All Keyboard Symbols: Complete List, Names, Meanings and Shortcuts

If you are looking for all keyboard symbols, you are probably trying to identify a character, learn what a keyboard symbol is called, find a symbol you can copy, or figure out how to type a special character. This guide brings the most commonly used keyboard symbols together in one easy-to-scan reference.

You will find the names, alternative names, meanings, common uses, keyboard shortcuts, mathematical symbols, currency symbols, programming characters, and special symbols used with computers and digital devices.

This guide primarily covers symbols found on or associated with a standard US QWERTY keyboard. International keyboard layouts can place symbols differently, and no single physical keyboard contains every character available through Unicode.

All Keyboard Symbols at a Glance

The following table provides a quick reference to the most common symbols associated with a standard US QWERTY keyboard.

Symbol	Name	Also Called	Common Use
~	Tilde	—	Approximation, computing
`	Backtick	Grave accent	Programming, command lines
!	Exclamation mark	Exclamation point, bang	Emphasis, programming
@	At sign	At symbol	Email, mentions
#	Number sign	Hash, pound, octothorpe	Hashtags, numbering
$	Dollar sign	Dollar symbol	Currency
%	Percent sign	Percentage symbol	Percentages
^	Caret	Circumflex	Mathematics, programming
&	Ampersand	And sign	“And,” programming
*	Asterisk	Star	Footnotes, multiplication, wildcards
(	Left parenthesis	Opening parenthesis	Grouping
)	Right parenthesis	Closing parenthesis	Grouping
–	Hyphen-minus	Hyphen, minus	Words, subtraction
_	Underscore	Low line	File names, programming
+	Plus sign	Addition sign	Addition
=	Equals sign	Equal sign	Equality, assignment
[	Left square bracket	Opening bracket	Lists, programming
]	Right square bracket	Closing bracket	Lists, programming
{	Left curly brace	Opening brace	Programming, mathematics
}	Right curly brace	Closing brace	Programming, mathematics
\	Backslash	Reverse solidus	File paths, programming
`	`	Vertical bar	Pipe	Programming, command lines
;	Semicolon	—	Punctuation, programming
:	Colon	—	Lists, time, programming
‘	Apostrophe	Single quote	Possessives, contractions
“	Quotation mark	Double quote	Quotations, programming
,	Comma	—	Punctuation, lists
<	Less-than sign	Left angle bracket	Mathematics, programming
>	Greater-than sign	Right angle bracket	Mathematics, programming
.	Period	Full stop, dot	Sentences, decimals, domains
/	Slash	Forward slash	URLs, fractions, dates
?	Question mark	Interrogation mark	Questions, programming

This table focuses on the characters themselves, not every physical key found on a keyboard.

Symbols on a Standard US QWERTY Keyboard

A US QWERTY keyboard has many symbols that are accessed directly or by holding the Shift key.

Number Row Symbols

On a typical US QWERTY keyboard, the number row produces the following symbols with Shift:

Number Key	Shift Combination	Symbol	Name
1	Shift + 1	!	Exclamation mark
2	Shift + 2	@	At sign
3	Shift + 3	#	Number sign / hash
4	Shift + 4	$	Dollar sign
5	Shift + 5	%	Percent sign
6	Shift + 6	^	Caret
7	Shift + 7	&	Ampersand
8	Shift + 8	*	Asterisk
9	Shift + 9	(	Left parenthesis
0	Shift + 0	)	Right parenthesis

This arrangement is specific to the US keyboard layout. Other layouts may use different symbols or positions.

Punctuation and Symbol Keys

Other common symbol keys on a US keyboard include:

Key	Shift + Key	Symbol
–	Shift + –	_
=	Shift + =	+
[	Shift + [	{
]	Shift + ]	}
\	Shift + \	`	`
;	Shift + ;	:
‘	Shift + ‘	“
,	Shift + ,	<
.	Shift + .	>
/	Shift + /	?

The backtick/tilde key is another common symbol key:

Key	Shift + Key	Symbol
`	Shift + `	~

Keyboard Symbols With Names and Meanings

Knowing the name of a symbol makes it much easier to search for it, explain it, or find instructions for typing it.

~ — Tilde

Also called: Tilde

The tilde is used in mathematics, linguistics, computing, and other technical contexts.

Common uses include:

• Approximation
• Similarity
• File paths
• Programming
• Command-line environments

Example:

~100 can informally mean approximately 100.

` — Backtick

Also called: Grave accent, backquote

The backtick is the character found above the Tab area on a typical US keyboard.

It is commonly used in:

• Programming
• Command-line interfaces
• Markdown
• Text formatting

Do not confuse it with the apostrophe:

‘ is an apostrophe, while ` is a backtick.

! — Exclamation Mark

Also called: Exclamation point, bang

The exclamation mark expresses emphasis, surprise, excitement, or urgency.

Example:

Stop!

In programming, it can represent logical negation or have other language-specific functions.

@ — At Sign

Also called: At symbol

The at sign is widely used in email addresses.

Example:

name@example.com

It is also used for:

• Social media mentions
• Usernames
• Programming
• Configuration files

# — Number Sign

Also called: Hash, pound sign, octothorpe

The meaning of # depends on context.

It can indicate:

• A number
• A hashtag
• A comment in some programming languages
• A label or identifier

Example:

#Travel

$ — Dollar Sign

The dollar sign is primarily associated with dollar-denominated currencies.

Example:

$50

Because multiple currencies use dollar names, the symbol alone may not always identify the exact currency.

% — Percent Sign

The percent sign indicates a proportion per hundred.

Example:

25%

It is commonly used in:

• Statistics
• Discounts
• Finance
• Mathematics
• Measurements

^ — Caret

Also called: Circumflex in some contexts

The caret has several meanings.

It can be used for:

• Exponents in plain-text notation
• Proofreading
• Programming
• Regular expressions
• Technical notation

Example:

2^3 is commonly used in plain text to represent 2 raised to the third power.

& — Ampersand

The ampersand represents the word and.

Example:

Sales & Marketing

It is also widely used in programming, URLs, HTML, and other technical systems.

* — Asterisk

Also called: Star

The asterisk has many uses.

It can represent:

• Footnotes
• Multiplication in plain text
• Wildcards
• Required fields
• Corrections
• Programming operations

Example:

5 * 4 = 20

( and ) — Parentheses

Also called: Round brackets

Parentheses group information.

Example:

(important information)

In mathematics:

(5 + 3) × 2 = 16

They are also widely used in programming for functions, expressions, and conditions.

– — Hyphen-Minus

The keyboard character – is technically called hyphen-minus because it can be used for several purposes.

It commonly appears as:

• A hyphen in compound words
• A minus sign in plain text
• A separator
• Part of a command-line option

Example:

well-known

and:

10 – 4 = 6

The typographic hyphen and mathematical minus sign are technically different Unicode characters.

_ — Underscore

Also called: Low line

The underscore appears as:

_

It is commonly used in:

• File names
• Usernames
• Programming
• Variable names
• URLs

Example:

my_file

+ — Plus Sign

The plus sign represents addition.

Example:

5 + 7 = 12

It can also indicate a positive value or the combination of things.

= — Equals Sign

The equals sign indicates equality in mathematics.

Example:

5 + 5 = 10

In programming, = often has an assignment function rather than meaning mathematical equality.

[ and ] — Square Brackets

Also called: Brackets

Square brackets are used in:

• Quotations
• Lists
• Mathematics
• Programming
• Data structures

Example:

[Apple, Banana, Orange]

{ and } — Curly Braces

Also called: Braces, curly brackets

Curly braces are especially common in programming.

They can also represent mathematical sets.

Example:

{1, 2, 3}

\ — Backslash

The backslash is different from the forward slash.

It is commonly used in:

• Programming
• Escape sequences
• Windows file paths
• Regular expressions

Example:

C:\Users\Name

| — Vertical Bar

Also called: Pipe, vertical line

The vertical bar is frequently called a pipe in programming and command-line environments.

It can be used for:

• Command pipelines
• Logical operations
• Data separation
• Mathematical notation

; — Semicolon

The semicolon is a punctuation mark.

Example:

The meeting ended; everyone went home.

It is also used as a statement terminator in several programming languages.

: — Colon

A colon can introduce a list or explanation.

Example:

Bring these items: a pen, paper, and ruler.

It is also used in:

• Time
• Ratios
• Programming
• URLs
• Data formats

Example:

10:30

‘ — Apostrophe

Also called: Single quote in some contexts

An apostrophe is used in contractions and possessives.

Examples:

don’t

John’s car

In programming, the same character may be used as a single quotation mark.

“ — Double Quotation Mark

Also called: Double quote

Quotation marks indicate direct speech or quoted material.

Example:

She said, “Hello.”

They are also important in programming and data formats.

, — Comma

The comma separates items and helps organize sentences.

Example:

red, blue, green

It is also used to separate values, arguments, and data elements.

< — Less-Than Sign

The less-than sign indicates that one value is smaller than another.

Example:

3 < 5

It is also used in programming and markup.

> — Greater-Than Sign

The greater-than sign indicates that one value is larger than another.

Example:

8 > 4

It also has many technical and programming uses.

. — Period

Also called: Full stop, dot

A period normally ends a sentence.

It is also used in:

• Decimal numbers
• Website addresses
• File names
• Abbreviations

Example:

example.com

/ — Forward Slash

Also called: Slash

The forward slash is used in:

• URLs
• Fractions
• Dates
• Programming
• Paths

Examples:

1/2

? — Question Mark

The question mark indicates a direct question.

Example:

Where are you going?

It also has specialized uses in programming, search syntax, and regular expressions.

Keyboard Symbols You Can Copy

If you only need symbols to copy and paste, this section provides a quick collection.

Common Keyboard Symbols

Copy these symbols:

~ ! @ # $ % ^ & * ( ) – _ + = [ ] { } ` | ; : ‘ ” , < > . / ?

Special Symbols

You can also copy commonly used special characters:

© ® ™ ° ± × ÷ ≤ ≥ ≠ ≈ ∞ √ µ

Currency Symbols

$ € £ ¥ ₹ ₽ ₩ ₺ ₴ ₦ ₱ ฿ ₫ ₭ ₮

Always verify that the symbol is supported by the website, application, font, or device where you plan to paste it.

Keyboard Symbol Shortcuts

The easiest way to type many standard symbols on a US keyboard is with the Shift key.

Shift Symbol Cheat Sheet

Shortcut	Result	Name
Shift + 1	!	Exclamation mark
Shift + 2	@	At sign
Shift + 3	#	Number sign
Shift + 4	$	Dollar sign
Shift + 5	%	Percent sign
Shift + 6	^	Caret
Shift + 7	&	Ampersand
Shift + 8	*	Asterisk
Shift + 9	(	Left parenthesis
Shift + 0	)	Right parenthesis
Shift + –	_	Underscore
Shift + =	+	Plus sign
Shift + [	{	Left brace
Shift + ]	}	Right brace
Shift + \	`	`	Vertical bar
Shift + ;	:	Colon
Shift + ‘	“	Double quote
Shift + ,	<	Less than
Shift + .	>	Greater than
Shift + /	?	Question mark
Shift + `	~	Tilde

These shortcuts apply to the standard US QWERTY layout. Other keyboard layouts may use different combinations.

How to Type Special Symbols

Not every symbol is printed on a physical keyboard. Some characters can be entered through special-character tools.

On Windows

Windows provides several ways to enter special characters, including character and symbol tools.

Depending on the application and version of Windows, you may use:

• Character Map
• The emoji and symbol panel
• Unicode input methods
• Application-specific symbol menus

The exact method depends on the character and software.

On Mac

macOS includes a Character Viewer that provides access to many special characters and symbols.

You can search for a character by name and insert it into a document or application.

In Microsoft Word

Microsoft Word includes a symbol insertion feature.

You can use the application’s symbol tools to find characters that are not directly available from the keyboard.

On Phones and Tablets

Mobile keyboards usually provide additional symbols through:

• The symbol or number keyboard
• Long-press options
• Emoji and special-character panels
• Alternative keyboard layouts

The exact options depend on the device and keyboard application.

Mathematical Keyboard Symbols

Many mathematical expressions can be written using ordinary keyboard characters.

Symbol	Name	Common Meaning
+	Plus	Addition
–	Minus	Subtraction
*	Asterisk	Multiplication in plain text
/	Slash	Division in plain text
=	Equals	Equality
%	Percent	Percentage
<	Less than	Comparison
>	Greater than	Comparison
≤	Less than or equal to	Comparison
≥	Greater than or equal to	Comparison
≠	Not equal to	Inequality
≈	Approximately equal to	Approximation
±	Plus-minus	Positive or negative
×	Multiplication sign	Multiplication
÷	Division sign	Division
√	Square root	Root
∞	Infinity	Infinite quantity

The characters ×, ÷, √, ≤, and ≥ are not normally separate keys on a standard US QWERTY keyboard, so they may need to be inserted using a symbol tool or another input method.

Currency Symbols

Currency symbols are used to represent monetary values.

Symbol	Common Currency Association
$	Dollar currencies
€	Euro
£	Pound sterling
¥	Japanese yen / Chinese yuan contexts
₹	Indian rupee
₽	Russian ruble
₩	South Korean won
₺	Turkish lira
₴	Ukrainian hryvnia
₦	Nigerian naira
₱	Philippine peso
฿	Thai baht
₫	Vietnamese đồng
₭	Lao kip
₮	Mongolian tögrög

The $ symbol can be ambiguous because several currencies use dollar-based names. Currency codes such as USD, CAD, AUD, and NZD can provide greater precision when necessary.

Keyboard Symbols Used in Programming

Programming languages make extensive use of keyboard characters.

Individual Programming Symbols

Common programming symbols include:

Symbol	Common Programming Function
!	Negation or language-specific operation
@	Decorators, annotations, or language-specific syntax
#	Comments or directives in some languages
$	Variables or interpolation in some languages
%	Modulo or formatting in some languages
&	Bitwise AND or reference-related operations
*	Multiplication, pointers, unpacking, or wildcards
=	Assignment
<	Less-than comparison
>	Greater-than comparison
`	`	Bitwise OR or pipe
^	Bitwise XOR or other language-specific operation
~	Bitwise NOT or other language-specific operation

The meaning depends on the programming language.

Common Symbol Combinations

Some programming operators are combinations of multiple keyboard characters.

Combination	Common Meaning
==	Equality comparison in many languages
!=	Not equal in many languages
<=	Less than or equal to
>=	Greater than or equal to
&&	Logical AND in many languages
`		`	Logical OR in many languages
++	Increment in some languages
—	Decrement in some languages
//	Single-line comment in many languages
/* */	Block comment in several languages
->	Arrow or pointer-related syntax
=>	Arrow function or related syntax in some languages

These are symbol combinations, rather than individual keyboard symbols.

Keyboard Symbols for Email and Websites

Several symbols are especially common on the internet.

@

Used in email addresses and mentions.

Example:

user@example.com

.

Used in domain names.

Example:

example.com

/

Used in URLs to separate parts of a web address.

Example:

example.com/about

#

Used for hashtags and page fragments.

Example:

#Technology

_

Often used in usernames, file names, and identifiers.

–

Frequently used in domain names, URLs, usernames, and file names.

Keyboard Symbols vs. Special Characters

The terms keyboard symbol and special character are often used interchangeably, but they can describe different things.

A keyboard symbol generally refers to a character associated with a keyboard, such as:

@ # $ % & *

A special character can refer more broadly to characters outside ordinary letters and numbers, including:

© € ₹ ∞ √

Some special characters can be typed directly with certain keyboard layouts, while others require a character picker or another input method.

Keyboard Symbols vs. Unicode Characters

Unicode is a universal character-encoding system that represents a very large collection of characters from writing systems, mathematics, technical notation, symbols, emoji, and other categories.

A physical keyboard provides access to only a small portion of these characters.

For example, a standard keyboard may directly provide:

@ # $ % & *

while Unicode provides characters such as:

∞ ≠ ≤ ≥ © ® ™

and thousands of additional characters.

Therefore, “all keyboard symbols” does not mean every Unicode character. The list of Unicode characters is much larger than the characters printed on a physical keyboard.

Symbols People Commonly Confuse

Some keyboard characters look similar or have related names.

Hyphen, Minus, En Dash, and Em Dash

These characters are different:

• – — hyphen-minus
• − — mathematical minus sign
• – — en dash
• — — em dash

The ordinary keyboard – is often used when the more precise typographic character is unavailable.

Apostrophe and Backtick

These characters are different:

• ‘ — apostrophe / straight single quote
• ` — backtick / grave accent

They may look similar at small sizes but have different uses.

Slash and Backslash

These characters point in opposite directions:

• / — forward slash
• \ — backslash

They are especially important in computing because they often have completely different functions.

Parentheses, Brackets, and Braces

These are three different groups:

• () — parentheses
• [] — square brackets
• {} — curly braces

Their uses vary between writing, mathematics, programming, and other technical fields.

Quotation Marks and Apostrophes

These characters are also different:

• ‘ — apostrophe or single quote
• ” — double quotation mark

Typography can also use curved quotation marks such as “ ” and ‘ ’, which are different Unicode characters from the straight keyboard versions.

Less Than and Greater Than

These symbols point in opposite directions:

• < — less than
• > — greater than

For example:

3 < 5

8 > 2

Symbols vs. Keyboard Keys

A keyboard key and a keyboard symbol are not necessarily the same thing.

Keys include:

• Enter
• Shift
• Ctrl
• Alt
• Tab
• Esc
• Backspace
• Delete
• Caps Lock
• Function keys

Symbols are characters such as:

@, #, $, %, &, *, +, and ?.

Some keys can produce symbols. For example, holding Shift and pressing 2 on a typical US keyboard produces @.

US vs. International Keyboard Symbols

Keyboard layouts vary around the world.

Common layouts include:

• US QWERTY
• UK QWERTY
• German QWERTZ
• French AZERTY
• Spanish layouts
• Arabic layouts
• Other national and international layouts

The same symbol may therefore appear on a different key or require a different shortcut.

For example, the location of @, quotation marks, currency symbols, and other characters can differ between layouts.

If a shortcut from a US keyboard does not work on your keyboard, check your keyboard language and layout settings.

How to Find an Unknown Keyboard Symbol

If you see a symbol but do not know its name, there are several ways to identify it.

Compare It With a Symbol Chart

Find the character in a keyboard-symbol table such as the one near the beginning of this guide.

Use a Character Viewer

Windows and macOS provide tools for finding and inserting special characters.

Search by Description

If you do not know the exact name, describe its appearance.

For example:

• “keyboard symbol like a wavy line” → tilde
• “vertical line keyboard symbol” → pipe or vertical bar
• “backward slash” → backslash
• “little star symbol” → asterisk

Knowing the correct name can make future searches much easier.

Why Keyboard Symbols Are Important

Keyboard symbols are essential to modern digital communication.

They are used in:

• Everyday writing
• Mathematics
• Programming
• Email
• Websites
• Social media
• Finance
• Science
• File management
• Data entry
• Technical documentation

A single symbol can communicate information quickly.

For example, @ identifies an email address, % represents a percentage, $ represents a currency symbol, and ? identifies a question.

Frequently Asked Questions

What are all the symbols on a keyboard?

The most common symbols on a standard US QWERTY keyboard include ~, `, !, @, #, $, %, ^, &, *, (, ), -, _, +, =, [, ], {, }, \, |, ;, :, ‘, “, ,, <, >, ., /, and ?.

What are the names of all keyboard symbols?

Common names include tilde, backtick, exclamation mark, at sign, number sign, dollar sign, percent sign, caret, ampersand, asterisk, parentheses, hyphen-minus, underscore, plus sign, equals sign, square brackets, curly braces, backslash, vertical bar, semicolon, colon, apostrophe, quotation mark, comma, less-than sign, greater-than sign, period, slash, and question mark.

What are the symbols above the numbers on a keyboard?

On a typical US QWERTY keyboard, the symbols above the number keys are ! @ # $ % ^ & * ( ), accessed by holding Shift.

What are the 10 symbols on the number row?

The ten symbols are:

! @ # $ % ^ & * ( )

They are produced by pressing Shift with the number keys 1 through 0 on a standard US keyboard.

What is the @ symbol called?

The @ symbol is called the at sign or at symbol. It is commonly used in email addresses, social media mentions, and programming.

What is the # symbol called?

The # symbol is commonly called the number sign, hash, or pound sign. In social media, it is widely known as the hashtag symbol when used before a word or phrase.

What is the * symbol called?

The * symbol is called an asterisk. It can be used for footnotes, multiplication in plain text, wildcards, required fields, and programming.

What is the ~ symbol called?

The ~ symbol is called a tilde. It is used in mathematics, linguistics, programming, file paths, and other technical contexts.

What is the | symbol called?

The | symbol is called a vertical bar. In programming and command-line environments, it is commonly called a pipe.

What is the ^ symbol called?

The ^ symbol is called a caret. It is used in mathematics, programming, regular expressions, and other technical contexts.

What is the _ symbol called?

The _ symbol is called an underscore or low line. It is commonly used in file names, usernames, programming, and variable names.

What is the difference between / and \?

/ is a forward slash, while \ is a backslash. They are different characters and have different functions, especially in computing and programming.

What is the difference between () [] and {}?

() are parentheses, [] are square brackets, and {} are curly braces or braces. They are used differently depending on writing, mathematics, programming, and data structures.

How do I type keyboard symbols?

On a standard US keyboard, many common symbols can be typed with Shift + another key. Other symbols may require a character viewer, symbol menu, Unicode input method, or copy-and-paste.

How do I type special characters on a computer?

You can use keyboard shortcuts, character maps, symbol insertion tools, Unicode input, or copy and paste. The exact method depends on the operating system, application, and keyboard layout.

Are keyboard symbols the same on every keyboard?

No. Keyboard layouts differ by country and language. The location and shortcut for symbols can therefore change between US, UK, German, French, and other layouts.

What is the difference between a keyboard symbol and a special character?

A keyboard symbol usually refers to a symbol available from or associated with a keyboard, while “special character” is a broader term that can include characters that are not directly printed on a keyboard.

Are all Unicode symbols keyboard symbols?

No. Unicode contains far more characters than can physically appear on a standard keyboard. Many Unicode symbols require special input methods or character-selection tools.

What is the easiest way to copy keyboard symbols?

You can copy symbols directly from a reference list. Common examples include @ # $ % & * + = ? and special characters such as © ® ™ € £ ₹ ± × ÷ ∞.

What symbols are used in programming?

Common programming symbols include !, @, #, $, %, &, *, =, <, >, |, ^, ~, parentheses, brackets, and braces. Their exact meanings depend on the programming language.

What are the most commonly used keyboard symbols?

Some of the most common include the period ., comma ,, question mark ?, exclamation mark !, at sign @, number sign #, dollar sign $, percent sign %, ampersand &, asterisk *, hyphen -, underscore _, plus +, and equals =.

Conclusion

Keyboard symbols are an essential part of writing, computing, mathematics, programming, communication, and the internet. The most familiar characters include @, #, $, %, &, *, _, +, =, <, >, /, and ?, while special characters such as ©, €, ₹, ∞, and √ can be inserted through additional character tools.

For a standard US QWERTY keyboard, the Shift key provides many of the symbols above the number and punctuation keys, making it possible to quickly type characters such as !, @, #, $, %, ^, &, *, and ?.

However, there is no single keyboard that contains every possible symbol. International layouts differ, and Unicode contains a much larger collection of characters. When you need a particular character, knowing its name, appearance, and common use makes it much easier to find and type.

Use the tables in this guide as a quick reference whenever you need to identify, understand, type, or copy a keyboard symbol.