What ₿ means
It means bitcoin, the way means dollars. ₿2 is two bitcoins. The sign grew out of an icon used in early Bitcoin software around 2010 and spread through forums, websites and apps before becoming a standard text character. It is neutral: it names the currency and says nothing about whether the writer loves or hates crypto.
The usual mix-up is with , the sign of the Thai baht. On ₿ two short strokes poke out only at the top and bottom; on one bar runs through the whole letter. Before ₿ existed, some Bitcoin users and websites borrowed , so in older Bitcoin posts it can mean either, but the character itself is the baht sign. Write ₿ for Bitcoin.
How do I type it?
Use its Unicode number, U20BF; no standard keyboard has a key. Methods for Windows, Mac and Linux are listed under How to type.
If you see an empty box, your font simply lacks the drawing. The character is correct and shows up in a font that supports U20BF.
Neutral and financial; reads as crypto-specific.
Don't write for Bitcoin: readers may take it as Thai baht.
Part of collections
Don't confuse it with
2
Combination ideas
5Worth knowing
- The smallest unit, the satoshi, is named after Satoshi Nakamoto, the pseudonymous creator of Bitcoin whose real identity is unknown.
Questions people ask
2Is ₿ the same as BTC?
Same currency, different form. ₿ is the currency sign; BTC is the three-letter code used on exchanges.
Is ₿ the Bitcoin logo?
Close, not identical. The orange logo is a tilted B in a circle; ₿ is an upright text character for writing amounts.
More like this
17
Collections with ₿
3
How to type or find ₿
- Also called
- BTC symbol · double-bar B
- Search it as
- bitcoin symbol · btc · btc sign · crypto symbol · double bar b · bitcoin currency sign
- Shows up in
- Anything that takes text · its shape is whatever your font draws
₿\20BFCodes and encoding1 code points
A visible symbol can contain several code points. JS .length counts UTF-16 units; UTF-8 counts bytes.