Omega Symbol Ω — Copy, Paste and Type It
The omega symbol is the 24th letter of the Greek alphabet, written ω in lowercase and Ω in uppercase. It is pronounced /oʊˈmeɪɡə/ (“oh-MAY-guh”). Click a symbol to copy it.
Omega is the last letter of the Greek alphabet — hence “the Alpha and the Omega”, the first and the last. Capital Ω is also the symbol for the ohm, and that is where the confusion starts: Unicode has a separate “ohm sign” that looks identical.
Copy the omega symbol
Dashed boxes are look-alikes that are not the Greek letter — listed so you can tell them apart.
Ω vs Ω — the omega and the ohm sign are two code points
| Character | Unicode name | Code point | HTML | Use |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ω | Greek capital letter omega | U+03A9 | Ω | The letter — and, per Unicode, the ohm too |
| Ω | Ohm sign | U+2126 | Ω | Legacy compatibility character for the unit |
| ω | Greek small letter omega | U+03C9 | ω | Angular velocity, angular frequency |
| ℧ | Inverted ohm sign | U+2127 | ℧ | The mho ℧, old unit of conductance |
Which Ω should you copy for ohms? Use the Greek letter Ω (U+03A9). The ohm sign U+2126 exists only so that old character sets could be converted without loss; Unicode defines it as canonically equivalent to the Greek letter, and normalisation (NFC) — which many databases, browsers and programming languages apply automatically — silently turns Ω into Ω anyway. Writing “10 kΩ” with the Greek letter is correct and future-proof.
Typing it: Alt + 234 on Windows and Option + Z on a Mac both type the Greek capital Ω (U+03A9). Lowercase ω has no classic shortcut — copy it here, or in Word type 03C9 and press Alt + X.
In LaTeX, \Omega and \omega give the letters, \varOmega (amsmath) gives an italic capital, \mho (amssymb) gives ℧, and with siunitx \si{\kilo\ohm} typesets kΩ with correct spacing.
ω is not w. Lowercase omega is rounder and has no pointed bottom; it should not be used as a stand-in for the Latin w (or vice versa) in formulas.
Not sure which Greek letter you need? See all 24 Greek symbols with codes.
Omega codes — Unicode, HTML, LaTeX and Alt codes
| Char | Unicode | HTML entity | HTML decimal | HTML hex | CSS | JavaScript | LaTeX | Windows | Mac |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ω | U+03C9 | ω | ω | ω | \03C9 | \u03C9 | \omega | 03C9 then Alt + X (Word) | Greek keyboard V |
| Ω | U+03A9 | Ω | Ω | Ω | \03A9 | \u03A9 | \Omega | Alt + 234 | Option + Z |
| Ω | U+2126 | Ω | Ω | Ω | \2126 | \u2126 | — | 2126 then Alt + X (Word) | Character Viewer |
| ℧ | U+2127 | ℧ | ℧ | ℧ | \2127 | \u2127 | \mho | 2127 then Alt + X (Word) | Character Viewer |
Need the characters without any explanation? Open the Greek letters copy-paste sheet.
How to type the omega symbol
Windows
- Fastest: press
Win + .to open the emoji panel, choose the Symbols tab (Ω), then Greek. -
Alt code: hold
Altand type234for Ω on the numeric keypad with Num Lock on. - Microsoft Word: type
03C9and pressAlt + Xfor ω;03A9thenAlt + Xfor Ω. Word converts it in place.
Mac
- Add the Greek keyboard in System Settings → Keyboard → Input Sources, then
Vtypes ω andShift + Vtypes Ω. Option + Zon the standard keyboard types Ω (Greek capital letter Omega, U+03A9).- Or open the Character Viewer with
Ctrl + Cmd + Spaceand search “omega”.
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
\omega— lowercase ω in math mode\Omega— capital Ω\mho— ℧ (inverted ohm sign (mho))
HTML, CSS and code
- HTML:
ωorωorω - CSS:
content: "\03C9"; - JavaScript / JSON:
"\u03C9"— Python:"\u03c9" - 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 omega mean?
Physics & electronics
- Ω — the ohm, the SI unit of electrical resistance (1 kΩ = 1000 Ω)
- ω — angular velocity and angular frequency, ω = 2πf
- Ω — solid angle, measured in steradians
Mathematics & computer science
- Ω(n) — big-Omega, an asymptotic lower bound
- ω — the first infinite ordinal; ω — a primitive root of unity
Cosmology
- Ω — the density parameter of the universe
Chemistry & nutrition
- ω-3, ω-6 — omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids, named by the position of a double bond counted from the last (ω) carbon
Culture
- “the Alpha and the Omega” — the first and the last, from the Book of Revelation
- Ω on campus — Omega fraternities and sororities
Omega at a glance
- Position
- 24th of 24
- Uppercase / lowercase
- Ω ω
- Greek name
- ωμέγα
- Pronunciation
- /oʊˈmeɪɡə/
- Numeric value
- 800
- Became
- Cyrillic Ѡ (omega)
Frequently asked questions
What is the omega symbol?
Omega (Ω ω) is the 24th letter of the Greek alphabet, pronounced /oʊˈmeɪɡə/ (“oh-MAY-guh”). It is most often used for ohm, angular velocity.
How do I type the omega symbol on a keyboard?
On Windows, press Win + . → Symbols → Greek, or in Microsoft Word type 03C9 and press Alt + X; the classic Alt code Alt + 234 types Ω. On a Mac, Option + Z types Ω, or switch to the Greek keyboard and press V (Shift + V for the capital). Or simply copy it from the top of this page.
What is the LaTeX command for omega?
Use \omega for lowercase ω and \Omega for capital Ω, inside math mode: $\omega$.
What is the Unicode and HTML code for omega?
Lowercase ω is U+03C9, written in HTML as ω or ω. Capital Ω is U+03A9, written Ω or Ω.
What is the difference between Ω and Ω?
They look identical but are two different characters. U+03A9 is the Greek capital letter omega; U+2126 is the ohm sign. Unicode treats them as equivalent and recommends U+03A9 for both the letter and the unit.
How do I type the omega symbol on a Mac?
Press Option + Z to type Ω (U+03A9). For lowercase ω, enable the Greek keyboard and press V, or use the Character Viewer (Ctrl + Cmd + Space).
What does ω mean in physics?
Lowercase ω is angular velocity or angular frequency, measured in radians per second. It is related to ordinary frequency by ω = 2πf.