Rho Symbol (ρ)
The rho symbol ρ is Unicode U+03C1, the seventeenth letter of the Greek alphabet. Press Copy to put it on your clipboard.
- Unicode
U+03C1- HTML
ρ- Word
03C1 Alt+X
How to type the rho symbol (ρ)
The quickest way is to press Copy above and paste. To type ρ yourself, use the method for your device below.
Windows
- In Word or Outlook, type 03C1 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 Rho, 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 rho and double-click it.
- With the Unicode Hex Input keyboard enabled (System Settings → Keyboard → Input Sources), hold Option and type 03C1.
Linux & ChromeOS
- Press Ctrl + Shift + U, type 3c1, then press Enter or Space. Works in GTK and IBus apps (GNOME, Firefox, Chrome, LibreOffice) and on ChromeOS.
iPhone & iPad
- Copy ρ from this page, then go to Settings → General → Keyboard → Text Replacement and add it with a shortcut such as ;rho. The shortcut then turns into the symbol as you type, in every app.
Android
- Copy ρ here, then open Gboard settings → Dictionary → Personal dictionary and add it with a shortcut.
Microsoft Word
- Type 03C1, then press Alt + X.
- Insert → Symbol → More Symbols. Set “from” to Unicode (hex), type 03C1 in “Character code” and click Insert.
Google Docs
- Insert → Special characters, then search for “rho” or draw it in the box.
Excel & Google Sheets
- Enter
=UNICHAR(961)in a cell. It works in Excel 2013 and later and in Google Sheets.
HTML
- Write
ρorρin your HTML.
What does ρ mean?
Rho (ρ, capital Ρ) is the seventeenth Greek letter, pronounced “roh”. It is the ancestor of the Latin R, even though its shape looks like a p. In physics ρ is the standard symbol for density (kg/m³) and electrical resistivity; statisticians use it for Spearman’s correlation. Combined with chi, it forms the Christian Chi-Rho monogram ☧.
Common uses
- Fluid mechanics: ρ for water ≈ 1000 kg/m³
- Electronics: resistivity ρ in Ω·m
- Statistics: Spearman’s ρ
Rho Symbol codes for HTML, CSS and programming
Every code below produces ρ. Use the HTML entity in web pages, the CSS escape in content, and the escape sequence in source code.
| Unicode code point | U+03C1 | |
|---|---|---|
| HTML entity (named) | ρ | |
| HTML decimal | ρ | |
| HTML hex | ρ | |
| CSS content | content: "\3C1"; | |
| JavaScript | "\u03C1" | |
| Python | "\u03C1" | |
| Python (by name) | "\N{GREEK SMALL LETTER RHO}" | |
| Java / C# | "\u03C1" | |
| LaTeX | \rho | |
| UTF-8 bytes | CF 81 | |
| UTF-16 | 03C1 | |
| URL encoded | %CF%81 |
ρ vs look-alike characters
These characters look similar to ρ but have a different meaning and code. Pasting the wrong one can break search, sorting and screen readers.
| Char | Name | When to use it |
|---|---|---|
PU+0070 | Latin small p. Rho has no serif at the bottom-left and is often rounder. | |
Greek Rho SymbolU+03F1 | Greek rho symbol (U+03F1), a variant with a curled tail used in maths. |
Symbols similar to ρ
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 Nu Details
- Greek Xi Details
- Greek Omicron Details
- Greek Pi Details
- Greek Tau Details
- Greek Upsilon Details
- Greek Phi Details
ρ character properties
- Official Unicode name
- GREEK SMALL LETTER RHO
- Also known as
- rho, greek letter rho
- Code point
- U+03C1
- 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
Is ρ a p?
No. ρ is the Greek letter rho and sounds like r. It only looks like the Latin p.
Is there an alt code for the rho symbol?
No. ρ is outside the Windows-1252 and code page 437 character sets, so no Alt + number code produces it. Copy it from this page, type 03C1 then Alt + X in Word, or find it in Character Map.
How do I type the rho symbol on a Mac?
There is no single Option shortcut for ρ on the US layout. Press Control + Command + Space to open the Character Viewer, search for “rho” and double-click it, or copy it from this page.
What is the HTML code for the rho symbol?
Use the named entity ρ or the numeric reference ρ (hex ρ). All three display ρ in every browser.
What is the Unicode for the rho symbol?
ρ is U+03C1, officially named GREEK SMALL LETTER RHO, in the Greek and Coptic block. It has been part of Unicode since version 1.1 (1993).