The Canadian dollar symbol is written as C$ or CA$, and there is no single Unicode character behind it. You build it from two keys you already have: the letter C (or CA) followed by an ordinary dollar sign, $. Copy either form below and paste it into a document, spreadsheet, or bio.
Working with several currencies at once? You can grab any of them from our copy-and-paste symbols tool.
What the Canadian dollar symbol actually is
Canada uses the plain dollar sign, $, which it shares with the US dollar, the Australian dollar, and many others. To keep Canadian amounts distinct in international text, you add a country prefix: C$ or CA$. The three-letter ISO 4217 code is CAD, used in banking and currency exchange.
None of these forms is a special character. C$ is the letter C plus a dollar sign; CA$ is C, A, and a dollar sign. The Canadian dollar is one of many dollar-style currencies, so it helps to see the full world currency symbols list when you are quoting several at once.
Canadian dollar symbol codes
The dollar sign is the only part with its own code point. C$ and CA$ are combinations you type key by key, so they carry no code of their own. In the table below, the Unicode column is hexadecimal and the Alt code column is decimal, so do not type a hex value into an Alt code.
| Character | Name / role | Unicode (hex) | Alt code (decimal) | HTML |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| C$ | Canadian dollar (common form) | No single code point | No single Alt code | Type C then $ |
| CA$ | Canadian dollar (explicit form) | No single code point | No single Alt code | Type CA then $ |
| CAD | ISO 4217 code (not a glyph) | — | — | Type C, A, D |
| $ | Dollar sign (the only glyph) | U+0024 | Alt+0036 | $ |
| C | Latin capital letter C | U+0043 | the verified method shown in the table | C or C |
You almost never need the Alt codes: both C and $ are on every standard keyboard. They are listed only for completeness.
How to type the Canadian dollar symbol on any device
Because C$ is two normal characters, you type it almost the same way everywhere. Press C, then hold Shift and press 4 for the dollar sign.
No symbol picker, no Alt code, no special mode. The few platform wrinkles are below.
Windows, Mac, and Chromebook
On a US or UK keyboard, type C, then press Shift+4 for $. That is the whole method on all three systems, and none of them needs an Alt code for it.
If your layout hides the dollar sign (some AZERTY and other European layouts give it a dedicated key), check the bottom-right of the keyboard. You can also open Character Map on Windows or the Character Viewer on Mac (Ctrl+Cmd+Space) and pick a $ from there.
Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Google Docs and Sheets
Just type C and $. There is no reason to open Insert → Symbol for characters already sitting on your keyboard. The one thing to watch is currency formatting: if a cell or field is set to a currency format, the app inserts its own locale symbol, often a bare $, not C$.
To show C$ in Excel or Google Sheets while keeping the value numeric, apply a custom number format like "C$"#,##0.00 . That prints C$1,234.
56 and still lets you sum the column. Typing C$ as plain text works too, but then the cell is no longer a number.
iPhone and Android
Type C on the letter keyboard, then tap the number key (123 on iPhone, ?123 in Gboard on Android) and tap $. Press and hold the $ key to see other currency signs like ¢, €, £, and ¥, but Canada’s is not among them, so you still add the C yourself.
Notion, Slack, Discord, and Canva
All four accept normal characters, so type C$ or CA$ directly. None has a special symbol menu, and none needs one here.
If you enter Canadian amounts constantly, set up a text replacement so a short trigger expands to CA$. On Mac use System Settings → Keyboard → Text Replacements; on iPhone or iPad use Settings → General → Keyboard → Text Replacement. The expansion then works inside every app, including these.
HTML and CSS
Write C$ or CA$ as plain text. The dollar sign has a named entity, $, plus numeric forms $ (decimal) and $ (hex), though you rarely need them because $ is safe ASCII.
For a priced product, keep the visible text as C$ and set the machine-readable currency to the ISO code in your structured data (priceCurrency: "CAD" in schema.org). That tells Google and other parsers it is Canadian dollars, not US.
Where you’ll see C$ and CA$
The prefixed forms show up wherever Canadian dollars sit next to another dollar currency: international price comparisons, cross-border invoices, e-commerce checkouts serving both Canada and the US, travel and forex sites, and financial reports. Inside Canada, a plain $ on the price tag is enough because nothing else competes with it.
C$ vs CA$ vs CAD: which to use
All of them mean Canadian dollars; the choice is about clarity. Put the currency mark before the amount (C$100) and the ISO code after it (100 CAD).
| Form | When to use |
|---|---|
| $ | Inside Canada, where no other dollar is in play |
| C$ | International text; compact and common |
| CA$ | When C$ might be misread; Google and some banks use it |
| Can$ | Older print style, still seen |
| CAD | Banking, forex, and accounting; goes after the amount (1,000 CAD) |
The Australian dollar sign works the same way, with A$ or AU$ standing in for another currency that has no glyph of its own.
Related guides
- Browse every currency symbol guide
- Egyptian Pound Symbol (E£), another prefix-plus-sign currency
- Bitcoin Symbol (₿), a currency that does have its own glyph
- Pakistani Rupee Symbol (₨)
- Ghana Cedi Symbol (₵)
Frequently asked questions
Is there a single symbol for the Canadian dollar?
No. Canada uses the shared dollar sign, $, and adds a C or CA prefix to make it specific: C$ or CA$. There is no dedicated Unicode character or Alt code for a “Canadian dollar” glyph. In banking you will also see the ISO code CAD.
What is the difference between C$ and CA$?
Nothing in meaning; both are Canadian dollars. CA$ is more explicit and less likely to be read as another currency, which is why Google and some banks prefer it. C$ is shorter and common in general writing.
Why does my spreadsheet show a plain $ instead of C$?
Because the cell’s currency format inserts your locale’s symbol, usually a bare $. To display C$, apply a custom number format such as "C$"#,##0.00
, or type C$ in front of the number as text. The custom format keeps the cell numeric so you can still add it up.
Does C$ work in a username or bio?
The letter C always works. The dollar sign is standard ASCII and works on most platforms, though a few sites block $ in usernames for security reasons. If $ is rejected, the field is filtering it, not failing to support it.
Should I write C$100 or 100 CAD?
Both are correct in different places. Use C$ before the number in prices and general text (C$100). Use the ISO code CAD after the number in financial and technical contexts (100 CAD).