Natural Numbers Symbol (ℕ)
The natural numbers symbol ℕ is Unicode U+2115, the blackboard-bold N for the natural numbers. Press Copy to put it on your clipboard.
- Unicode
U+2115- HTML
ℕ- Word
2115 Alt+X
How to type the natural numbers symbol (ℕ)
The quickest way is to press Copy above and paste. To type ℕ yourself, use the method for your device below.
Windows
- In Word or Outlook, type 2115 and press Alt + X. Alt + X converts the hex code before the cursor into the character, and back again.
- Press Win + R, type charmap and press Enter. Tick “Advanced view”, search for Double-Struck Capital N, then Select and Copy. Character Map is built into every version of Windows.
Mac
- Press Control + Command + Space to open the Character Viewer, search for double-struck capital n and double-click it.
- With the Unicode Hex Input keyboard enabled (System Settings → Keyboard → Input Sources), hold Option and type 2115.
Linux & ChromeOS
- Press Ctrl + Shift + U, type 2115, then press Enter or Space. Works in GTK and IBus apps (GNOME, Firefox, Chrome, LibreOffice) and on ChromeOS.
iPhone & iPad
- Copy ℕ from this page, then go to Settings → General → Keyboard → Text Replacement and add it with a shortcut such as ;natu. The shortcut then turns into the symbol as you type, in every app.
Android
- Copy ℕ here, then open Gboard settings → Dictionary → Personal dictionary and add it with a shortcut.
Microsoft Word
- Type 2115, then press Alt + X.
- Insert → Symbol → More Symbols. Set “from” to Unicode (hex), type 2115 in “Character code” and click Insert.
Google Docs
- Insert → Special characters, then search for “double-struck capital n” or draw it in the box.
Excel & Google Sheets
- Enter
=UNICHAR(8469)in a cell. It works in Excel 2013 and later and in Google Sheets.
HTML
- Write
ℕorℕin your HTML.
What does ℕ mean?
ℕ is the set of natural numbers, the counting numbers 1, 2, 3… Whether 0 belongs to ℕ depends on the author: logicians, computer scientists and the ISO 80000-2 standard include it, while many number-theory texts start at 1. When it matters, write ℕ₀ for the set with zero or ℕ⁺ (also ℤ⁺) for the positive integers.
Common uses
- Sequences: n ∈ ℕ
- Induction proofs over the natural numbers
Natural Numbers Symbol codes for HTML, CSS and programming
Every code below produces ℕ. Use the HTML entity in web pages, the CSS escape in content, and the escape sequence in source code.
| Unicode code point | U+2115 | |
|---|---|---|
| HTML entity (named) | ℕ | |
| HTML decimal | ℕ | |
| HTML hex | ℕ | |
| CSS content | content: "\2115"; | |
| JavaScript | "\u2115" | |
| Python | "\u2115" | |
| Python (by name) | "\N{DOUBLE-STRUCK CAPITAL N}" | |
| Java / C# | "\u2115" | |
| LaTeX | \mathbb{N} | |
| UTF-8 bytes | E2 84 95 | |
| UTF-16 | 2115 | |
| URL encoded | %E2%84%95 |
ℕ vs look-alike characters
These characters look similar to ℕ but have a different meaning and code. Pasting the wrong one can break search, sorting and screen readers.
| Char | Name | When to use it |
|---|---|---|
Capital NU+004E | The plain capital N. | |
Alef SymbolU+2135 | Aleph, used for the size of ℕ (ℵ₀). |
Symbols similar to ℕ
Click to copy, or open a symbol for its codes. See the full math symbols collection.
- Double-Struck Capital Z Details
- Double-Struck Capital R Details
- Minus Details
- Multiplication Details
- Division Details
- Plus-Minus Details
- Not Equal to Details
- Almost Equal to Details
- Identical to Details
- Less-Than Or Equal to Details
- Greater-Than Or Equal to Details
- Proportional to Details
- Infinity Details
- Per Mille Details
ℕ character properties
- Official Unicode name
- DOUBLE-STRUCK CAPITAL N
- Also known as
- double-struck n, blackboard bold n, set of natural numbers
- Code point
- U+2115
- Unicode block
- Letterlike Symbols (U+2100–U+214F)
- General category
- Uppercase letter (Lu)
- Added in
- Unicode 1.1 (1993)
- Plane
- Basic Multilingual Plane (0)
- Emoji
- No, it is a text symbol
Frequently asked questions
Is zero a natural number?
It depends on the convention. ISO 80000-2 and most of computer science include 0; many mathematics texts start ℕ at 1.
Is there an alt code for the natural numbers symbol?
No. ℕ is outside the Windows-1252 and code page 437 character sets, so no Alt + number code produces it. Copy it from this page, type 2115 then Alt + X in Word, or find it in Character Map.
How do I type the natural numbers symbol on a Mac?
There is no single Option shortcut for ℕ on the US layout. Press Control + Command + Space to open the Character Viewer, search for “double-struck capital n” and double-click it, or copy it from this page.
What is the HTML code for the natural numbers symbol?
Use the named entity ℕ or the numeric reference ℕ (hex ℕ). All three display ℕ in every browser.
What is the Unicode for the natural numbers symbol?
ℕ is U+2115, officially named DOUBLE-STRUCK CAPITAL N, in the Letterlike Symbols block. It has been part of Unicode since version 1.1 (1993).