Rupee Symbol ₹: Copy, Meaning, History and Correct Use

What the Indian Rupee Symbol ₹ Means

The Indian rupee symbol ₹ stands for the rupee, the money of India. When you write ₹250, you mean two hundred and fifty rupees. One rupee is made of 100 paise, although paise coins are rarely used now.

The shape is a mix of two letters:

• The Devanagari letter र (ra), the first sound of "rupaya" in Hindi.
• The Roman capital R, without its upright stroke.

On top are two horizontal lines. They are said to suggest the tricolour of the national flag and also an "equals" sign, standing for balance in the economy. So the symbol of rupee joins an Indian script and the Latin script in one simple mark.

The word rupee itself is old. It comes from the Sanskrit word rupya, which was used for silver. In Hindi, rupee is written रुपया, and the short form रु is common in Hindi bills and newspapers. If someone asks you for "rupya ka symbol" or "rupees ka symbol", the answer is ₹.

Who Designed the Rupee Symbol? (History)

Before 2010, India had no unique sign for its money. People wrote Rs., Re. (for one rupee) or INR. The US had $, Europe had € and the UK had £, so the Government of India held an open design competition for a new symbol.

The winning entry came from D. Udaya Kumar. The Union Cabinet approved his design on 15 July 2010, and it became the official Indian rupee symbol. Many people call it the "new rupee symbol" because it replaced the older habit of writing Rs.

After approval, a few steps made it usable everywhere:

1. The sign got its own Unicode code point, U+20B9, so phones and computers could show it as text.
2. Fonts in Windows, Android, macOS and iOS slowly added a ₹ shape.
3. Keyboards for India added a key combination for it.
4. The sign began to appear on Indian coins and banknotes, which is why you see it on today's ₹10, ₹200 and other notes.

So when you search "who invented the rupee symbol" or "rupee symbol designed by", the answer is the same: D. Udaya Kumar.

Rs vs INR vs ₹: Which One Should You Use?

All three forms are correct, but each one fits a different place. Use this table as a quick guide.

A few simple rules:

• INR is the clearest choice when you deal with other countries, because Pakistan, Nepal and Sri Lanka also use "rupee" and "Rs". The INR symbol in a bank statement leaves no doubt.
• The rs symbol (Rs.) is not wrong, it is just older. Many people still type the "rs. symbol" because it is on every keyboard.
• Do not mix forms. Write ₹500 or Rs. 500 or INR 500, never "₹ 500 Rs" or "Rs. ₹500".

₹ vs ₨: The Indian Sign and the Old Rupee Sign

The grid above shows two rupee signs that look different and have different meanings.

The ₨ sign is really the letters R and s joined into one character. If you are writing about Indian money, always use ₹. For a Pakistani rupee symbol, people usually write Rs or PKR in text. The currency symbols page lists the signs and codes of these neighbouring countries side by side.

How to Write Amounts with the Rupee Symbol

India groups digits in its own way. After the first three digits from the right, commas come after every two digits. This matches the words thousand, lakh and crore.

Tips for neat writing:

• Put ₹ before the number: ₹750, not 750₹.
• No space is needed after ₹. With Rs. or INR, add a space: Rs. 750, INR 750.
• Paise go after a decimal point: ₹99.50.
• On a cheque, write the amount in words as well, for example "Rupees One Lakh Only".
• You can also write short forms such as ₹2.5 lakh or ₹3 crore in news and reports.

Rupee Symbol Text, PNG and HTML Code

The ₹ sign is a normal text character, so you can paste it into WhatsApp, Word, Excel, Canva or a website like any letter. That is the easiest way to get the Indian rupee symbol text: tap ₹ in the grid above, then paste.

• Rupee symbol copy: tap any symbol in the grid, it goes to your clipboard. Then long-press and choose Paste on a phone, or press Ctrl+V on a computer.
• Rupee symbol PNG: use the Download PNG button in the copy box for a transparent image, useful for slides, a PPT, posters and price-tag graphics.
• Rupee symbol in HTML: write ₹ in your page, or paste ₹ directly if your page uses UTF-8. The info table above also shows the CSS code.
• Rupee symbol font: any modern font (Arial, Calibri, Roboto, Noto Sans and others) includes ₹. If you see an empty box, the font is very old; switch fonts and the sign will appear.

How to Type the Rupee Symbol (Quick Summary)

Here are the fastest methods. For step-by-step instructions, see the full guide to typing ₹ on any keyboard.

Typing other money signs works in a similar way; see the dollar symbol and euro symbol pages.

Common Mistakes with the ₹ Sign

• Spelling: many people search "ruppee symbol". The correct spelling is rupee (plural rupees).
• Wrong sign: using ₨ for Indian money. Use ₹ for India.
• Double units: "₹500 rupees" says rupees twice. Write ₹500 or 500 rupees.
• Converting currencies: there is no special "euro to INR symbol" or "pound to INR symbol". Write the two amounts with their own signs, for example €10 = ₹____, and fill in the day's rate from your bank. See the pound symbol page for £.
• Box instead of ₹: the reader's font or app is outdated. Write Rs. or INR in that case.

This page gives general information about writing currency, not financial advice.