If you’re staring at a price tag in Zurich or trying to format a fancy invoice for a client in Geneva, you’ve probably realized something weird. Unlike the dollar with its iconic $ or the euro’s €, the Swiss franc doesn't really have a single, universal "cool" symbol that everyone agrees on. Honestly, it’s kinda confusing at first.
You might see CHF one minute, Fr. the next, and then some old-school document uses SFr. and you’re left wondering if they’re all the same thing. They are. But using them correctly depends entirely on who you’re talking to and how much you want to look like a local pro.
The Swiss franc currency symbol is less of a symbol and more of a collection of abbreviations that vary by language, region, and how "official" the situation is. Because Switzerland has four national languages—German, French, Italian, and Romansh—they needed a way to talk about money that didn't start a civil war.
The many faces of the Swiss franc symbol
Most people assume there’s a secret character hiding on their keyboard. There isn't. While there is a dedicated Unicode character for the "Franc Sign" ($₣$), almost nobody in Switzerland actually uses it. If you use it, you’ll probably just confuse people or look like you’re trying way too hard.
Basically, here is how it actually breaks down in the real world:
CHF: The Heavy Hitter
This is the ISO 4217 code. It stands for Confoederatio Helvetica Franc. The "CH" comes from the Latin name for Switzerland, which is a clever way to avoid picking one of the four national languages over the others. You’ll see this in banks, on flight bookings, and in any international business context. It’s the safest bet. If you use CHF, you literally can't be wrong.
Fr. and fr.: The Local Favorites
In day-to-day life, you’ll see Fr. (with a capital F) in German-speaking areas. If you wander over to the French or Italian parts of the country, you might see fr. in lowercase. Shopkeepers love these because they’re fast to write.
SFr.: The "Old Reliable"
You’ll still see SFr. (Swiss Franc) floating around in older texts or certain financial reports. It was super common back when the French franc was still a thing, mostly to make sure nobody thought you were talking about French money. Since the euro took over in France, SFr. has started to fade away, but it's not "wrong" per se—just a bit dated.
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Where do you put the symbol?
This is where it gets tricky. In English, we’re used to putting the symbol before the number, like $100. But the Swiss are a bit more flexible—or frustrating, depending on your perspective.
In most official Swiss contexts, the symbol goes before the amount.
Example: CHF 50.00
However, if you're writing in a more casual setting or following French linguistic rules within Switzerland, you might see the symbol placed after the amount.
Example: 50 fr.
And here’s a pro tip that’ll make you look like a local: the decimal separator. While the US and UK use a period (10.50) and much of Europe uses a comma (10,50), Switzerland is the land of the "point." For currency, they almost always use a dot.
But wait, there's more. If it’s a whole number with no cents, the Swiss love using a dash. So, instead of writing CHF 10.00, you’ll often see 10.–. It looks clean, it’s fast, and it’s quintessentially Swiss.
Why "CHF" is actually the king
If you’re doing anything digital—Excel sheets, coding, or international wire transfers—just stick to CHF.
The International Organization for Standardization (ISO) created these three-letter codes so that computers wouldn't explode trying to figure out which "dollar" or "franc" was being discussed. Since there are still other francs in the world (like the CFP franc used in French territories in the Pacific), CHF is the only way to be 100% specific.
I once saw a business contract get held up for three days because someone used a generic "Fr" symbol and the legal team in another country wasn't sure if they were dealing with a legacy currency or a specific regional one. Save yourself the headache.
Rappen, Centimes, and the "Small Stuff"
The Swiss franc is divided into 100 units. But again, because of the whole four-languages thing, the name changes depending on where you are.
- In German: Rappen (Rp.)
- In French: Centimes (c.)
- In Italian: Centesimi (ct.)
- In Romansh: Rap (rp.)
Most price tags won't even bother with these abbreviations unless it's for something tiny. Usually, you’ll just see the decimal, like CHF 1.25.
Common mistakes to avoid
One of the biggest blunders travelers make is trying to use the Euro symbol (€) in Switzerland. While many shops in tourist areas like Interlaken or Lucerne will accept Euros, they’ll usually give you a terrible exchange rate and give you your change back in Swiss francs anyway.
Another mistake is the "Double Symbol." You don't need to write CHF Fr. 100. Pick one and stay with it.
Quick Checklist for Usage:
- International Business: Always use CHF.
- Handwritten notes: Fr. or fr. is fine.
- Whole numbers: Use the .– suffix for that local flair (e.g., 5.–).
- Placement: Before the number is the standard for most formal documents.
Actionable Next Steps
If you’re setting up a business document or just trying to get your travel budget right, here is exactly what you should do:
- Update your spreadsheets: Set your currency locale to English (Switzerland) or German (Switzerland). This will automatically format your numbers with the correct dot separator and the CHF prefix.
- Check your keyboard: Don't waste time looking for a special symbol. Just type the letters C-H-F. It’s the most professional way to handle it.
- Mind the gap: Always put a space between the symbol and the number. CHF100 looks cramped; CHF 100 is the way to go.
By sticking to CHF, you respect the linguistic neutrality of Switzerland and ensure that your financial data is understood from Wall Street to the Bahnhofstrasse. No fancy symbols required—just three simple letters that carry the weight of one of the world's most stable economies.