Global Major Currency Codes and Symbols Quick Reference Chart | Essential Knowledge for Forex Trading

The Practical Value of Currency Symbols

In forex trading and international payments, mastering the English codes and symbols of various currencies is crucial. Currency symbols are essentially visual quick-identification tools that help traders instantly determine which currencies are involved in a trading pair. Compared to full currency names, using symbols is indeed more efficient—for example, writing “$40” is much clearer and more concise than “40 US Dollars,” which is why currency symbols have become standardized language in financial markets.

For participants in the forex market, familiarizing oneself with different currencies’ English codes and corresponding symbols can significantly improve information interpretation speed and enable more precise tracking of exchange rate fluctuations and trading opportunities.

Common Confusing Currency Symbols Clarified

In practical operations, several currency symbols can cause confusion and require special attention:

The Dual Identity of the “￥” Symbol

The “￥” symbol is used across multiple Asian countries but represents different currencies. In China, it indicates the Renminbi (CNY); in Japan, it indicates the Yen (JPY). To avoid ambiguity, the standard practice is to add the currency code for clarification, such as “CNY￥100” for 100 Renminbi, and “JPY￥100” for 100 Yen.

The Ubiquity of the “$” Symbol

Many people instinctively associate “$” with the US Dollar, but in fact, over 30 countries worldwide use this symbol for their currencies. Common distinctions include:

• US Dollar: US$
• New Taiwan Dollar: NT$
• Canadian Dollar: C$
• Australian Dollar: A$
• Hong Kong Dollar: HK$
• Singapore Dollar: S$
• Brazilian Real: R$

The Cross-Border “฿” Symbol

In traditional forex, “฿” represents the Thai Baht (THB); however, in the crypto world, the same symbol stands for Bitcoin. The true meaning must be determined based on the trading context.

Major Global Currency Pairs

Quickly Input Currency Symbols on Keyboard

Whether on Mac or Windows, mastering shortcut keys can greatly improve work efficiency. Here are the most commonly used methods for inputting currency symbols:

Understanding Currency Pairs in the Forex Market

The core of forex trading is currency pairs, which represent the exchange rate between two different currencies. For example, EUR/USD indicates the euro against the US dollar, GBP/JPY indicates the British pound against the Japanese yen.

Taking “USD/GBP” as an example, this currency pair means how many British pounds one US dollar can buy. In this pairing:

• USD (US Dollar) is the base currency, also called the quote currency, placed before the slash
• GBP (British Pound) is the counter currency or quote currency, placed after the slash

Investors buy or sell a currency pair in the forex market to capture profits from exchange rate fluctuations. Mastering the English codes and symbols of various currencies is fundamental to executing effective forex trading strategies.