---
title: symbol
framework: foundation
role: symbol
role_heading: Instance Property
path: foundation/unit/symbol
---

# symbol

The symbolic representation of the unit.

## Declaration

```swift
var symbol: String { get }
```

## Discussion

Discussion The symbol of a unit is a string that can be used to designate a number as a quantity of a particular unit in user-readable representations. Units typically have symbols that are abbreviated and standardized, so as to be easily and unambiguously conveyed. For example, the milePerHour unit has the symbol mph. If a unit does not have a standardized or well-understood symbol, the lowercase name of the unit can be used. For example, the metricCup unit has the symbol metric cup. Unit symbols may incorporate a metric prefix to indicate a multiple or fraction of existing unit symbols. For example, the kilogram unit has the symbol kg, which uses the SI prefix k for kilo- to indicate a magnitude of 103 for the gram unit, and the microgram unit has the symbol µg, which uses the SI prefix µ for micro- to indicate a magnitude of 10-6 for the gram unit.