Nu Symbol (ν)
The nu symbol ν is Unicode U+03BD, the thirteenth letter of the Greek alphabet. Press Copy to put it on your clipboard.
- Unicode
U+03BD- HTML
ν- Word
03BD Alt+X
How to type the nu symbol (ν)
The quickest way is to press Copy above and paste. To type ν yourself, use the method for your device below.
Windows
- In Word or Outlook, type 03BD 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 Greek Small Letter Nu, 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 nu and double-click it.
- With the Unicode Hex Input keyboard enabled (System Settings → Keyboard → Input Sources), hold Option and type 03BD.
Linux & ChromeOS
- Press Ctrl + Shift + U, type 3bd, then press Enter or Space. Works in GTK and IBus apps (GNOME, Firefox, Chrome, LibreOffice) and on ChromeOS.
iPhone & iPad
- Copy ν from this page, then go to Settings → General → Keyboard → Text Replacement and add it with a shortcut such as ;nu. The shortcut then turns into the symbol as you type, in every app.
Android
- Copy ν here, then open Gboard settings → Dictionary → Personal dictionary and add it with a shortcut.
Microsoft Word
- Type 03BD, then press Alt + X.
- Insert → Symbol → More Symbols. Set “from” to Unicode (hex), type 03BD in “Character code” and click Insert.
Google Docs
- Insert → Special characters, then search for “nu” or draw it in the box.
Excel & Google Sheets
- Enter
=UNICHAR(957)in a cell. It works in Excel 2013 and later and in Google Sheets.
HTML
- Write
νorνin your HTML.
What does ν mean?
Nu (ν, capital Ν) is the thirteenth Greek letter, pronounced “new”. Its lowercase looks almost exactly like a Latin v, which makes it a classic trap in physics exams. Physicists use ν for the frequency of light (E = hν), for neutrinos (νₑ) and for kinematic viscosity. Statisticians write ν for degrees of freedom.
Common uses
- Quantum physics: photon energy E = hν
- Particle physics: the electron neutrino νₑ
- Statistics: a t-distribution with ν degrees of freedom
Nu Symbol codes for HTML, CSS and programming
Every code below produces ν. Use the HTML entity in web pages, the CSS escape in content, and the escape sequence in source code.
| Unicode code point | U+03BD | |
|---|---|---|
| HTML entity (named) | ν | |
| HTML decimal | ν | |
| HTML hex | ν | |
| CSS content | content: "\3BD"; | |
| JavaScript | "\u03BD" | |
| Python | "\u03BD" | |
| Python (by name) | "\N{GREEK SMALL LETTER NU}" | |
| Java / C# | "\u03BD" | |
| LaTeX | \nu | |
| UTF-8 bytes | CE BD | |
| UTF-16 | 03BD | |
| URL encoded | %CE%BD |
ν vs look-alike characters
These characters look similar to ν but have a different meaning and code. Pasting the wrong one can break search, sorting and screen readers.
| Char | Name | When to use it |
|---|---|---|
VU+0076 | Latin small v. In most fonts ν has a curved left stroke while v is straight, but they are easy to confuse. | |
Greek UpsilonU+03C5 | Greek small upsilon (U+03C5), which is rounder at the bottom. |
Symbols similar to ν
Click to copy, or open a symbol for its codes. See the full greek letters collection.
- Greek Alpha Details
- Greek Beta Details
- Greek Gamma Details
- Greek Epsilon Details
- Greek Zeta Details
- Greek Eta Details
- Greek Theta Details
- Greek Iota Details
- Greek Kappa Details
- Greek Lamda Details
- Greek Mu Details
- Greek Xi Details
- Greek Omicron Details
- Greek Pi Details
- Greek Rho Details
- Greek Tau Details
- Greek Upsilon Details
- Greek Phi Details
- Greek Chi Details
- Greek Psi Details
ν character properties
- Official Unicode name
- GREEK SMALL LETTER NU
- Also known as
- nu, greek letter nu
- Code point
- U+03BD
- 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
Why does ν look like v?
Both come from the same shape in older scripts. In typeset maths, ν is drawn with a curved stroke to tell it apart from the italic v.
Is there an alt code for the nu symbol?
No. ν is outside the Windows-1252 and code page 437 character sets, so no Alt + number code produces it. Copy it from this page, type 03BD then Alt + X in Word, or find it in Character Map.
How do I type the nu symbol on a Mac?
There is no single Option shortcut for ν on the US layout. Press Control + Command + Space to open the Character Viewer, search for “nu” and double-click it, or copy it from this page.
What is the HTML code for the nu symbol?
Use the named entity ν or the numeric reference ν (hex ν). All three display ν in every browser.
What is the Unicode for the nu symbol?
ν is U+03BD, officially named GREEK SMALL LETTER NU, in the Greek and Coptic block. It has been part of Unicode since version 1.1 (1993).