Yen/Yuan Sign
About Yen/Yuan Sign
¥ is called the "Yen/Yuan Sign", the symbolic representation of China's official currency——the Renminbi (Yuan). The currency code for the Renminbi is CNY.
The Renminbi is the legal tender of the People's Republic of China. The Y in the ¥ symbol is taken from the first letter of "Yuan" in Pinyin. The two horizontal lines, influenced by the dollar sign $, represent currency stability and creditworthiness.
【Historical Origin】The Renminbi was first issued by the People's Bank of China on December 1, 1948. The ¥ symbol was borrowed from the Japanese Yen's representation. Since the Chinese "圆" (Yuan) and Japanese "円" (Yen) share the same origin, both use Y as the base symbol with a double horizontal line design. In daily life, the Renminbi is also often denoted as RMB (abbreviation for Renminbi).
【Modern Status】The Renminbi (CNY) is the world's fifth-largest payment currency and fifth-largest reserve currency, playing an increasingly important role in international trade and finance. With the advancement of RMB internationalization, more and more central banks around the world are including RMB in their foreign exchange reserves. Currently, 1 Yuan equals 10 Jiao, and 1 Jiao equals 10 Fen.
How to Type Yen/Yuan Sign
Windows Input
Method 1: Hold the Alt key, type 165 on the numeric keypad, then release Alt
Method 2: Use a Chinese input method to type renminbi or yuan and select ¥
Method 3: Some input methods use $$ or RMB
Mac Input
Method 1: Press Option + Y
Method 2: Press Control + Command + Space to open the Emoji panel, search "yen" or "yuan"
Method 3: Use a Chinese input method and 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
How to distinguish between the Renminbi symbol ¥ and the Japanese Yen symbol?
Both Renminbi and Japanese Yen use the ¥ symbol because their currency units "Yuan/Yen" share the same origin. Distinction method: Usually, CN¥ is placed before ¥ to denote Renminbi, and JP¥ for Japanese Yen; in financial transactions, the international currency codes CNY (Chinese Yuan) and JPY (Japanese Yen) are preferred. Domestically, Renminbi is also often denoted as RMB.
What is the difference between the two horizontal lines and one horizontal line in the ¥ symbol?
The standard writing is two horizontal lines, but in some fonts, it displays as one horizontal line. This is related to font design, not currency difference. The symbols for Renminbi and Japanese Yen share the same Unicode character (U+00A5).
How is Renminbi typically represented in formal documents?
In financial transactions and formal documents, the international standard code CNY (China Yuan) is usually used, sometimes also RMB (Renminbi). In domestic bank exchange rate boards, CNY is predominant, while in daily consumption, the ¥ symbol is more common.
Should the Renminbi symbol be placed before or after the number?
The Renminbi symbol is usually placed before the number, such as ¥100. In the Chinese context, it's also common to write "100 Yuan" or "100 RMB".
How many Jiao and Fen are there in one Renminbi Yuan?
1 Yuan equals 10 Jiao (Mao), and 1 Jiao equals 10 Fen. Currently circulating Renminbi banknotes are in denominations of 1, 5, 10, 20, 50, and 100 Yuan; coins are in denominations of 1 Jiao, 5 Jiao, and 1 Yuan. Fen coins have essentially exited circulation.
What is CNY?
CNY is the international currency code for the Chinese Yuan (Renminbi), where CN stands for China, and Y stands for Yuan. CNY is the world's fifth-largest payment currency and fifth-largest reserve currency, issued and managed by the People's Bank of China. RMB is also commonly used as an abbreviation for Renminbi in daily life.