Yen/Yuan Sign
About Yen/Yuan Sign
¥ is called the "Yen Sign" or "Yuan Sign," representing the official currencies of Japan and China.
The ¥ symbol represents both the Japanese Yen (JPY) and the Chinese Yuan (CNY), with the two horizontal lines symbolizing monetary stability.
【Historical Origins】The ¥ symbol originated in 19th-century Japan. After the Meiji Restoration, Japan emulated the West to establish a modern monetary system. The "New Currency Act" of 1871 officially adopted "円" (yen) as the currency unit. Since the Japanese "円" and Chinese "圆" share the same origin, the Y in ¥ comes from the first letter of "Yen," and the two horizontal lines draw from the influence of the dollar sign $, representing monetary stability and credit. Later, China also adopted this symbol to represent the Renminbi.
【Usage Distinction】Although Japan and China use the same ¥ symbol, the two are completely independent currencies. In practice, currency codes are often added as prefixes: CN¥ for Renminbi and JP¥ for Japanese Yen. The Renminbi also has another common representation—a Y with one or two horizontal bars (Ұ)—which is also popular in informal use.
How to Type Yen/Yuan Sign
Windows Input
Method 1: Hold Alt, type 165 on the numeric keypad, release Alt
Method 2: Chinese input method: type renminbi or riyuan and select ¥
Method 3: Some input methods support $$ or RMB
Mac Input
Method 1: Press Option + Y
Method 2: Press Control + Command + Space to open the Emoji & Symbols panel, search "yen" or "yuan"
Method 3: Chinese input method: type renminbi and select ¥
HTML Input
Use entity name or number: ¥ or ¥ or ¥
CSS Input
Use backslash escape in pseudo-elements: content: "\00A5"; or content: "¥";
Yen/Yuan Sign FAQ
Both Yen and Yuan use the ¥ symbol, how to distinguish them?
Usually add CNY before ¥ for Renminbi, JPY for Japanese Yen, or clarify in context. Renminbi is sometimes written as CN¥.
What is the difference between two horizontal lines and one horizontal line in the ¥ symbol?
The standard writing has two horizontal lines, but in some fonts it appears as one line, which is related to font design. Both Japan and China use the same ¥ symbol.
Why do Renminbi and Yen use the same symbol?
Because both use the Chinese character "圆/円" as their currency unit, which originally means "round currency." The Japanese "円" is pronounced "en" (modern spelling yen), with the same meaning as the Chinese "圆/元". Both borrowed "Y" as the basis of the symbol and drew on the double horizontal line design of $, resulting in the nearly identical ¥ symbol.
How is Renminbi typically represented in formal documents?
In financial transactions and formal documents, Renminbi is usually represented by the international standard code "CNY" (China Yuan), and sometimes "RMB" (Renminbi). In domestic bank exchange rate boards, "CNY" is predominant, while the ¥ symbol is more common in everyday consumption scenarios.