LaTeX Math Symbols
The 60+ symbols you actually use, grouped: Greek letters, operators, sets, arrows. Plus how to escape #, $, %, &, _, {, } in body text.
Quick rules
- Most math symbols only work inside math mode (
$ ... $). - Some symbols need
\usepackage{amssymb}(blackboard bold, extended operators). - For symbol search: detexify lets you draw and get the command.
Greek letters
| Lowercase cmd | Symbol | Uppercase cmd | Symbol |
|---|---|---|---|
| \alpha | α | A | Α |
| \beta | β | B | Β |
| \gamma | γ | \Gamma | Γ |
| \delta | δ | \Delta | Δ |
| \epsilon | ε | E | Ε |
| \theta | θ | \Theta | Θ |
| \lambda | λ | \Lambda | Λ |
| \mu | μ | M | Μ |
| \pi | π | \Pi | Π |
| \rho | ρ | P | Ρ |
| \sigma | σ | \Sigma | Σ |
| \phi | φ | \Phi | Φ |
| \omega | ω | \Omega | Ω |
Math operators
| Command | Symbol | Name / use |
|---|---|---|
| \pm | ± | plus-minus |
| \mp | ∓ | minus-plus |
| \times | × | multiplication |
| \div | ÷ | division |
| \cdot | · | dot product |
| \leq | ≤ | less or equal |
| \geq | ≥ | greater or equal |
| \neq | ≠ | not equal |
| \approx | ≈ | approximately |
| \equiv | ≡ | equivalent |
| \sim | ∼ | similar / distributed as |
| \propto | ∝ | proportional to |
| \infty | ∞ | infinity |
| \partial | ∂ | partial derivative |
| \nabla | ∇ | nabla / del |
| \sum | ∑ | summation |
| \prod | ∏ | product |
| \int | ∫ | integral |
| \oint | ∮ | contour integral |
Set theory & number sets
| Command | Symbol | Name / use |
|---|---|---|
| \in | ∈ | element of |
| \notin | ∉ | not element of |
| \subset | ⊂ | subset |
| \subseteq | ⊆ | subset or equal |
| \cup | ∪ | union |
| \cap | ∩ | intersection |
| \emptyset | ∅ | empty set |
| \mathbb{R} | ℝ | real numbers |
| \mathbb{N} | ℕ | natural numbers |
| \mathbb{Z} | ℤ | integers |
| \mathbb{Q} | ℚ | rationals |
| \mathbb{C} | ℂ | complex numbers |
Number sets (ℝ, ℕ, ℤ, ℚ, ℂ) require \usepackage{amssymb}.
Arrows
| Command | Symbol | Name / use |
|---|---|---|
| \rightarrow | → | right arrow / implies (logic) |
| \Rightarrow | ⇒ | double right (implies) |
| \leftarrow | ← | left arrow |
| \Leftarrow | ⇐ | double left |
| \leftrightarrow | ↔ | iff |
| \Leftrightarrow | ⇔ | double iff |
| \mapsto | ↦ | maps to |
| \to | → | to (alias for rightarrow) |
Escaping reserved characters in body text
| Want | Type |
|---|---|
| # | \# |
| $ | \$ |
| % | \% |
| & | \& |
| _ | \_ |
| { | \{ |
| } | \} |
| \ | \textbackslash |
| ~ | \textasciitilde |
| ^ | \textasciicircum |
$ alpha + beta = gamma $ // no backslashes
$ x in RR^n $ // built-in number sets
$ sum_(i=1)^n x_i $ // operators with subscripts
$ inf, partial, nabla $ // English namesType symbol names in plain English. RR for ℝ. No package imports for blackboard bold. Try TypeTeX free.
Frequently Asked Questions
These are reserved characters. Escape them with a backslash: \#, \$, \%, \&, \_, \{, \}. For backslash itself, use \textbackslash (not \\, which is line break). For tilde and caret, use \textasciitilde and \textasciicircum.
Detexify (detexify.kirelabs.org) lets you draw a symbol and it returns the LaTeX command. The Comprehensive LaTeX Symbol List (CTAN) is the encyclopedic reference — 18,000+ symbols across all packages. For a quick start, the symbols in this guide cover 95% of typical math papers.
Use \mathbb{} from the amssymb package: \mathbb{R} for ℝ, \mathbb{N} for ℕ, \mathbb{Z} for ℤ. Add \usepackage{amssymb} to your preamble. These render as the open-faced 'blackboard' style mathematicians use for number sets.
For logical AND: \land or \wedge — both produce ∧. For logical OR: \lor or \vee — both produce ∨. The literal ampersand & is reserved for tabular column separators; in body text type \&.
Lowercase: \alpha, \beta, \gamma, \delta... — backslash + name. Uppercase: capitalize the command for letters that have a distinct uppercase form: \Alpha (no, identical to A), so use \Gamma, \Delta, \Theta, \Lambda, \Pi, \Sigma, \Phi, \Omega. Letters whose uppercase looks identical to Latin (A, B, E, etc.) just use the Latin letter.
Several options. Simplest: ^{\circ} in math mode — produces ° (e.g., $30^{\circ}$ for 30°). For text: \textdegree from textcomp package. For temperatures: $30^{\circ}\text{C}$ or use the siunitx package: \SI{30}{\degreeCelsius}.
\sum is the operator (summation symbol) that automatically scales and gets sub/superscript bounds: $\sum_{i=1}^{n} x_i$. \Sigma is just the uppercase Greek letter sigma, used as a variable name (like a covariance matrix). They look similar but are typeset differently.
\# in text or math mode. The literal # is reserved for macro arguments (in \newcommand definitions). For everyday writing — '\#42' — just escape it.
Different font packages render symbols differently. Computer Modern (LaTeX default) has thinner lines than Times-style fonts. If you load \usepackage{newtxmath}, all symbols become Times-style and may look slightly different. Reproduce a colleague's look by matching their font packages.