U+03C9 · Greek and Coptic
Omega (ω)
The lowercase omega ω is the last letter of the Greek alphabet. In physics it stands for angular frequency and angular velocity, measured in radians per second. Set theory uses ω for the first infinite ordinal, and nutrition labels use the Latin-spelled omega for fatty acids, as in omega-3. In Greek it is a long o sound.
Character codes
| Unicode code point | U+03C9 | |
|---|---|---|
| Decimal | 969 | |
| HTML named entity | ω | |
| HTML (hex) | ω | |
| HTML (decimal) | ω | |
| CSS | \03C9 | |
| JavaScript | \u03C9 | |
| Python | \u03C9 | |
| UTF-8 bytes | CF 89 | |
| UTF-16 | 03C9 | |
| URL-encoded | %CF%89 |
Character details
| Official name | GREEK SMALL LETTER OMEGA |
|---|---|
| Unicode block | Greek and Coptic |
| General category | Lowercase Letter (Ll) |
| SymbolHero category | Greek Letters |
| Uppercase | Ω Omega (Capital) |
| Emoji | No |
How to type ω
Windows
- In Microsoft Word or Outlook: type
03C9then press Alt + X. - Open Character Map (search “Character Map” in Start), tick “Advanced view”, search for “greek small letter omega”, then Select and Copy.
Mac
- Press Control + Command + Space to open the Character Viewer, search “greek small letter omega”, and double-click the result.
- With the Unicode Hex Input keyboard enabled (System Settings → Keyboard → Input Sources), hold Option and type
03C9.
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 omega” or enter
U+03C9. - HTML:
ωorω - Excel / Google Sheets:
=UNICHAR(969)
Examples
- ω = 2πf
- Angular velocity ω = 3.2 rad/s
- ω-3 fatty acids
- ω + 1 > ω
Good to know
Don’t mix it up: It resembles the pi symbol ϖ (U+03D6), a variant of π that looks like an omega with a bar on top.
Tip: Do not use a Latin w in place of ω in equations; screen readers and search engines treat them as different characters.
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.
Similar greek letters
Questions
What is the Unicode for ω?
It is U+03C9 (GREEK SMALL LETTER OMEGA), decimal 969.
Is there a Windows Alt code for it?
No standard Alt code exists for this character. In Word type 03C9 then Alt+X, or copy it from this page.
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 omega”, or copy it from this page.
What is the HTML code?
Use the named entity ω or the numeric reference ω.