Shekel sign

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₪
Shekel sign
In UnicodeU+20AA ₪ NEW SHEQEL SIGN (HTML ₪)
Related
See alsoOld Sheqel sign.svg (Old Israeli shekel)
Category
The two ways of representing shekels. The "₪" symbol on the left and the abbreviation "ש״ח" on the right may be used interchangeably.

The shekel sign (₪) is a currency sign used for the Israeli new shekel, which is the currency of Israel.

Israeli new shekel (1986–present)[]

The Israeli new shekel is denoted in Hebrew: שקל חדש (šéqel ħadáš, IPA: [ˈʃekel χaˈdaʃ], lit. "New Shekel") or by the acronym Hebrew: ש״ח ([ʃaχ]). The symbol was announced officially on 22 September 1985, when the first new shekel banknotes and coins were introduced.[1] It is constructed by combining the two Hebrew letters that constitute the acronym (the first letter of each of the two words, Hebrew is written from right to left): "ש" and "ח". Sometimes the "₪" symbol (Unicode 20AA) is used following the number, other times the acronym Hebrew: ש״ח.

The Israeli toll road symbol bearing the Shekel sign.

The shekel sign, like the dollar sign ("$"), is usually placed left of the number (i.e. "₪12,000" and not "12,000₪"), but since Hebrew is written from right to left, this means that the symbol is actually written after the number. It is either not separated from the preceding number, or is separated only by a thin space.

Unlike the dollar sign, the new shekel sign is not used that often when handwriting monetary amounts.

The road sign announcing the entrance to an Israeli toll road, such as Highway 6 or the Carmel Tunnels, is a shekel symbol with a road in the background.

Unicode and input[]

The symbol has the Unicode code point U+20AA ₪ NEW SHEQEL SIGN (HTML ₪). It has been in Unicode since June 1993, version 1.1.0.

Using the standard Hebrew keyboard (SI 1452), it must be typed as AltGr+A (the letter ש appears on the same key in regular Hebrew mode). The Shekel sign, however, is not engraved on most keyboards sold in Israel and the sign is rarely used in day-to-day typing.

  • On systems with the Hebrew keyboard layout set, it can be typed on modern[a] Microsoft Windows, desktop Linux and Chrome OS by using AltGr+4.
  • On most Unix heritage systems, it can be entered by holding down Ctrl+Shift+u, releasing and then typing the Unicode code point 20aa then space or ↵ Enter, irrespective of keyboard setting.
  • On Mac OS X it can be typed as ⇧ Shift+7 when the system is set to a Hebrew keyboard layout.

Old Israeli shekel (1980–1985)[]

Old Sheqel sign.svg

The old Israeli shekel, "Old Sheqel sign.svg", in circulation between 1980 and 1985, had a different symbol, which was officially announced on 18 March 1980.[2] It was a stylized Shin shaped like a cradle (i.e. rounded and opening upward). This symbol appeared on checks issued by Israeli banks between 1980 and 1985. Quoting prices in new shekels started officially on 1 January 1986, and the old shekel checks remaining unused had to be stamped with the new shekel symbol over the old symbol.

Before the introduction of the old shekel in 1980, there was no special symbol for the Israeli currency.

See also[]

Notes[]

  1. ^ Windows 8 or later

References[]

  1. ^ Reshumot - Yalkut Pirsumin (Israeli official gazette, collection of miscellaneous announcements), Collection No. 3254, 14 Tishrei 5746, 29 September 1986, p. 430, ISSN 0334-2980 (in Hebrew).
  2. ^ Reshumot - Yalkut Pirsumin (Israeli official gazette, collection of miscellaneous announcements), Collection No. 2619, 27 Nisan 5740, 13 April 1980, p. 1423, ISSN 0334-2980 (in Hebrew).