The Philippine peso is the official currency of the Philippines, and the peso sign (₱) is the currency symbol. The peso sign is often used in publications and correspondence, although PHP is sometimes used instead.
Other countries (such as Mexico) that have the peso as their main currency do not use the peso sign, instead using the dollar sign ($). This makes the peso sign unique to the Philippines.
Unlike the dollar sign, the peso sign is not found in computer keyboards. You will have to use a special combination on your keyboard in order to type it.
Reasons to Use the Peso Sign
Many websites use “PHP” to indicate the Philippine peso (for example, PHP 1,000). While most Filipinos know that it stands for Philippine pesos, it would be better if more people start using the official symbol.
PHP could mean many things like the most popular programming language in the web.
In the United States, most websites use the dollar sign ($) instead of “USD,” mostly due to the presence of the $ key in the computer keyboard. Other countries only started using their respective currency’s official symbol recently. The Indian rupee symbol, for example, was only released in 2010.
Here in Tech Pilipinas, we started using the peso sign just this year. We used to write “P” until we realized that ₱ looks better. Hopefully, other writers and bloggers will follow suit and use the official symbol more frequently.
How to Type the Peso Sign on a Windows Computer
To type the peso sign (₱), hold down the ALT key while pressing 8369 on your number pad.
ALT + 8369
Note: Make sure that the number pad is active. To activate the number pad, press the Num Lock key.
An alternative way to type the peso symbol is by typing 20B1 (two, zero, letter b, one) and then pressing the ALT and X keys simultaneously.
20B1 + ALT and X
How to Insert the Peso Sign in Microsoft Word
Typing the peso sign in Microsoft Word can be done using the keyboard combinations mentioned earlier, but you can also insert it directly into your document if you want.
To insert the peso symbol in Microsoft Word, click the Insert tab, click the Symbol button (usually located on the rightmost portion), and then click More Symbols.
This will reveal the Symbol popup. On the Subset box, choose Currency Symbols, click the peso symbol (₱), and then click Insert.
How to Insert the Peso Sign Using Character Map
In some cases, using the keyboard combinations doesn’t work. This is where the Character Map tool in Windows 10 comes in handy. To launch Character Map, click the Windows icon, choose Windows Accessories, and then click Character Map.
Tick the Advanced view box and enter the word “peso” in the Search for box (make sure that the character set is Unicode). Press Enter or click Search.
Click the peso sign (₱) and then click the Select button. Click Copy.
You can now paste (Ctrl + V) it into your document or application.
How to Type the Peso Sign on Your Mobile Phone
Typing the peso sign on your mobile phone is fairly easy. On a mobile phone keyboard, just long-press the dollar symbol ($) and it will show several currency symbols, one of which is the peso symbol.
That’s it! If everything is too difficult or complicated for you, you can simply copy the peso sign (₱) from this page.
