The Kenyan shilling symbol is written as KSh, three ordinary Latin letters rather than a single character. Kenya’s currency has no dedicated Unicode symbol, so you type it exactly as it reads: a capital K, a capital S, then a lowercase h. Copy it below, or type the letters straight from any keyboard.
Because KSh is a plain-letter abbreviation, you never need an Alt code, a special font, or the emoji panel. Any device that types English letters types the Kenyan shilling. In banking, currency converters, and airline pricing you’ll also meet KES, the currency’s ISO 4217 code.
What the Kenyan shilling symbol actually is
Unlike the euro (€) or the pound (£), the Kenyan shilling has no unique glyph in Unicode. The Central Bank of Kenya and most local businesses put the abbreviation KSh in front of the figure, as in KSh 1,500. You will also see Ksh and Kshs used casually, all meaning the same thing.
The three letters are standard Latin characters (K is U+004B, S is U+0053, h is U+0068), so there is nothing to combine or convert. If you want to compare it with currencies that do have their own sign, the world currency symbols list lays them out side by side.
How the Kenyan shilling is written
| Form | What it is | How to type it |
|---|---|---|
| KSh | Standard abbreviation used across Kenya | Type a capital K, a capital S, then a lowercase h |
| Ksh / Kshs | Common informal variants | Type the letters as shown |
| KES | ISO 4217 currency code (banks, forex, airlines) | Type K, E, S |
| 100/= | Local shorthand for a whole-shilling amount, no cents | Type the number, then / and = |
How to type KSh on Windows, Mac, Chromebook, and Linux
There is no Alt code to remember and no numeric keypad involved. On every desktop system, hold Shift for the capital K and the capital S, release Shift, then press h. That’s the whole method, and it works in any text box.
If you’d rather grab it than type it, the copy-and-paste symbols tool keeps KSh and hundreds of other currency marks one click away.
Kenyan shilling in Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Google Sheets
In Word, PowerPoint, and Google Docs you simply type KSh where you want it; none of them needs a code or a symbol menu for plain letters. In Word you can add a time-saver: open File > Options > Proofing > AutoCorrect Options and set a shortcut such as kesh to expand to KSh automatically.
Spreadsheets are the one place a currency format earns its keep. In Excel, select your cells, press Ctrl+1 to open Format Cells, choose Custom, and enter "KSh" #,##0.00 in the Type box.
Numbers then display as KSh 1,500. 00 while staying usable in formulas.
In Google Sheets, select the cells and go to Format > Number > Custom currency, then search for Kenyan Shilling or type "KSh" #,##0.00 into the format field and apply. Sheets keeps each entry as a number you can total and chart.
KSh on iPhone, Android, and chat apps
On iPhone and Android you type the three letters on the standard keyboard, same as any word. To save keystrokes for prices you type often, set up a text replacement: on iOS go to Settings > General > Keyboard > Text Replacement; on Android open Gboard settings > Dictionary > Personal dictionary and map a shortcut to KSh.
Slack, Discord, Notion, and Canva have no special currency menu, and none is needed. Type KSh straight into the message box or text frame. If you use it constantly in one workspace, the same text-replacement trick from your phone or operating system carries over into these apps.
Writing KSh correctly
Place KSh before the number with a single space, like KSh 250. The capital K and S with a small h is the Central Bank of Kenya’s house style; all-caps KSH and lowercase ksh both turn up in the wild but read as less formal.
Use a comma for thousands (KSh 1,250,000) and a period before cents when you show them (KSh 250.50). In receipts and mobile-money messages you’ll often see the trailing /= instead of decimals, which does the same thing for whole amounts.
Where you’ll see KSh
KSh appears on Kenyan price tags, receipts, invoices, and bank statements, and inside every M-Pesa confirmation (“You have received KSh 1,000”). Matatu fares, supermarket shelves, and utility bills all use it. Written amounts often add a local shorthand: 1,500/= means 1,500 shillings with no cents, while 1,500/50 means 1,500 shillings and 50 cents.
One shilling divides into 100 cents, though cent coins have largely dropped out of daily use. Coins circulate in 1, 5, 10, and 20 shilling values, and banknotes in 50, 100, 200, 500, and 1,000. For money crossing borders, such as remittances, forex, or airfare, the ISO code KES does the same job in a format banks recognise everywhere.
KSh on the web
There’s no HTML entity to hunt for: type KSh straight into your markup, since all three letters are plain ASCII. If you’re marking up product prices for search engines, use the ISO code KES in structured-data fields such as priceCurrency, and keep KSh for the text your visitors read.
Don’t mix it up with other shillings
Several East African currencies share the word “shilling,” and each uses its own prefix. Kenya uses KSh, Tanzania uses TSh, Uganda uses USh, and Somalia commonly uses Sh.
So. Reading the prefix, not just the “Sh,” tells you which country’s money you’re looking at.
Frequently asked questions
Is there a single Kenyan shilling symbol like € or £?
No. The Kenyan shilling has no dedicated character in Unicode. It’s written as the abbreviation KSh, and internationally as the ISO 4217 code KES.
What’s the difference between KSh and KES?
KSh is the everyday abbreviation used inside Kenya, usually placed before an amount like KSh 1,500. KES is the three-letter ISO code that banks, currency converters, and airlines use. Both name the same currency.
Should I write KSh, Ksh, or Kshs?
KSh matches the form used by the Central Bank of Kenya, so it’s the safest for formal writing. Ksh and Kshs are common informal variants and are understood everywhere, but KSh looks the most standard.
What does 100/= mean on a Kenyan price tag?
It means 100 shillings exactly, with no cents. The slash separates shillings from cents, so 100/50 is 100 shillings and 50 cents. It’s a local shorthand, separate from the KSh abbreviation.
Does KSh need a special font or Alt code?
No. The three letters are ordinary Latin characters, so any keyboard, phone, or app types them without an Alt code, a special font, or the emoji panel.
Related guides
- Kuwaiti dinar symbol (د.ك): another currency written as a letter abbreviation rather than a single sign.
- Iraqi dinar symbol (ع.د): the same idea, using an Arabic-script abbreviation.
- Nepalese rupee symbol (रू): a rupee that uses its own script character.
- Bangladeshi taka symbol (৳): a single-glyph currency for comparison.
- Browse all currency symbol guides for signs, codes, and shortcuts by country.