SymbolHub

Gamma Symbol (γ)

The gamma symbol γ is Unicode U+03B3, the third letter of the Greek alphabet. Press Copy to put it on your clipboard.

Unicode
U+03B3
HTML
γ
Word
03B3 Alt+X

How to type the gamma symbol (γ)

The quickest way is to press Copy above and paste. To type γ yourself, use the method for your device below.

Windows

  1. In Word or Outlook, type 03B3 and press Alt + X. Alt + X converts the hex code before the cursor into the character, and back again.
  2. Press Win + R, type charmap and press Enter. Tick “Advanced view”, search for Greek Small Letter Gamma, then Select and Copy. Character Map is built into every version of Windows.

Mac

  1. Press Control + Command + Space to open the Character Viewer, search for gamma and double-click it.
  2. With the Unicode Hex Input keyboard enabled (System Settings → Keyboard → Input Sources), hold Option and type 03B3.

Linux & ChromeOS

  1. Press Ctrl + Shift + U, type 3b3, then press Enter or Space. Works in GTK and IBus apps (GNOME, Firefox, Chrome, LibreOffice) and on ChromeOS.

iPhone & iPad

  1. Copy γ from this page, then go to Settings → General → Keyboard → Text Replacement and add it with a shortcut such as ;gamm. The shortcut then turns into the symbol as you type, in every app.

Android

  1. Copy γ here, then open Gboard settings → Dictionary → Personal dictionary and add it with a shortcut.

Microsoft Word

  1. Type 03B3, then press Alt + X.
  2. Insert → Symbol → More Symbols. Set “from” to Unicode (hex), type 03B3 in “Character code” and click Insert.

Google Docs

  1. Insert → Special characters, then search for “gamma” or draw it in the box.

Excel & Google Sheets

  1. Enter =UNICHAR(947) in a cell. It works in Excel 2013 and later and in Google Sheets.

HTML

  1. Write γ or γ in your HTML.

What does γ mean?

Gamma (γ, capital Γ) is the third Greek letter, pronounced “GAM-uh”. Physicists use γ for gamma rays, the highest-energy light, and for the Lorentz factor in relativity. In photography and displays, gamma describes how brightness values are encoded, and the capital Γ is the gamma function in maths, which extends factorials to non-integers. The capital Γ has a CP437 alt code, Alt + 226; the lowercase γ does not.

Common uses

  • Radiation: γ-rays from radioactive decay
  • Relativity: γ = 1 / √(1 − v²/c²)
  • Maths: Γ(n) = (n − 1)!

Gamma Symbol codes for HTML, CSS and programming

Every code below produces γ. Use the HTML entity in web pages, the CSS escape in content, and the escape sequence in source code.

Unicode code pointU+03B3
HTML entity (named)γ
HTML decimalγ
HTML hexγ
CSS contentcontent: "\3B3";
JavaScript"\u03B3"
Python"\u03B3"
Python (by name)"\N{GREEK SMALL LETTER GAMMA}"
Java / C#"\u03B3"
LaTeX\gamma
UTF-8 bytesCE B3
UTF-1603B3
URL encoded%CE%B3

γ vs look-alike characters

These characters look similar to γ but have a different meaning and code. Pasting the wrong one can break search, sorting and screen readers.

CharNameWhen to use it
Gamma
U+0263		Latin small letter gamma (U+0263), a phonetic (IPA) symbol for a voiced velar fricative.
Y
U+0079		The Latin letter y. Handwritten γ often looks like a y, but they are unrelated in text.

Symbols similar to γ

Click to copy, or open a symbol for its codes. See the full greek letters collection.

γ character properties

Official Unicode name
GREEK SMALL LETTER GAMMA
Also known as
gamma, greek letter gamma
Code point
U+03B3
Unicode block
Greek and Coptic (U+0370–U+03FF)
General category
Lowercase letter (Ll)
Added in
Unicode 1.1 (1993)
Plane
Basic Multilingual Plane (0)
Emoji
No, it is a text symbol

Frequently asked questions

What is the capital gamma symbol?

Capital gamma is Γ (U+0393). It looks like an upside-down L and is used for the gamma function and for reflection coefficients in electronics.

Is there an alt code for the gamma symbol?

No. γ is outside the Windows-1252 and code page 437 character sets, so no Alt + number code produces it. Copy it from this page, type 03B3 then Alt + X in Word, or find it in Character Map.

How do I type the gamma symbol on a Mac?

There is no single Option shortcut for γ on the US layout. Press Control + Command + Space to open the Character Viewer, search for “gamma” and double-click it, or copy it from this page.

What is the HTML code for the gamma symbol?

Use the named entity γ or the numeric reference γ (hex γ). All three display γ in every browser.

What is the Unicode for the gamma symbol?

γ is U+03B3, officially named GREEK SMALL LETTER GAMMA, in the Greek and Coptic block. It has been part of Unicode since version 1.1 (1993).