, allowing traders to instantly determine the involved currency types and track the value fluctuations of different currencies.
For example, when you see “€” on a quote sheet, you immediately understand it involves the European currency market, with common trading pairs like EUR/USD (Euro to US Dollar) or EUR/JPY (Euro to Japanese Yen) coming to mind. Concise and efficient currency symbol notation replaces lengthy text descriptions, substituting “$40” for the cumbersome “40 US Dollars,” greatly enhancing trading efficiency.
Major Countries’ Currency Symbols Lookup Table
The following table covers mainstream currencies and their corresponding currency symbols across the Americas, Asia, Europe, the Middle East, and Africa:
Currency Symbol Keyboard Input Tips
The shortcuts for inputting common currency symbols on different operating systems are shown below:
Mac users can quickly input via key combinations, while Windows often uses Alt codes. These shortcuts are especially useful when drafting daily trading documents and reports.
Clarification of Confusing Currency Symbols
¥ Symbol’s Dual Identity
The “¥” symbol has two completely different uses in Asia. In Japan, it represents the Japanese Yen (JPY), while in China, it indicates the Renminbi (CNY). To avoid ambiguity, industry practice is to add the currency code before the symbol, for example:
$ Symbol’s Global Usage
The seemingly simple “$” symbol is used in over 30 countries worldwide. Common ways to distinguish currency symbols include:
Adding a prefix letter to the “$” symbol for different currencies in official documents can effectively prevent misreading.
฿ Symbol’s Meaning in Two Worlds
The “฿” symbol traditionally refers to the Thai Baht (THB) in the forex market, but in digital assets, the same symbol represents Bitcoin. This dual meaning requires users to distinguish based on context.
Understanding the Structure of Forex Currency Pairs
Forex currency pairs indicate the exchange rate relationship between two different currencies. For example, EUR/USD reflects the Euro against the US Dollar, while GBP/JPY shows the British Pound against the Japanese Yen.
Taking USD/GBP as an example, the meaning of this currency pair is:
Therefore, USD/GBP = 0.73 means 1 US Dollar can be exchanged for 0.73 British Pounds. Investors profit by buying or selling one currency to exchange for the other, based on exchange rate fluctuations. Mastering these currency symbols and the structure of exchange rates is fundamental to becoming a professional forex trader.
The forex market offers the most popular and highly liquid trading opportunities worldwide, and understanding each country’s currency symbols is the first step into this market.