Delta Symbol Δ δ — Copy, Paste and Type It

Q: How do I type the delta symbol on a keyboard?

On Windows, press Win + . → Symbols → Greek, or in Microsoft Word type 03B4 and press Alt + X; the classic Alt code Alt + 235 types δ. On a Mac, switch to the Greek keyboard and press D (Shift + D for the capital). Or simply copy it from the top of this page.

Q: What is the LaTeX command for delta?

Use \delta for lowercase δ and \Delta for capital Δ, inside math mode: $\delta$.

Q: What is the Unicode and HTML code for delta?

Lowercase δ is U+03B4, written in HTML as δ or δ. Capital Δ is U+0394, written Δ or Δ.

The delta symbol is the 4th letter of the Greek alphabet, written δ in lowercase and Δ in uppercase. It is pronounced /ˈdɛltə/ (“DEL-tuh”). Click a symbol to copy it.

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Copy the delta symbol

Greek small letter delta U+03B4 · The lowercase letter

Greek capital letter Delta U+0394 · The uppercase letter

Increment U+2206 · A math operator that looks like Δ. It is what Option + J types on a Mac.

Nabla U+2207 · The upside-down delta: gradient, divergence and curl.

White up-pointing triangle U+25B3 · A geometric shape, e.g. △ABC for a triangle.

Dashed boxes are look-alikes that are not the Greek letter — listed so you can tell them apart.

Δ, ∆ and ∇ — three characters that look like delta

There are three triangle-shaped characters you are likely to copy, and only one of them is the Greek letter:

Character	Unicode name	Code point	Use it for
Δ	Greek capital letter delta	U+0394	The letter, and “change in” in formulas
∆	Increment	U+2206	Legacy math operator; what `Option + J` types on a Mac
∇	Nabla	U+2207	The upside-down delta: gradient ∇f, divergence ∇·F

Which one should you use? For “change in”, the Unicode Standard recommends the Greek letter Δ (U+0394); the increment sign ∆ exists mainly for compatibility with old Mac fonts. The catch is that the two look identical, so text typed on a Mac with Option + J will not match a search for “Δ”. If your text will be searched, sorted or parsed, convert ∆ to Δ.

Capital Δ vs lowercase δ: Δ means a finite change (ΔT = 20 °C); δ usually means a tiny, partial or virtual change, or one of the named functions (the Dirac delta, the Kronecker delta).

Not sure which Greek letter you need? See all 24 Greek symbols with codes.

Delta codes — Unicode, HTML, LaTeX and Alt codes

Char	Unicode	HTML entity	HTML decimal	HTML hex	CSS	JavaScript	LaTeX	Windows	Mac
δ	`U+03B4`	`δ`	`δ`	`δ`	`\03B4`	`\u03B4`	`\delta`	`Alt + 235`	Greek keyboard `D`
Δ	`U+0394`	`Δ`	`Δ`	`Δ`	`\0394`	`\u0394`	`\Delta`	`0394` then `Alt + X` (Word)	Greek keyboard `Shift + D`
∆	`U+2206`	`—`	`∆`	`∆`	`\2206`	`\u2206`	`—`	`2206` then `Alt + X` (Word)	`Option + J`
∇	`U+2207`	`∇`	`∇`	`∇`	`\2207`	`\u2207`	`\nabla`	`2207` then `Alt + X` (Word)	Character Viewer
△	`U+25B3`	`—`	`△`	`△`	`\25B3`	`\u25B3`	`\triangle`	`25B3` then `Alt + X` (Word)	Character Viewer

Need the characters without any explanation? Open the Greek letters copy-paste sheet.

How to type the delta symbol

Windows

Fastest: press Win + . to open the emoji panel, choose the Symbols tab (Ω), then Greek.
Alt code: hold Alt and type 235 for δ on the numeric keypad with Num Lock on.
Microsoft Word: type 03B4 and press Alt + X for δ; 0394 then Alt + X for Δ. Word converts it in place.

Mac

Add the Greek keyboard in System Settings → Keyboard → Input Sources, then D types δ and Shift + D types Δ.
Option + J on the standard keyboard types ∆ (Increment, U+2206).
Or open the Character Viewer with Ctrl + Cmd + Space and search “delta”.

iPhone and Android

iOS: Settings → General → Keyboard → Keyboards → Add New Keyboard → Greek. Tap the globe key to switch.
Android (Gboard): Settings → Languages → Add keyboard → Greek.
Or copy the character from the top of this page.

LaTeX

\delta — lowercase δ in math mode
\Delta — capital Δ
\nabla — ∇ (nabla)
\triangle — △ (white up-pointing triangle)

HTML, CSS and code

HTML: δ or δ or δ
CSS: content: "\03B4";
JavaScript / JSON: "\u03B4" — Python: "\u03b4"
In source code, prefer the escape over the pasted glyph — it survives every file encoding.

Full typing guide for every platform, including Linux and Google Docs → how to type Greek letters.

What does delta mean?

Mathematics

Δ — change or difference: Δx is “the change in x”
Δ = b² − 4ac — the discriminant of a quadratic
δ_ij — the Kronecker delta; δ(x) — the Dirac delta
ε–δ — the epsilon–delta definition of a limit

Physics

ΔE, ΔT, Δv — a change in energy, temperature or velocity
δ — a small or virtual variation

Chemistry

Δ over a reaction arrow — heat is applied
ΔH, ΔG — change in enthalpy, change in Gibbs free energy
δ+ / δ− — partial charges; δ — NMR chemical shift in ppm

Engineering

Δ connection — delta (triangle) wiring in three-phase power, versus Y (star)
Δv — delta-v, the velocity budget of a spacecraft

Finance

delta — how much an option’s price moves with the underlying

Everyday

a river delta is named after the triangular shape of Δ
Δ on campus — Delta fraternities and sororities

Delta at a glance

Position: 4th of 24
Uppercase / lowercase: Δ δ
Greek name: δέλτα
Pronunciation: /ˈdɛltə/
Numeric value: 4
Became: Latin D and Cyrillic Д

Frequently asked questions

What is the delta symbol?

Delta (Δ δ) is the 4th letter of the Greek alphabet, pronounced /ˈdɛltə/ (“DEL-tuh”). It is most often used for change, difference, the Dirac and Kronecker delta.

How do I type the delta symbol on a keyboard?

On Windows, press Win + . → Symbols → Greek, or in Microsoft Word type 03B4 and press Alt + X; the classic Alt code Alt + 235 types δ. On a Mac, switch to the Greek keyboard and press D (Shift + D for the capital). Or simply copy it from the top of this page.

What is the LaTeX command for delta?

Use \delta for lowercase δ and \Delta for capital Δ, inside math mode: $\delta$ .

What is the Unicode and HTML code for delta?

Lowercase δ is U+03B4, written in HTML as δ or δ. Capital Δ is U+0394, written Δ or Δ.

What does Δ mean in math?

Δ (capital delta) means “change in”. Δx is the change in x, and ΔT is a change in temperature. Lowercase δ usually means a small or partial change.

Is ∆ the same as Δ?

They look the same, but ∆ (U+2206) is the “increment” math operator and Δ (U+0394) is the Greek letter. A Mac’s Option + J types ∆. For most purposes the Greek letter Δ is preferred.

← See all 24 Greek symbols