Tau Symbol
About Tau Symbol
τ is the Tau Symbol, the lowercase form of the 19th letter of the Greek alphabet (Τ / τ). The Tau Symbol τ is among the most common Greek letters in scientific and technical literature, frequently used for It denotes the time constant, shear stress, and is often proposed as the symbol for the golden ratio.
【Pronunciation】 In English, τ is most often pronounced TOW or TAW (IPA: /taʊ, tɔː/). This is simply the anglicized name of the Greek letter.
The lowercase Tau Symbol τ is written as a distinct Greek glyph and is assigned codepoint U+03C4 in the Greek and Coptic Unicode block. In plain or sans-serif fonts it can be mistaken for the Latin letter t, so verify the typeface or context.
【Historical Origin】 Tau derives from the Phoenician letter taw and is widely used in engineering and physical dynamics.
【Common Uses】 τ is highly active across disciplines: It denotes the time constant, shear stress, and is often proposed as the symbol for the golden ratio. It often appears alongside the uppercase Sigma Σ and lowercase Sigma σ in formulas, papers, and engineering drawings.
How to Type Tau Symbol
Windows Input
Method 1: Hold Alt and type 964 on the numeric keypad, then release Alt to get τ.
Mac Input
Method 2: Press Control + Command + Space to open the Character Viewer, search for 'greek' or 'Tau Symbol', then select τ.
HTML/CSS Input
Method 3: HTML: τ or τ or τ; CSS: content: "\03C4";
LaTeX Input
Method 4: Use the \tau command in LaTeX math mode to produce τ.
Tau Symbol FAQ
How is τ pronounced?
The English pronunciation of τ is TOW or TAW (IPA: /taʊ, tɔː/). It is the anglicized name of the Greek letter, used directly rather than described as 'lowercase τ'.
What is the difference between τ and the Latin letter t?
τ (U+03C4) is a Greek lowercase letter, whereas t is a Latin letter; their codepoints and glyphs differ. In a proper typeface τ and t are clearly distinct, but in plain text or sans-serif fonts they can be confused, so rely on context.
How do I type τ in Word, web pages, and LaTeX?
On Windows use Alt+964 on the numeric keypad; on Mac open the Character Viewer and search 'greek' or 'Tau Symbol'; on the web use the HTML entity τ; in LaTeX use \tau. For bulk use, copy τ directly from this page.