Download money icons. Designations of the currency of different countries. Why money needs graphic symbols
The Russian ruble has finally acquired an official graphic symbol - now the national currency will be denoted by the crossed-out letter "R". About why currencies need special graphic signs and why most symbols of the monetary units of the world contain horizontal "dashes" - in the material of the site.
Why do currencies need graphic symbols
Not every currency in the world can boast of its own sign. So, Latvian lats, Swiss francs, Danish, Norwegian, Swedish kronas, Croatian kunas and many other monetary units of the world do without special symbols. In total, according to the global Unicode standard (a standard for encoding characters and signs of written languages), at the moment only about thirty world currencies have officially registered graphic symbols. Among them there are already unused ones - for example, the signs of the Italian lira (£), German mark (ℳ), French franc (₣), obsolete after the introduction of the euro.
Meanwhile, it is hard not to admit that currencies with their own graphic designations are much more widespread than monetary units that do not have their own symbols. Thus, the dollar ($), pound (£), euro (€), as well as the yen (¥) are undoubtedly not only the most popular, but also the most powerful and influential currencies in the world.
Ruble symbol approval
The introduction of the official symbol of the Russian ruble, according to the Bank of Russia, has become a major event in the country's economy. "Moscow claims the status of an international financial center. There is an objective need to introduce a national currency symbol recognized at home and abroad," said Elvira Nabiullina, chairman of the Central Bank of Russia, on December 11, presenting the approved designation of the Russian currency.
The adoption of one sign as a designation of a monetary unit allows, in addition, to unify all variants of its former spelling: for example, after the official approval of the ruble symbol, you no longer have to doubt how best to say about the ruble in writing - 100 rubles, 100 r. or 100 rubles.
What do the symbols of different world currencies have in common
Some of the graphic images of monetary units developed naturally, as a result of various historical events, and some were formed during the development of many options, as well as popular votes. So there are no special requirements for creating a symbol of a particular currency. However, the graphic image must be convenient and easy to write, otherwise it will be useless - after all, currency signs are introduced in order to become recognizable and replace the full names of currencies in writing.
Dollar, euro, pound, Japanese yen, Vietnamese dong, Israeli new shekel
Graphic designations of almost all currencies of the world have horizontal "dashes" in their structure. This is not only the British pound sterling (£), euro (€), Ukrainian hryvnia (₴), Japanese yen (¥), Kazakhstani tenge (₸) and, finally, the symbol of the Russian ruble that has received official status. Thus, the symbols of the Indian rupee (₹), the South Korean won (₩) and many other currencies of the world are also written using one or more crossed out horizontal bars.
Such stripes on signs are a universally recognized symbol of the stability of the currency in which they are written. That is why, as the representatives of the Central Bank of Russia themselves stated, the line is also used in the symbol of the ruble.
From Russia with love
The approved symbol of the Russian ruble, which is a crossed out "P", is not at all the first sign of the national currency, but the only one officially recognized. It should be added, however, that for a long time it was the most popular of the unofficial designations of the Russian currency.
During the time of the Russian Empire, there was a different way of writing the ruble: it was the combination of capital letters "r" and "u". According to the most common version, "p" was turned 90 degrees counterclockwise, and then "y" was written over the letter. Such a designation of the ruble was indicated not after the numbers, as today, but above them. However, despite the attempts of some publishers, such a sign of the ruble was not widely used in the press.
Now the graphic symbol of the ruble has become - and already quite legally - the crossed-out letter "R". Such sign was approved by the Central Bank of Russia on December 11. The selected symbol was recognized as the most popular according to the results of the voting, which the Central Bank conducted on its website. A one ruble coin with a new graphic sign of the national currency will appear in circulation as early as 2014.
The approved designation of the ruble. Photo: cbr.ru
In early November, the Central Bank submitted for public discussion the graphic symbol of the ruble. The signs-finalists were selected by the working group of the Bank of Russia from more than three thousand options. The crossed-out "P" during the voting was supported by more than 61% of respondents.
Crossed letters and more
Since horizontal stripes are a fairly popular "attribute" of currency symbols, it is not surprising that there are already a number of monetary units in the world, the signs of which are very similar to the new ruble designation. Thus, most countries in which the peso is accepted for payment use the American dollar sign ($) or similar, with only two transverse stripes, to designate their currencies. But in the Philippines, the peso, meanwhile, is denoted by a different symbol - ₱, which is similar to the new designation of the Russian ruble.
Symbols of various currencies of the world: including the American dollar, the Korean won, the Netherlands Antilles guilder
The Nigerian naira is also crossed out - however, already with two stripes (₦). In addition, similar designations - in the form of crossed out letters - have the Ukrainian hryvnia (₴) and the Lao kip (₭).
In the graphic styles of some national currencies, horizontal lines are present in a different way. So, the new Israeli shekel looks more like a beautiful rectangular pattern (₪), the taka of the countries of Bangladesh looks like a solid sign from the Russian alphabet (৳), and the guilder of the Netherlands Antilles looks like a mathematical notation for a function (ƒ).
Where did the most famous currency symbols come from?
Today there is no single view on the origin of the $ sign, but it is quite possible that the American currency owes its characteristic design to the inhabitants of Foggy Albion. The fact is that the English king George III ordered at one time to use Spanish reals in circulation, which cost 1/8 of the British pound sterling. This money was called "piece of eight" ("a piece of eight"), which eventually turned into an abbreviated "peso". Soon they began to pay with them in the North American colonies of England, where they were also called dollars.
The crossed-out eight was wisely chosen as the written symbol for "piece of eight". However, soon such a spelling turned out to be too long and inconvenient, as a result of which the symbol turned into a "truncated" eight - $.
According to the theory of American patriots, however, $ originated differently: becoming a simplified combination of the letters "U" and "S" (the first letter of the name of the United States - US), superimposed on each other. Another version of the appearance of the American dollar symbol says that the "progenitors" of the $ sign were the Spaniards, who in writing denoted the peso currency by combining the letters "P" and "S".
The roots of whimsical writing British pound sterling lie in the Latin letter "L", supplemented horizontally by a line (or two lines) in the middle. The very same "L" comes from the Latin word libra (libra, pound), denoting the main measure of weight in ancient Rome and England.
Pound - £ or ₤ - is used not only in Great Britain, but also in some other countries of the world.
Euro, as a young currency, received its sign as a result of an analysis of European public opinion. It is believed that the authors of the € were four experts, whose names, for some reason, it was decided not to disclose.
According to the European Commission, the graphic image of the euro carries the significance of European civilization (it is symbolized by the Greek letter "epsilon"), identity with Europe itself (the letter "E") and stability (parallel lines crossing the letter).
From $ to €
1972 dates back to the first use of the symbol of any (some) currency. It may be necessary if, for example, the sign of the desired currency is not available in the computer font.
Designation of any currency
The sign of a certain currency is a circle, from which, like from the sun, four rays depart at an angle of 90 degrees with respect to each other.
Anna Teplitskaya
The most common currencies used in different countries of the world have a huge impact on the processes in the financial markets. Each currency unit is designated with a special symbol. This makes any of them recognizable and avoids confusion. Today, almost everyone can immediately distinguish between such signs of world currencies as the US dollar and sterling, the euro and the Japanese yen. Each of these symbols has its own history of origin and carries a certain meaning. In this material, it is proposed to consider the signs of the most popular world currencies.
U.S. dollar
Today, there are several versions of the origin of the sign of this currency. Some people are of the opinion that the symbol "$" came to the US from Spain. At the time of the discovery of the American continent, the Spanish currency was the real. It was equal to 1/8 of the English pound sterling. This ratio was the reason for the name of the real, which was fixed among the British - "peace of ait" (1/8). And, accordingly, the sign of the real currency was chosen in the form of a vertically crossed-out eight.
According to another version, the symbol "$" originates from the name of the US state. Thus, American patriots believe that the first two letters of the English name USA form a dollar sign. As evidence, the argument is given that this symbol was used as a postal stamp for government correspondence.
Another curious version of how the "$" currency sign came about is another "Spanish" variant. So, it is alleged that when exporting gold from the territory of the colonies on the American continent, the stamp “S” was placed on the goods. It symbolized the country of the recipient - Spain. After arriving in Spanish ports, a vertical strikethrough was added to the sign, and when sending cargo in the opposite direction, the symbol was marked with another additional line.
English pound
The English pound currency sign "₤" is a combination of two characters: the Latin letter L and two horizontal strokes. Sometimes a single bar symbol (£) is used to represent this currency. It would be opportune to say that a similar sign is used for other world currencies. For example, with its help, the Turkish lira is also indicated. The Latin word libra was used to define a measure of weight in ancient Rome and later in England.
The monetary unit of the European Union
The sign of the currency of the European Union "€" was chosen based on the results of a sociological survey, in which residents of the member countries of the Commonwealth took part. The symbol was officially introduced at the end of 1996. It should be noted that the euro is a very young currency. Symbols of the world's currencies, such as the symbol for the dollar, the pound sterling, the yuan, and the yen, have a much longer history. Officially, the euro began to be used in early 1999. The sign was developed by the European Commission, which chose a combination of two symbols: the Greek letter "epsilon" and two parallel strokes, symbolizing the stability of the new monetary unit.
Swiss frank
A few years ago in Europe there were a number of currencies that bore the name "franc". However, today only the Swiss representative of this monetary unit is used in circulation. The sign "Fr" itself consists of a combination of two letters: an uppercase "F" and a lowercase "r". The appearance of the franc currency in Europe dates back to the XIV century. Then it began to be used in France.
Japanese yen and Chinese yuan
The name "yuan" appeared during the reign of the Qin dynasty in China. This is how silver coins were called in those days. Local hieroglyphs were used for designation. Nowadays, the international sign is a combination of the Latin letter "Y" and a horizontal line.
Russian ruble
The ruble is the official currency in the Russian Federation. In addition, at one time the same name was given to money in the Russian principalities, the Russian kingdom, the Russian Empire and the USSR. It should also be noted that the Republic of Belarus uses its own rubles.
The modern symbol of the Russian monetary unit consists of the capital letter "R" and one horizontal line crossing it out. An interesting fact is the fact that back in the 17th century, the sign of the ruble currency looked like a combination of two letters: “R” and “U”. The first of them was located at an angle of 90 degrees to the second counterclockwise. By the way, the very name "ruble" began to be used as early as the 13th century.
From the number and variety of world currencies, anyone will charge in the eyes. After all, the monetary world is not only a variety of coins and banknotes, but also specific names, as well as a fascinating story that lies behind each national monetary unit.
It so happened that certain types of currencies have become practically global, and their development and stability cause sincere admiration. However, there are types of money in which even local residents of the country where they are common are poorly oriented.
In any case, to simplify the reading of trading reports, to facilitate the process of orientation among the huge number of monetary units and information flows from currency exchanges, special designations were invented. After all, this is the easiest way to quickly understand in what currency this or that amount is expressed.
Currency designation system
The term "currency" itself is borrowed from the Italian language and means "value". In fact, the currency is the unit of account of the state.
In order to somehow make life easier for everyone involved in the financial sector, the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) adopted a standard, thanks to which any currency in the world was assigned a special designation, which made it possible to unify the forms of financial activity.
ISO is a leader in the development of any international standards. And according to the standard adopted by it, any world monetary unit received not only a three-digit letter designation, but also a digital one.
It should be noted that any power that decides to develop its own currency classification system always acts on the basis of the already existing ISO standard.
Major currencies of the world (16 currencies)
In the modern world, about 200 different currencies are represented, and only 150 of them are included in the international standard. It should be noted that, along with world currencies, some more medals and collectible coins were included in this standard.
Among so many monetary units of the world, 16 currencies have gained a special status, which are now recognized as the main ones in the market.
These include:
However, it should be noted that only the first 7 of the currencies listed in the list are recognized as base. This means that they are the main reserve currencies and it is in them that many states prefer to both create and maintain their gold and foreign exchange reserves.
The letter designation of the currencies of the world
As already mentioned, in any foreign exchange market and related financial documentation, you will not find names that are familiar to the eye. After all, they have long been replaced by a special designation system that is convenient for perception.
So, thanks to the merits of the International Organization for Standardization, each monetary unit received its own abbreviated letter designation, consisting of three Latin letters. Accordingly, the first two of them indicate the name of the country, but the last one indicates the name of the currency itself.
If you look at the familiar abbreviation USD (US dollar), you will understand that US is the United States (USA), and the letter D stands for the name of the currency itself - Dollar. A similar principle applies to the names of other currencies.
World currency signs
Nevertheless, the majority has already come across other options for designating world currencies more than once. Undoubtedly, we are talking about the symbolic display of currencies. This is an even more efficient and concise way to display the type of currency, moreover, many signs are more than a dozen, or even a hundred years old, and have their own impressive history.
However, few people know (with the exception of financial specialists) that the general expression of all world currencies looks like this.
Of course, each of the major currencies has its own symbolic expression, although it makes sense to dwell on the "base" currencies.
- $ - US dollar
- € - Euro
- £ - British pound
- ¥ - Japanese yen
- ₣ — Swiss franc
It is immediately noticeable that most characters try to include horizontal lines. And this is no coincidence. After all, the presence of such components has always served as a symbol of the stability and reliability of the currency.
World currency codes and their designation
In addition to literal and symbolic expressions, any type of currency also has its own digital code. You may be puzzled by why such diversity is necessary, however, everything has its own hidden meaning.
As one would expect, the use of a digital code facilitates the conduct of certain foreign exchange transactions.
As for the designations themselves, the codes of the main world currencies look like this:
Naturally, any currency has its own interesting history and a lot of features worthy of closer study. However, I would like to believe that the information provided will serve you well, significantly expanding the boundaries of your understanding of this area.
