Alpha Symbol (α)

Alpha (α) is the first letter of the Greek alphabet — used for angles, alpha particles, and anything that comes first.

Greek Small Letter Alpha · U+03B1 · Greek Letters

Click the symbol or the button to copy it, then paste it anywhere — documents, messages, bios and code.

Alpha Symbol codes

Code	Value
Unicode code point	`U+03B1`
Unicode name	`Greek Small Letter Alpha`
HTML named entity	`α`
HTML decimal	`α`
HTML hex	`α`
CSS content code	`\3B1`
JavaScript / JSON	`\u03B1`
Windows Alt code	No standard Alt code — copy it from the card above
LaTeX	`\alpha`

Alpha Symbol variants (5)

5 related glyphs — click any tile to copy it. Tiles with a page open that symbol's own page.

ΑGreek Capital Letter AlphaβGreek Small Letter Beta γGreek Small Letter GammaδGreek Small Letter DeltaωGreek Small Letter Omega

Meaning & usage

α leads the Greek alphabet, which is why 'alpha' means the first or the leader everywhere: alpha males, alpha versions of software, the alpha star in a constellation. In physics α is the fine-structure constant and an alpha particle; in maths it often names an angle; in finance it measures performance above the market. Its capital form Α is identical to a Latin A, so the lowercase α is the one worth copying.

Examples in use

Angle α = 35°
The software is still in α testing
Alpha Centauri — the system's brightest star

How to type the alpha symbol

Windows

There is no Alt code or direct key for α. In Microsoft Word, type 03B1 and press Alt+X to convert it. Everywhere else, click the Copy button at the top of this page and paste it (Ctrl+V) — that always works.

Mac

There is no Option-key shortcut for α on a Mac. Open the Character Viewer with Control+Command+Space, search for "Alpha Symbol", and double-click to insert — or copy it from this page.

iPhone & Android

Most phone keyboards have no built-in key for α. Open this page on your phone, tap Copy, then paste it into your message or bio. (On Android, Gboard's emoji search finds some symbols by name.)

Linux

Press Ctrl+Shift+U, type 03b1 and press Enter (works in most GTK apps and terminals with IBus). Or copy it from this page.

Frequently asked questions

How do I type α on a keyboard?

There is no standard Alt code or key for α. Copy it from this page; in Word, type 03B1 then press Alt+X.

Why does 'alpha' mean 'first'?

Alpha is the first letter of the Greek alphabet — the source of the phrase 'the alpha and omega', the beginning and the end.

Why does α sometimes show as a box or question mark?

The box (called tofu) means the device or font viewing it has no drawing for U+03B1 (Greek Small Letter Alpha). The character itself is fine — try a different font or a newer device, or use one of the variants on this page.

Is the Alpha Symbol free to use?

Yes. α is a standard Unicode text character published in the Unicode Character Database. You may use it in personal and commercial documents, designs and products without permission or payment.