Yen Sign (¥)

The yen sign (¥) is the currency symbol for Japan's yen and China's yuan — a Y with two horizontal strokes.

Yen Sign · U+00A5 · Currency Symbols

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

Yen Sign codes

Code	Value
Unicode code point	`U+00A5`
Unicode name	`Yen Sign`
HTML named entity	`¥`
HTML decimal	`¥`
HTML hex	`¥`
CSS content code	`\A5`
JavaScript / JSON	`\u00A5`
Windows Alt code	`Alt+0165`
LaTeX	`\textyen`

Yen Sign variants (5)

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

￥Fullwidth Yen Sign元Cjk Unified Ideograph-5143€Euro Sign £Pound Sign $Dollar Sign

Meaning & usage

¥ is a capital Y crossed by two lines, modelled on the same pattern as £ and $. It serves two currencies: the Japanese yen and the Chinese yuan (renminbi), which share the character's origin in the character for 'round' — a nod to round coins.

Because the two share one symbol, prices are sometimes disambiguated as JP¥ or CN¥. On Japanese keyboards ¥ conveniently replaces the backslash in file paths, which surprises visitors the first time they see C:¥Users.

Examples in use

The bento costs ¥980
Hotel: ¥12,000 per night
¥1,000 ≈ $6.40 (varies daily)

How to type the yen sign

Windows

Hold the Alt key and type 0165 on the numeric keypad (Num Lock on), then release Alt. The code is Alt+0165. It also works in Word with the same keys.

Mac

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

iPhone & Android

On iPhone and Android keyboards, long-press the $ key to reveal ¥, € and £.

Linux

Press Ctrl+Shift+U, type 00a5 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 ¥ on a keyboard?

On Windows, hold Alt and type 0165 on the numeric keypad. On Japanese keyboards it has its own key. On phones, switch to the symbol keyboard or long-press the currency key. Or copy ¥ here.

Is ¥ yen or yuan?

Both — the same symbol is used for the Japanese yen and the Chinese yuan. Context or the codes JPY and CNY tell you which one is meant.

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

The box (called tofu) means the device or font viewing it has no drawing for U+00A5 (Yen Sign). The character itself is fine — try a different font or a newer device, or use one of the variants on this page.

Is the Yen Sign free to use?

Yes. ¥ 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.

Related symbols

€Euro Sign £Pound Sign $Dollar Sign