Use the Indian Rupee Symbol, Copy Here: ₹
Launched in July of 2010 by the Government of India, the Indian rupee symbol ₹ has provided our currency with the recognition it deserves internationally. It is the visual representation of the otherwise used ‘Rs’ prefix, which provides our currency with a distinct character, like other currency signs like $, ¥, and £.
The rupees symbol has been designed by Udaya Kumar Dharmalingam (1), who beat over 3,000 other entries received through an open competition among Indian residents. However, what you might not know is that the creation of this perfect Indian rupee symbol (2) is an amalgamation of elements that made it stand out from the five shortlisted rupees symbols.
7 Interesting Facts You Never Knew About the Indian Rupee Symbol ₹
1. The Tricolor effect
The rupees symbol has two horizontal lines with an equal negative white space (imaginary) in between them that create a foreground and background effect of three stripes. If looked at carefully, you’ll notice that the three strips subtly represent the tricolor of our Indian national flag at the top of the rupee symbol.
Note: The presence of the national flag on the top of the Indian rupee symbol brings forth a sense of pride.
2. Fusion of Devnagri & Latin scripts
The Udaya Kumar designed rupees symbol is based on the Devnagri letter र with the two stripes on the top and also resembles the Latin capital letter ‘R’ represented as Ꝛ. The apparent nature of the Indian rupee symbol comes from the spelling of the currency in English as Rupees and in Hindi as Rupay or रुपये.
This fusion traverses boundaries across cultures giving it a universal identity, at the same time symbolizing the cultural values and ethos of India at a global platform.
3. Shiro Rekha- the horizontal top line
The use of Devanagri script as a source of inspiration for building the rupees symbol defines the presence of the top stripe in the symbol, which is also known as the Shiro Rekha. Devanagri script is unique to India and is the only script where the letter hangs from the top horizontal line, instead of sitting on baseline like the majority of scriptures.
The Shiro Rekha preserves a unique and essential feature of the Indian scripts, which is not seen anywhere across the world. The inclusion of the Devanagri script element in the rupees symbol makes it indeed the best way of representing the Indian currency.
Note: The Devanagri script was developed in ancient India from the 1st-4th century CE and came into regular use by the 7th century CE.
4. Harmony in design
Despite representing India through its simplistic design, the Indian rupee sign is also successful in maintaining harmony with the collection of the existing currency symbols across the world, making it unique yet a part of the union at the same time. It forms a part of the currency family and, at the same time, retains its individuality.
The Indian rupee symbol ₹ doesn’t stand out radically but is in unison with other currency symbols. This uniformity establishes a clear understanding & association of the symbol with currency across the globe.
Harmony in rupees symbol & other currency symbols:
- The Dollar symbol: $
- The Pound symbol: £
- The Euro symbol: €
- The Yen symbol: ¥
5. The Equality Sign
Another vital element of the rupees symbol includes the equality sign represented by the two horizontal stripes on the hood of the currency symbol that denote the arithmetic sign ‘equal to’ or ‘=’. The ‘equal to’ sign signifies or stands for a balanced economy.
An individual always compares one’s economy with the other nations’ currency, as it is always relative to the other. The arithmetic sign denotes the relationship of the comparison of currency values across the world.
Note: The two horizontal lines denoting the ‘equal to’ symbol is present in many other currency symbols like € and ¥.
6. Three Strokes Form
The Indian rupee symbol directly communicates the message for currency for both Indian and foreign nationals, ensuring a direct relationship has been established between the symbol and the rupee.
The unique rupees symbol is formed from three single strokes, making its application into the presentation of the currency on various mediums a more accessible and more convenient choice.
The three strokes Indian rupee symbol can be easily drawn by:
- Writing Ꝛ alphabet from the Latin scriptures
- Adding the Shiro Rekha to make it a Devanagri scripture र
- Adding the final horizontal stroke below the Shiro Rekha and above the first curve ‘₹.’
7. The Reverse Effect
The one thing that made Kumar’s design, the winner of the rupee symbol, was its precise and effortless design, which even works well with inverse colors (3). The Indian rupee symbol can easily be seen by the naked eye even in smaller sizes, maintaining the legibility of the rupees symbol.
Frequently Asked Questions – Indian Rupee Symbol
Q1. How can I type the Indian Rupee symbol?
The best keyboard shortcut to type the rupees symbol on your system in a second is by pressing Ctrl+Shft+$. Once you press the key combination, the ₹ symbol will be displayed on your document.
Q2. Who invented Indian rupee?
The Indian rupee, derived from the Sanskrit word ‘rupyakam’, meaning silver coin, was issued by Sher Shah Suri originally in 1540-45. The currency continued to be used during the Mughal period, the Maratha era, and the British era.
Q3. Which countries use Indian rupee?
The countries where the Indian rupee is considered a legal tender and is accepted, other than India, are Zimbabwe, Bhutan, and Tibet.
Q4. Why is Indian rupee so weak?
In 1966, India faced high inflation & large government deficits, which led to the devaluation of the Indian rupee in the first place. Moreover, when more dollar goes out of the Indian market, its domestic price increases & the value of Indian rupee decreases.
So these were the top 7 interesting facts about the Indian rupee symbol that we bet you didn’t know before. We often tend to overlook or not observe the signs and symbols in our life, and the rupees symbol, which is the one symbol we encounter every day, is the one most of us do not bother to think about. However, we hope this article helps you gain a deeper understanding of the ₹ symbol.
