Math Symbols Reference
≠ ≤ ∞ ∂ ∫ ∑ — common math symbols, names and LaTeX.
Overview
The Math Symbols reference is a searchable directory of the operators and special characters that show up in mathematics, statistics and computer science: ≠, ≤, ≥, ∞, ∂, ∫, ∑, ∏, ∈, ⊆, → and dozens more. Each row carries the symbol, its English name, the LaTeX command and the Unicode codepoint so you can copy whichever form you need.
It is built for students typing up homework, researchers writing in Markdown or HTML and developers wiring up math input fields. Long-tail queries it answers include "LaTeX command for not equal", "Unicode summation symbol", "where does the infinity symbol come from" and "math symbol for element of".
How it works
The dataset groups symbols into families: arithmetic and relations (=, ≠, ≤, ≥, ≈), set theory (∈, ⊂, ∪, ∩), calculus (∂, ∫, ∑, ∏, ∇), Greek letters used as variables (π, θ, λ) and logic (∀, ∃, ¬, ∧, ∨). Each entry shows the symbol, the LaTeX command, the Unicode codepoint and a one-line description of what the symbol means.
Search is a contains match across name, symbol, codepoint and LaTeX command. Typing "sum" surfaces ∑, typing "U+2211" surfaces the same row, and typing "\sum" works too. The codepoints follow standard four- or five-digit hex with a U+ prefix.
Examples
≠ → \neq → U+2260 → not equal to
∞ → \infty → U+221E → infinity (Wallis, 1655)
∂ → \partial → U+2202 → partial derivative
∑ → \sum → U+2211 → n-ary summation
FAQ
Is there a difference between ∑ and Σ?
Yes — they look similar but are different codepoints. ∑ (U+2211) is the math-specific summation operator with wider spacing; Σ (U+03A3) is the Greek capital sigma. Use the math symbol for sums in formulas.
Why does LaTeX use backslash commands?
LaTeX commands are macros that compose into a typeset symbol. The backslash distinguishes a command from literal text. $\sum_{i=1}^{n} i$ typesets a beautifully aligned summation with sub- and superscripts.
Can I just type the Unicode symbol on my keyboard?
Most operating systems support Unicode entry via a hex code (Ctrl+Shift+U on Linux, hex + Alt+X on Windows) or via the system character picker. For frequent symbols, a custom keyboard layout is faster.
What's the symbol for "much greater than"?
That's ≫ (U+226B, LaTeX \gg). The "much less than" counterpart is ≪ (U+226A, \ll). Both are common in physics and asymptotic analysis.
Why are some symbols in plain ASCII?
Symbols like + - * / = were available on early keyboards and printers. The Unicode math block was added later for the operators that couldn't be expressed with ASCII alone.