U+03B1 · Greek and Coptic

Alpha (α)

The lowercase alpha α is the first letter of the Greek alphabet and one of the most widely used symbols in science. It stands for angles in geometry, the significance level in statistics (α = 0.05), alpha particles in physics, and the angular acceleration or thermal expansion coefficient in engineering. In tech, alpha also names early, unfinished software releases.

WindowsAlt 224

UnicodeU+03B1

HTMLα

αU+03B1

Character codes

Unicode code point	`U+03B1`
Decimal	`945`
HTML named entity	`α`
HTML (hex)	`α`
HTML (decimal)	`α`
CSS	`\03B1`
JavaScript	`\u03B1`
Python	`\u03B1`
UTF-8 bytes	`CE B1`
UTF-16	`03B1`
URL-encoded	`%CE%B1`

Character details

Official name	GREEK SMALL LETTER ALPHA
Unicode block	Greek and Coptic
General category	Lowercase Letter (Ll)
SymbolHero category	Greek Letters
Uppercase	Α Greek Capital Letter Alpha
Emoji	No

How to type α

Windows

Hold Alt and type 224 on the numeric keypad (Num Lock on), then release Alt. Alt 224 uses the code page 437.
In Microsoft Word or Outlook: type 03B1 then press Alt + X.
Open Character Map (search “Character Map” in Start), tick “Advanced view”, search for “greek small letter alpha”, then Select and Copy.

Mac

Press Control + Command + Space to open the Character Viewer, search “greek small letter alpha”, and double-click the result.
With the Unicode Hex Input keyboard enabled (System Settings → Keyboard → Input Sources), hold Option and type 03B1.

iPhone & Android

Tap Copy at the top of this page, then long-press where you want it and choose Paste.

Docs & web

Google Docs: Insert → Special characters, then search “greek small letter alpha” or enter U+03B1.
HTML: α or α
Excel / Google Sheets: =UNICHAR(945)

Examples

p < α = 0.05
α-particle decay
Let α be the angle at vertex A.
α-helix protein structure

Good to know

Don’t mix it up: It is often confused with the proportional-to sign ∝ (U+221D), which is open on one side, and with a plain Latin a.

Tip: In formulas, italicize α only if your style guide italicizes Greek variables; many physics journals keep it upright.

Display: the character itself is always the same code point, but its shape comes from the font on the device showing it. If you see an empty box, the font lacks this glyph—the text is still correct.

Guides

Greek Alphabet Symbols: Every Letter to Copy and Paste

Similar greek letters

Greek Capital Letter Gamma

Capital Delta (Δ)

Greek Capital Letter Theta

Capital Sigma (Σ)

Greek Capital Letter Phi

Greek Small Letter Tau

Phi (φ)

Omega (ω)

See all 333 greek letters →

Questions

What is the Unicode for α?

It is U+03B1 (GREEK SMALL LETTER ALPHA), decimal 945.

Is there a Windows Alt code for it?

Yes: Alt 224 on the numeric keypad.

How do I type it on a Mac?

There is no built-in Option shortcut. Use the Character Viewer (Control + Command + Space) and search “greek small letter alpha”, or copy it from this page.

What is the HTML code?

Use the named entity α or the numeric reference α.