Alpha symbol (α)
U+03B1 · GREEK SMALL LETTER ALPHA · Unicode 1.1 (1993)
How to type α
Windows
Alt code (numeric keypad)
Alt+224
Turn on Num Lock, hold the Alt key, type 224 on the numeric keypad and let go of Alt: α appears.
Uses the old DOS code page 437, which US-English Windows uses for Alt codes without a leading 0; on Windows set to other languages the result can differ.
Word and Outlook: Alt + X
03B1 Alt+X
Type 03B1 and press Alt+X right after it: Word turns the code into α. Press Alt+X again to turn it back into the code.
Emoji and symbols panel (Windows 10 and 11)
Win+.
Press Win + full stop (.) to open the panel, go to the Symbols tab (Ω) and pick α.
No numeric keypad on your laptop? See the other ways in our Alt codes guide.
Mac
Character Viewer
Ctrl+⌘ Cmd+Space
Press Ctrl+⌘+Space (or the Globe key + E), search for “alpha symbol” and click α to insert it.
iPhone
Make a shortcut (Text Replacement)
Turn a short word into α once and type it in any app:
- Copy α from this page.
- Open Settings › General › Keyboard › Text Replacement and tap +.
- Paste α as the Phrase and type a Shortcut, for example ;alpha.
- Now type ;alpha anywhere: the keyboard suggests α.
Android
Make a shortcut (Gboard personal dictionary)
Teach your keyboard a short word that turns into α:
- Copy α from this page.
- Open Gboard settings › Dictionary › Personal dictionary, choose your language and tap +.
- Paste α as the word and type a shortcut, for example ;alpha.
- Type ;alpha in any app and tap α in the suggestions.
Linux
Unicode input
Ctrl+Shift+U 03b1 Enter
Press Ctrl+Shift+U, type 03b1 and press Enter or Space. Works in GTK apps and with IBus (GNOME, Ubuntu, Fedora).
What α means and how it is used
Alpha α is the first letter of the Greek alphabet. It names alpha particles and alpha versions of software, stands for angles in geometry and for the significance level in statistics (α = 0.05), and appears in chemistry and finance. Do not confuse it with the Latin a or with the proportional sign ∝.
In Unicode, α is code point U+03B1 with the official name GREEK SMALL LETTER ALPHA. It belongs to the Greek and Coptic block and arrived with Unicode 1.1 in 1993.
You will find it in our greek, 69 symbols in all, together with β γ Δ θ λ.
Codes for HTML, CSS and JavaScript
Tap Copy next to the code you need.
| HTML entity | α | |
|---|---|---|
| HTML decimal | α | |
| HTML hex | α | |
| CSS | content: "\03B1"; | |
| JavaScript | \u03B1 | |
| URL | %CE%B1 | |
| UTF-8 bytes | CE B1 | |
| Unicode | U+03B1 |
Will it show on my friend's phone?
Very likely yes: α dates from Unicode 1.1 (1993), so every current system has a font for it.
Checking your device…
Don't confuse α with
These look alike but are different characters. Search, sorting and screen readers treat them differently, so copy the one you mean.
- αAlpha symbolU+03B1 · GREEK SMALL LETTER ALPHA
- AU+0061 · Basic Latin
- ⱭU+0251 · IPA Extensions
- АU+0430 · Cyrillic
- ⍺U+237A · Miscellaneous Technical
- ꭤU+AB64 · Latin Extended-E
- ＡU+FF41 · Halfwidth and Fullwidth Forms
Names in other languages
What α is called in the 12 languages of this site (Unicode CLDR and our editors). Tap a name to open that language's page.
| Language | Name |
|---|---|
| English | Alpha symbol |
| Português | Símbolo alfa |
| Español | Símbolo alfa |
| Italiano | Simbolo alfa |
| Français | Symbole alpha |
| Deutsch | Alpha-Zeichen |
| Türkçe | Alfa sembolü |
| Bahasa Indonesia | Simbol alpha |
| Polski | Symbol alfa (alpha) |
| Русский | Символ альфа |
| 日本語 | アルファ記号 |
| 한국어 | 알파 기호 |
Related symbols
All Greek →Questions people ask
How do I type α on a laptop without a numeric keypad?
On Windows press Win + full stop (.) and pick α in the Symbols tab, or in Word type 03B1 and press Alt+X.
What is the difference between α and a?
α is the alpha symbol (U+03B1). a is a different character: a (U+0061, Basic Latin block). They can look alike, but computers treat them as different letters, so a search for one will not find the other.
How do I type α on an iPhone?
The iPhone keyboard has no key for α. Copy it here, then add it in Settings › General › Keyboard › Text Replacement with a shortcut like ;alpha.
What is the HTML code for the alpha symbol?
Use the entity α or the numeric code α (hex α). In CSS write \03B1, in JavaScript \u03B1.
Will α show on every phone?
Very likely yes: α dates from Unicode 1.1 (1993), so every current system has a font for it.