Chinese Yuan Symbol (¥)
The Chinese Yuan (¥) is the primary unit of account of the Renminbi ('People's Currency'), the official legal tender of the People's Republic of China. Issued by the People's Bank of China, it is the fifth most traded currency globally and an official IMF Special Drawing Rights (SDR) reserve currency.
Typographic & Developer Encoding Codes
Quickly copy HTML entities, CSS content escape sequences, and Unicode code points for Chinese Yuan.
| Format | Value / Code | Description | Action |
|---|---|---|---|
| Raw Symbol | ¥ | Standard plain text character or abbreviation | |
| Unicode Code Point | U+00A5 | YEN SIGN (Latin-1 Supplement) | |
| Windows Input / Alt Code | Alt + 0165 | Keyboard shortcut for Windows PC | |
| HTML Named / Decimal Entity | ¥ | HTML5 named character entity | |
| HTML Hex Entity | ¥ | Hexadecimal HTML character reference | |
| CSS Escape Code | \00A5 | For CSS ::before or ::after pseudo-elements |
How to Type Chinese Yuan Symbol (¥) on Any Device
Windows PC
Hold the Alt key and type 0165 on the numeric keypad.
Mac / macOS
Press Option + Y on your macOS keyboard.
iPhone & iPad (iOS)
Tap 123, long-press $ and select ¥
Android (Gboard)
Tap ?123, long-press $ and select ¥
Formatting Rules & Real-World Examples
Symbol Placement: Before Amount
In standard financial notation, the Chinese Yuan symbol is positioned immediately before the numerical amount.
Typography & International Usage Guidelines
In international trade and digital stores, ¥ is placed before the amount (¥100.00). To avoid confusion with Japanese Yen, international contracts use RMB¥, CNY, or CNH (offshore renminbi traded in Hong Kong). 1 Yuan is subdivided into 10 jiao (角 / máo) and 100 fen (分).
Common Mistakes to Avoid
- Assuming Renminbi (RMB) and Yuan (CNY) are different currencies (RMB is the currency system name; Yuan is the unit).
- Using the Yen sign without international disambiguation in mixed Asian financial spreadsheets.
- Typing a single horizontal crossbar and assuming it has a different Unicode point (Unicode standardizes U+00A5 for both one-bar and two-bar forms).
Historical Background & Monetary Evolution
The Renminbi was first issued on December 1, 1948 by the newly established People's Bank of China, shortly before the founding of the People's Republic of China. 'Renminbi' (RMB) means 'people's currency', while 'Yuan' is the basic monetary unit. Historically, both Chinese Yuan and Japanese Yen share the linguistic origin meaning 'round coin'. In Latin script, China adopted the letter Y with one or two crossbars (¥). In domestic Chinese text, the simplified character 元 (U+5143) is used for everyday pricing, while the traditional 圓 (U+5713) appears on formal banknotes to prevent forgery. In spoken Mandarin, 块 (kuài) is the universal colloquial term.
Countries & Jurisdictions Using ¥
Related Tools & Guides for Chinese Yuan
ISO 4217 Lookup
Search standard three-letter currency codes and ISO country pairings.
ToolCurrency Formatter
Calculate before/after position styles and international decimal notations.
GuideMac Option Key Shortcuts
How to configure and type international financial marks quickly on macOS.
GuideGoogle Docs & Sheets Guide
Insert special characters and configure currency formats in spreadsheets.
GuideiPhone & iPad Shortcuts
Quick long-press keyboard shortcuts on iOS to type monetary symbols.
SpecsUnicode Technical Standards
Master technical index for U+20A0–U+20CF blocks, HTML entities & CSS codes.
Similar & Related Currency Symbols
View all Yen & Yuan Currencies (¥) →Standards Verification & Official Registry Specifications
This specification has been verified against official international standards registries (ISO 4217 Maintenance Agency, Unicode Consortium 16.0, and Unicode CLDR).
Frequently Asked Questions about Chinese Yuan (¥)
Common questions and direct answers regarding currency symbols, typing shortcuts, and international formatting.
What is the difference between Renminbi and Yuan?
Renminbi (RMB, 'People's Currency') is the official name of the currency system, analogous to 'Sterling'. Yuan (CNY) is the primary base unit of measurement, analogous to 'Pound'. Prices are expressed in Yuan, but the currency is Renminbi.
Does the Chinese Yuan symbol have one bar or two bars?
In mainland China, the character is frequently printed with a single horizontal crossbar in domestic typefaces, whereas Japanese yen typography favors two bars. However, the Unicode Consortium unifies both glyphs under a single code point (U+00A5), treating the number of bars as a typeface design difference.
What are CNY and CNH in financial markets?
CNY refers to onshore Chinese Yuan traded within mainland China under People's Bank of China capital regulations. CNH refers to offshore Chinese Yuan traded freely in international financial centers like Hong Kong, London, and Singapore.