Keyboard Symbols
A guide to common keyboard symbols and their names, including @, #, $, %, ^, &, *, brackets, slashes, quotation marks, modifier symbols, and other characters found on computer keyboards.
1 symbol guide available
What Are Keyboard Symbols?
Keyboard symbols are characters and key marks associated with physical or on-screen keyboards. Many printable symbols can be typed by pressing a key alone or combining it with Shift, Alt, Option, AltGr, or another modifier.
Many of these characters have multiple names and meanings. The symbol #, for example, may be called a number sign, hash, pound sign, or hashtag depending on context. The symbol | may be called a vertical bar, pipe, or vertical line.
Keyboard layouts differ between countries, languages, operating systems, and device types, so the physical location of a symbol is not universal.
Common Keyboard Symbols and Their Names
| Symbol | Common name | Other names or uses |
|---|---|---|
| @ | At sign | Email addresses, usernames, social media mentions |
| # | Number sign / Hash | Pound sign, hashtag, programming syntax |
| $ | Dollar sign | Currency, variables, shell syntax |
| % | Percent sign | Percentage, modulo operator in many programming languages |
| ^ | Caret | Plain-text notation, control notation, programming operators |
| & | Ampersand | Means “and”; also used in programming and HTML entities |
| * | Asterisk | Wildcard, multiplication, pointer notation, emphasis |
| ( ) | Parentheses | Grouping, function calls, expressions |
| - | Hyphen-minus | Hyphen, minus substitute, command-line option |
| _ | Underscore | Identifiers, filenames, usernames |
| = | Equals sign | Equality or assignment depending on context |
| + | Plus sign | Addition, concatenation, positive value |
| [ ] | Square brackets | Arrays, indexing, optional syntax, citations |
| { } | Curly brackets / Braces | Code blocks, objects, sets, grouped expressions |
| Backslash | Windows paths, escape sequences, commands | |
| | | Vertical bar / Pipe | Pipelines, logical OR, alternatives, mathematics |
| ; | Semicolon | Punctuation, statement separator |
| : | Colon | Punctuation, key-value notation, labels, paths |
| ' | Apostrophe / Single quote | Strings, quotations, contractions |
| " | Double quote | Strings and quotations |
| , | Comma | Lists, separators, punctuation |
| . | Period / Dot | Sentence ending, decimal point, file extension separator |
| / | Slash / Forward slash | URLs, paths, division, command syntax |
| ? | Question mark | Questions, URL query strings, wildcard syntax |
| ` | Backtick / Grave accent | Code formatting, shell commands, programming syntax |
| ~ | Tilde | Approximation, home directory notation, programming |
| < | Less-than sign | Comparison, markup, redirection |
| > | Greater-than sign | Comparison, markup, redirection |
Symbols Typed With the Shift Key
On many keyboard layouts, several common symbols share keys with numbers or punctuation and are produced using the Shift key. The exact pairings depend on keyboard layout.
For example, on a common US keyboard layout, characters such as !, @, #, $, %, ^, &, *, (, and ) share the number row.
This arrangement should not be assumed to be universal. UK, European, Asian, and other keyboard layouts may place the same characters on different keys.
Modifier and Special Key Symbols
Some keyboard symbols represent keys themselves rather than characters typed into a document. These marks are especially common in shortcut menus and operating-system interfaces.
| Symbol | Common key meaning |
|---|---|
| ⌘ | Command |
| ⌥ | Option / Alt on Apple keyboards |
| ⌃ | Control |
| ⇧ | Shift |
| ⇪ | Caps Lock |
| ⎋ | Escape |
| ⇥ | Tab |
| ⌫ | Delete / erase to the left |
| ⌦ | Forward Delete / erase to the right |
| ⏎ | Return / Enter in many interface conventions |
These symbols are not universal across all keyboards or operating systems. Their appearance and assigned key can vary by platform.
Keyboard Symbols in Programming
Many keyboard characters have specialized meanings in programming languages, command shells, regular expressions, markup languages, and configuration files.
| Symbol | Common technical roles |
|---|---|
| = | Assignment or equality |
| == | Equality comparison in many languages |
| != | Not equal in many programming languages |
| && | Logical AND in many languages |
| || | Logical OR, alternatives, or command chaining |
| ! | Logical NOT or negation |
| * | Multiplication, wildcard, pointer, repetition |
| & | Bitwise AND, references, background commands, entities |
| # | Comments, directives, identifiers, fragments |
| $ | Variables, interpolation, shell syntax, regular expressions |
| % | Modulo, formatting, environment syntax |
| ~ | Bitwise NOT, home directory, approximation |
| ^ | Bitwise XOR, anchors, or other language-specific operators |
| | | Pipe, bitwise OR, alternation |
The exact meaning of any symbol depends on the language or system being used. A character does not have one universal programming meaning.
Slash vs Backslash
The slash / and backslash are among the most frequently confused keyboard symbols.
The forward slash appears in web addresses, Unix-like directory paths, fractions, and command syntax. The backslash is commonly used in Windows file paths and as an escape character in many programming contexts.
Pipe | vs Letter I
The vertical bar | is often called a “pipe” in computing because command-line systems can use it to send the output of one command into another.
Depending on the font, it may resemble uppercase I, lowercase l, or the digit 1. These are different characters.
Backtick ` vs Apostrophe '
The backtick ` and apostrophe ' are separate characters. They may look similar because both are short diagonal marks.
The apostrophe is commonly used in ordinary writing and quoted strings. The backtick is widely used in programming, Markdown, shell syntax, and other technical contexts.
Hash #, Number Sign, Pound Sign, and Hashtag
The character # has several names. “Number sign” is a traditional name, “hash” is common in computing, “pound sign” is used in some North American contexts, and “hashtag” refers to its role when attached to a word or phrase on social platforms.
In North American usage, # is sometimes called a “pound sign.” It should not be confused with the British pound currency sign £.
At Sign @
The at sign @ is best known from email addresses, where it separates the local part of an address from its domain. It is also used for usernames, mentions, annotations, decorators, and other technical purposes.
Keyboard Symbols and Unicode
Most familiar keyboard symbols are represented by Unicode characters, and many common ones are inherited from the older ASCII character set.
However, a keyboard character may have visually similar Unicode alternatives. For example, the keyboard hyphen-minus - is different from the mathematical minus sign −, and straight quotes differ from typographic curly quotes.
This distinction matters when copying code, entering passwords, searching text, comparing strings, and troubleshooting unexpected characters.
How to Identify an Unknown Keyboard Symbol
If you encounter an unfamiliar symbol, consider where it appears. A character in an email address, source code file, command line, mathematical expression, URL, or ordinary sentence may have a very different meaning.
The name of the key is also not always the same as the meaning of the character. A symbol such as * may be called an asterisk regardless of whether it represents multiplication, a wildcard, a footnote, or a programming operator.