Chinese yuan symbol
The yuan symbol ¥ is shared with Japan’s yen — one codepoint, two currencies — and telling them apart is a matter of context, code and the reader’s font. This page is the China half of the story: the chinese yuan symbol in prices, its characters 元 and 圆, and why the same sign sometimes grows a second bar.
Copy the yuan forms
Yuan amounts ready to copy
Yuan or yen? The shared-sign problem, solved
| Clue | Yuan (China) | Yen (Japan) |
|---|---|---|
| ISO code | CNY (156) — use it whenever money matters | JPY (392) |
| Characters | 元 everyday, 圆 on formal documents | 円 (en) in Japanese text |
| The bar(s) | Chinese fonts usually draw ONE horizontal bar | Japanese fonts usually draw TWO bars |
| Decimals | ¥9.9 is normal — yuan divides into jiao and fen | Whole numbers only — no minor unit circulates |
Both names mean “round”: 元/圆 (yuán) describes the round coin, exactly as Japan’s en does — the two currencies are cousins named after the same silver discs. And a naming subtlety worth having: the currency system is the renminbi (“people’s currency”); the yuan is its unit — which is why bankers say RMB for the money and count it in yuan.
How to type it
| Platform | Method |
|---|---|
| Chinese keyboard (mainland layout) | Shift + 4 gives ¥ directly |
| Windows / Word | Type 00A5 then Alt + X; or Alt + 0165 |
| Mac | Option + Y (the same key as the yen — one character serves both) |
| HTML | Numeric code 165; the shared named entity is the “yen” one (ampersand + yen;) — history named it for Japan |
Explore more
The currency family gathers on the currency symbols hub, the shared sign’s Japanese life is the yen symbol page, and the world’s most-traded neighbour is the dollar symbol.
Frequently asked questions
Is ¥ yuan or yen?
Both — the character U+00A5 serves the two currencies, a legacy of their shared “round coin” naming. In prices, the code decides: CNY means yuan, JPY means yen. When it truly matters, write the code, not just the sign.
What is the difference between RMB and CNY?
Renminbi (RMB) is the currency’s name — “the people’s currency”; yuan is the unit you count (like “sterling” vs “pound”). CNY is the ISO code for the yuan traded inside mainland China; offshore it trades as CNH.
Why does my ¥ have one bar here and two bars there?
Your font, not your text. Chinese fonts typically render U+00A5 with a single horizontal stroke, Japanese fonts with two. The underlying character is identical — the same file shows different bars on different devices.
What are jiao and fen?
The yuan’s small change: 1 yuan = 10 jiao (角) = 100 fen (分). Fen coins are nearly extinct in daily life, but jiao survives in prices like ¥9.9 — nine yuan, nine jiao.
元 or 圆 — which character is right?
元 in everyday writing and prices; 圆 (traditional 圓) on cheques and formal documents, chosen because its many strokes resist forgery — the same anti-fraud logic as writing “Eight” in words on a cheque.
