How to Type the Japanese Yen Symbol (¥) on Keyboard

The ¥ symbol is the Japanese Yen sign (Japan’s currency).

Many people struggle to type it because ¥ can look like a backslash (\) on some keyboards and fonts—especially on Japanese layouts.

In this guide, you’ll learn the fastest ways to type or insert ¥ on Windows, Mac, Word, Excel, Google Docs/Sheets, iPhone, Android, and Chromebook.

But before that, you can also copy it below:

1-Minute Answer (fastest ways)

Copy & paste: ¥
Windows (Alt code): Hold Alt and type 0165 on the numeric keypad, then release Alt. (Alt+0165 is the safest.)
Mac (most reliable): Press Control + Command + Space → search yen → double-click ¥.
Word / PowerPoint: Insert → Symbol (or More Symbols) → choose ¥.
Google Docs: Insert → Special characters → search yen.
iPhone / Android: Open the symbols/currency keyboard → press and hold a currency key (often $) to find ¥ (if available).

Quick Reference (¥ Yen sign)

Item	Value
Symbol	¥
Name	Yen sign
Unicode	U+00A5
Windows Alt code	Alt + 0165 (numeric keypad)
HTML	`¥` and `¥`
JPY text	JPY (currency code, not the symbol)

JPY vs ¥ (simple difference):

¥ = the symbol you type in text
JPY = the 3-letter code of the currency used in banking, invoices, exchange rates, and finance apps

A) How to type ¥ on Windows

Method 1: Alt code (fastest on Windows)

Important: Alt codes require a numeric keypad (not the number row above letters).

Click where you want to type ¥.
Turn Num Lock ON (if you have it).
Hold down Alt.
Type 0165 on the numeric keypad.
Release Alt → ¥ appears.

Alt + 157?
Some guides mention Alt+157. It may work in some Windows setups, but Alt+0165 is the most reliable for ¥ (U+00A5).

Illustration of yen alt code on keyboard

Method 2: Character Map (works even without Alt codes)

Press Start and search Character Map.
Open Character Map.
Tick Advanced view.
Search for yen (or “Yen Sign”).
Click ¥ → Select → Copy.
Paste it where you need it (Ctrl + V).

Method 3: Windows symbol panel (only if you can see ¥ there)

Some Windows symbol pickers show currency symbols, but it varies.

Press Win + . (or Win + ;) → check Symbols → look for currency.
If you don’t see ¥, use Character Map or copy/paste instead.

B) How to type ¥ on Mac

Method 1 (recommended): Character Viewer (works on all layouts)

Press Control + Command + Space.
In the search box, type yen.
Double-click ¥ to insert it.

About Mac keyboard shortcuts

Some keyboard layouts may have a direct shortcut (for example, a key that produces ¥), but this depends on your keyboard + input source (US vs Japanese, etc.).
If a shortcut doesn’t work on your Mac, Character Viewer is the reliable method.

C) How to insert ¥ in Microsoft Word (Windows + Mac)

Method 1: Insert Symbol (works everywhere)

In Word, click where you want ¥.
Go to Insert → Symbol → More Symbols.
Find ¥ (often under Latin-1 Supplement).
Click Insert → Close.

Method 2 (Word for Windows): Unicode + Alt+X

Type 00A5 (that’s the Unicode for ¥).
Press Alt + X → it becomes ¥.

Optional: AutoCorrect shortcut (quick personal trick)

If you type a specific text often, you can create an AutoCorrect entry like:

(yen) → ¥
(Keep it simple and only if you’ll use it a lot.)

D) How to use ¥ in Excel (and Google Sheets)

There are two different goals people mean:

1) You want the symbol ¥ for display (text)

Use copy/paste, Insert Symbol, or formulas:

Excel formula (display ¥):

=UNICHAR(165) → returns ¥

Example (combine with a value):

=A1&" "&UNICHAR(165)
This shows something like: 1000 ¥ (as text)

2) You want real Japanese Yen currency formatting (numbers)

Formatting keeps your value numeric and applies the currency look automatically.

Excel:

Select your cells.
Go to Home → Number format (or right-click → Format Cells).
Choose Currency (or Accounting).
Pick Japanese Yen (¥) if available.

Google Sheets:

Select cells.
Format → Number → More currencies
Choose Japanese Yen (JPY) (it will display with ¥).

Simple rule:

Typing ¥ is for text
Currency formatting is for real numbers (recommended for budgets and finance sheets)

E) PowerPoint (short)

Insert → Symbol (or copy/paste ¥)
Works the same way as Word.

F) Google Docs

Insert → Special characters
Search yen (or “currency”)
Click ¥ to insert it

G) Google Sheets

Type/display the symbol

=UNICHAR(165) → ¥

Format cells as Japanese Yen

Format → Number → More currencies → Japanese Yen (JPY)

H) iPhone + Android

Method 1: Find it on the symbols/currency keyboard

Switch to the symbols keyboard (often ?123 then #+=).
On many keyboards, you can press and hold a currency key (often $) to see ¥.

If you can’t see ¥

Use copy/paste from the widget on this page: ¥

I) Chromebook (quick)

Chromebooks vary a lot, so the most practical options are:

Copy/paste ¥
Use Google Docs → Insert → Special characters → search yen

Yen symbol (¥) vs backslash (\) — why they look similar

This confusion is real and common.

Why it happens

Some fonts and Japanese keyboard layouts make ¥ and \ look almost the same.
On some systems, a key that looks like it should type ¥ may output \ instead (or the other way around) depending on layout/settings.

How to confirm what you typed

¥ is used for money (prices, currency).
\ is used for file paths and coding (example: C:\Users\Name).

If you paste your character into a search box and it shows up as “Yen sign”, it’s ¥. If it’s called backslash, it’s \.

If your keyboard prints \ instead of ¥

Try one of these:

Use Character Viewer (Mac) or Character Map (Windows) to insert ¥.
Use copy/paste from this page.
Check your keyboard layout / input language (US vs Japanese). Switching layouts can change what that key outputs.

Troubleshooting

Alt code not working (Windows)

Most common reasons:

You typed 0165 using the top number row (won’t work)
You don’t have a numeric keypad
Num Lock is off
You’re on a laptop without a working “embedded” numpad

Fix: Use Character Map or copy/paste.

I can’t find ¥ on my phone keyboard

Not every keyboard shows every currency symbol in the long-press menu.
Fix: Use copy/paste from the widget (¥).

My keyboard types \ instead of ¥

That’s usually a keyboard layout / font issue.
Fix: Use Character Viewer/Character Map, or switch input source (US vs Japanese).

The symbol shows as a box ☐

That means the font you’re using doesn’t support the character.
Fix: switch to a common font (like Arial, Calibri, Times New Roman) or paste into a different app/font.

FAQ

What is the Alt code for ¥?

Alt + 0165 using the numeric keypad.

How do I type ¥ on Mac?

Use Control + Command + Space, search yen, then insert ¥.

Why does ¥ look like a backslash?

Some fonts and Japanese keyboard layouts make ¥ and \ look similar or map them differently.

How do I insert ¥ in Word or Google Docs?

Word: Insert → Symbol → ¥, or type 00A5 then Alt+X (Windows Word)
Google Docs: Insert → Special characters → search yen

How do I format currency as Japanese Yen in Excel/Sheets?

Use Currency formatting and choose Japanese Yen (JPY). The ¥ sign will display automatically.

Quick recap

Fastest: copy/paste ¥
Windows: Alt + 0165 (numeric keypad)
Mac: Character Viewer (Ctrl + Cmd + Space → search “yen”)
Word: Insert → Symbol, or 00A5 + Alt+X (Windows)
Excel/Sheets: use UNICHAR(165) for display, or currency formatting for real numbers
If you see \ instead of ¥, it’s usually layout/font confusion

Japanese Yen Symbol (¥)