Currency Symbols to Include in a Latin Language Character Set

Hot take: currency symbols are a part of language support.

I researched each of the following currency symbols, which country(s) used it, what languages were spoken there, and whether the Latin script was used. Here are the symbols I support in my Latin-language fonts and why:

¤ $ ¢ £ ¥ ₤ ₫ € ƒ ₮ ₱ ₲ ₴ ₸ ₹ ₺ ₼ ₽ ₡ ₦ ₩ ₭ ₵ ₪ ฿ ₿

¤ —Currency Symbol

This little buddy is used as a ‘currency symbol placeholder’ when the official currency symbol is not available. It’s a bit of a technical relic from the days when character sets were quite limited and there wasn’t enough room for multiple currency symbols, or not all were included. It has also been reported that it might be used in the financial sector for some reason—See extended discussion on TypeDrawers. Some keyboard layouts can still access it so it’s sticking around! Source

$ —Dollar

The dollar symbol is used in a number of countries using Latin-based languages including Canada, The United States, Australia, New Zealand, Eastern Carribean States, and more. Source

¢ —Cent

This is the divided unit of many currencies. Source

£ —Pound

The pound symbol is used in the United Kingdom and a number of other United Kingdom Overseas Territories, many of which use the Latin script. Source

¥ —Yen

The Yen is used in Japan and in China to represent the Yuen currency when used alongside Latin Script. Latin script is used to a certain extent such as for imported acronyms and instances when non-Japanese speakers need to know how to pronounce something (Romanji) or Romanization of languages used throughout China. Source and Source

₤ —Lira

Primarily used in Lebanon and Syria. French is a recognized language in Lebanon. A portion of the Syrian population speak Kurdish which uses the Latin alphabet. Source

₫ —đồng

Used in Vietnam where Vietnamese is primarily spoken/use . Source

€ —Euro

Used in many of Western European countries that speak/use latin-based languages such as: Austria, Belgium, Cyprus, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, the Netherlands, Portugal, Slovakia, Slovenia, and Spain. It is also used in other overseas territories and micro-states. Source

ƒ —Florin

Used in both Aruban & Netherlands, which both have Dutch as an official language. Source. *Note: be careful when supporting African Languages like Ewe which may expect the Florin symbol to be upright instead of italic. Source

₮ —Tugrik

Used in Mongolia where the Khalkha dialect uses the Cyrillic alphabet. Latin characters are used in informal contexts of electronic text production (like social media). Source

₱ —Peso

Used in several countries in the Americas and the Philippines, many of which speak/use Spanish. Source

₲ —Guarani

Used in Paraguay where Spanish is an official language. Source

₴ —Hryvnia

Used in Ukraine where a number of recognized regional languages use the Latin alphabet. Source

₸ —Tenge

Used in Kazakhstan. A large portion of the population speak/use Russian but the official language, Kazakh, is trying to switch to the Latin alphabet by 2025. Source

₹ —Rupee Indian

Used in India. Some languages and dialects use the Latin alphabet. Source

₺ —Turkish Lira

Used in Turkey. Turkish is an official language. Source

₼ —Manat

Used in Azerbaijan, Latin is official script but is used with cyrillic as well. Source

₽ —Ruble

Used in Russia. The Tatar language (second most widely spoken language) uses the Latin alphabet sometimes. Source

₡ —Colón

Used in Costa Rica where they speak/use Spanish. Source

₦ —Naira

Used in Nigeria. The official language is English. Source

₩ —Won

Used in Korea. In South Korea, English is taught widely in schools. Source

₭ —Kip

Currency in Laos, French Language spoken and used for government and signage. Source

₵ —Ghanaian Cedi

Used in Ghana where English is official language. Source

₪ —Shekel

Used in Israel where English is widely spoken in the Palestinian Territories. Source

฿ —Baht

Used in Thailand. English is mandatory in schools. Source

₿ —Bitcoin

Digital currency, many people using the Latin-based alphabet interact with it. Source

Updated on July 11 2022 to correct spelling of ‘Naira’, add a note about the Florian being used in African languages, and include Chinese context for the Yen or Yuen symbol.

Updated on Oct 9, 2024 to include a link to a recent discussion about the currency placeholder symbol.

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