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{{short description|Typographic abbreviation of the word "number(s)"}}
{{Infobox symbol
|mark=№
|unicode = {{unichar|2116|Numero sign|html=}}
|see also = {{unichar|0023|Number sign|nlink=|html=}}
|different from=
}}

The '''numero sign''' or '''numero symbol''', '''№''', (also represented as '''Nº''', '''No̱''',  '''No.''' or '''no.'''),<ref>{{cite web|title=no. or No.|url=http://www.thefreedictionary.com/no.|work=The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language|publisher=Houghton Mifflin Company|date=2009|access-date=May 13, 2013}}</ref><ref name=Concise>{{cite encyclopedia|title = The Concise Oxford Dictionary of Current English | year = 2008 | publisher = [[Organization:Oxford University Press|Oxford University Press]] |isbn=9780199548415}}</ref> is a typographic abbreviation of the word ''number''(''s'') indicating [[Ordinal number|ordinal numeration]], especially in names and titles. For example, using the numero sign, the written long-form of the address {{font|text= "Number 22 Acacia Avenue"| font=Serif}} is shortened to {{font|text= "№ 22 Acacia Ave"| font=Serif}}, yet both forms are spoken long.

Typographically, the numero sign combines as a single [[Social:Orthographic ligature|ligature]] the uppercase Latin letter {{angbr|N}} with a usually superscript lowercase letter {{angbr|o}}, sometimes underlined, resembling the masculine ordinal indicator {{angbr|º}}. The ligature has a [[Code point|code point]] in [[Unicode]] as a [[Precomposed character|precomposed character]], {{unichar|2116|Numero sign}}.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://unicode-table.com/en/2116/|title=№ – Numero Sign (U+2116) symbol, character, icon, html: № – Letterlike Symbols – Unicode character table|work=unicode-table.com}}</ref>

The ''Oxford English Dictionary'' derives the numero sign from [[Social:Latin|Latin]] {{lang|la|numero}}, the ablative form of {{lang|la|numerus}} ("number", with the ablative denotations of "by the number, with the number"). In Romance languages, the numero sign is understood as an abbreviation of the word for "number", e.g. Italian {{lang|it|numero}}, French {{lang|fr|numéro}}, and Portuguese and Spanish'' {{lang|ca|{{lang|ga|{{lang|pt|{{lang|es|número}}}}}}}}''.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.askoxford.com/concise_oed/nox?view=uk|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060317013723/http://www.askoxford.com/concise_oed/nox?view=uk|url-status=dead|archive-date=March 17, 2006|title=Oxford Dictionaries – Dictionary, Thesaurus, & Grammar|work=askoxford.com}}</ref>

This article describes other typographical abbreviations for "number" in different languages, in addition to the numero sign proper.

==Usages==
The numero sign's non-ligature substitution by the two separate letters {{angbr|N}} and {{angbr|o}} is common. A capital or lower-case "n" may be used, followed by "o.", superscript "o", ordinal indicator, or the degree sign; this will be understood in most languages.

===Bulgarian===
[[File:Bulgarian BDS layout.svg|thumb|upright=1.5|[[Social:Bulgarian language|Bulgarian]] keyboard layout (BDS 5237:1978)]]
In Bulgarian the numero sign is often used and it is present in three widely used keyboard layouts accessible with {{keypress|Shift-0}} in BDS and prBDS and with {{keypress|Shift-3}} on the Phonetic layout.

===English===
In English, the non-ligature form {{char|No.}} is typical and is often used to abbreviate the word "number".<ref name=Concise /> In North America, the number sign, {{char|#}}, is more prevalent. The ligature form does not appear on British or American QWERTY keyboards.

===French===
The numero symbol is not in common use in France and does not appear on a standard AZERTY keyboard. Instead, the French Imprimerie nationale recommends the use of the form "n<sup>o</sup>" (an "n" followed by a superscript lowercase "o"). The plural form "n<sup>os</sup>" can also be used.<ref name=imp_nat>{{cite book|title=Lexique des règles typographiques en usage à l'Imprimerie nationale|publisher=Imprimerie nationale|year=2002|isbn=978-2-7433-0482-9|language=fr}}</ref> In practice, the "o" is often replaced by the [[Degree symbol|degree symbol]] (°), which is visually similar to the superscript "o" and is easily accessible on an AZERTY keyboard.

===Indonesian and Malaysian===
"Nomor" in Indonesian and "nombor" in Malaysian; therefore "No." is commonly used as an abbreviation with standard spelling and full stop.

===Italian===
[[File:N_with_combining_o_above_Numero.jpg|thumb|Sign showing the rarer Nͦ form in Italy]]
The sign is usually replaced with the abbreviations "n." or "nº", the latter using a masculine ordinal indicator, rather than a superscript "O".<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.chass.utoronto.ca/~ngargano/corsi/corrisp/abbreviazioni.html|title=La corrispondenza italiana: abbreviazioni|access-date=2010-05-17|archive-date=2010-06-14|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100614090655/http://www.chass.utoronto.ca/~ngargano/corsi/corrisp/abbreviazioni.html|url-status=dead}}</ref>

===Philippine languages===
Because of more than three centuries of Spanish colonisation, the word ''número'' is found in almost all Philippine languages. "No." is its common notation in local languages as well as English.

===Portuguese===
In Portugal, the similar-looking notation {{char|n.º}} is often used.<ref>For example, {{cite web|title=Lei da Nacionalidade (Consolidado)|url=https://dre.pt/web/guest/legislacao-consolidada/-/lc/34536975/diploma|language=pt|trans-title=Law of Nationality (consolidated)|publisher=Diário da República}} Portuguese official legislation Web site, with frequent use of "n.º".</ref> In Brazil, where Portuguese is the official language, {{char|nº}} is often used on official documents.<ref>For example, [http://www.planalto.gov.br/ccivil_03/_ato2015-2018/2017/decreto/D9199.htm Decree no. 9.199, of 20 November 2017], Government of Brazil {{in lang|pt}}. Brazilian presidency Web site, with frequent use of "nº".</ref> In both cases, the symbol used ({{char|º}}) is the masculine ordinal indicator.

===Russian===
[[File:KB Russian.svg|thumb|Russian keyboard layout for Windows. The {{char|№}} sign can be seen on the {{keypress|3}} key.]]
Although the letter {{angbr|N}} is not in the [[Social:Russian alphabet|Cyrillic alphabet]], the numero sign {{char|№}} is typeset in Russian publishing, and is available on [[Social:Russian alphabet#Keyboard layout|Russian computer and typewriter keyboards]].

The numero sign is very widely used in Russia and other [[Earth:Post-Soviet states|post-Soviet states]] in many official and casual contexts. Examples include usage for law and other official documents numbering, names of institutions (hospitals, kindergartens, schools, libraries, organization departments and so on), numbering of periodical publications (such as newspapers and magazines), numbering of public transport routes, etc.

"№ п/п" (''{{lang|ru|номер по порядку}}'', "sequential number") is universally used as a table header to denote a column containing the table row number.

The № sign is sometimes used in Russian [[Medicine:Medical prescription|medical prescription]]s (which according to the law must be written in [[Social:Latin language|Latin language]]<ref>[http://pravo.gov.ru/proxy/ips/?docbody=&nd=102554270 Order of the Ministry of Health of Russian Federation № 4N], chapter I, article 17.</ref>) as an abbreviation for the Latin word ''numero'' to indicate the number of prescribed dosages (for example, tablets or capsules), and on the price tags in drugstores and pharmacy websites to indicate number of [[Medicine:Unit dose|unit dose]]s in drug packages, although the standard abbreviation for use in prescriptions is the Latin {{char|N.}}

===Spanish===
The numero sign is not typically used in Iberian Spanish, and it is not present on standard keyboard layouts. According to the Real Academia Española<ref>{{cite web | title=¿Cuál es la abreviatura de "número"? | publisher=Real Academia Española| url=https://www.rae.es/duda-linguistica/cual-es-la-abreviatura-de-numero | language=es | access-date=21 January 2024}}</ref> and the Fundéu BBVA,<ref>{{cite web|title=número, abreviatura|url=http://www.fundeu.es/consulta/numero-abreviatura-145/|website=Fundéu BBVA|date=23 February 2006|access-date=21 March 2016}}</ref> the word ''número'' (number) is abbreviated per the Spanish typographic convention of ''letras voladas'' ("flying letters"). The first letter(s) of the word to be abbreviated are followed by a period; then, the final letter(s) of the word are written as lowercase superscripts. This gives the abbreviations n.<sup>o</sup> (singular) and n.<sup>os</sup> (plural). The abbreviation "no." is not used (it might be mistaken for the Spanish negative word ''no''). The abbreviations  nro. and núm. are also acceptable. The numero sign, either as a one-character symbol (№) or composed of the letter N plus superscript "o" (sometimes underlined or substituted by ordinal indicator º), is common in Latin America, where the interpolated period is sometimes not used in abbreviations.

===Nr.===
In some languages, ''Nr.'', ''nr.'', ''nr'' or ''NR'' is used instead, reflecting the abbreviation of the language's word for "number". In German, which capitalises all nouns and abbreviations of nouns, the word ''{{lang|de|Nummer}}'' is abbreviated as ''Nr.'' Lithuanian uses this spelling as well, and it is usually capitalised in [[Organization:Bureaucracy|bureaucratic]] contexts, especially with the meaning "reference number" (such as ''{{lang|lt|sutarties Nr.}}'', "contract No.") but in other contexts it follows the usual sentence capitalisation (such as ''tel. nr.'', abbreviation for ''{{lang|lt|telefono numeris}}'', "telephone number").  It is commonly lowercase in other languages, such as Dutch, Danish, Norwegian, Polish{{Dubious|reason=This could be wrong because in many Polish texts, they are not usually written in lower case, but rather capitalised like "Nr 9".|date=August 2023}}, Romanian, Estonian and Swedish. Some languages, such as Polish, omit the dot in abbreviations if the abbreviation ends with the last letter of the original word.

==Typing the symbol==
On typewriters and computer keyboards that do not implement this symbol, it is acceptable and commonplace to replace it with the trigraph "No." (letter "N", letter "o", and a period (full stop)).

On typewriters and computers that implement the degree symbol  a digraph "N°" may be used. If the masculine ordinal indicator is available, the better digraph "Nº" may be used. These result in a passable approximation of the numero sign, but a consistent notation must be used if digital data must support search terms including the symbol.

On Russian computer keyboard layout, the № character is available and often located on the {{key press|3}} key.

In [[Software:MacOS|macOS]], the character can be typed as {{key press|Shift|Option|{{;}}}} with some keyboard layouts.
In X11 (and related, like Linux) systems with a compose key, the character can be typed using {{key press|Compose}}, {{key press|Shift|N}}, {{key press|O}}. Alternatively [[Unicode input#In X11 (Linux and other Unix variants including ChromeOS)|standard XIM style]] can be used: {{key press|Ctrl|Shift|u}} then {{key press|2|1|1|6|Enter|chain=}}.

In [[Software:Microsoft Windows|Microsoft Windows]] and [[HTML]] in general, the numero sign &#8470; can be entered by the [[Unicode input]] methods <code>&amp;#8470;</code> or <code>&amp;#x2116;</code>.

==Technical considerations==
{{blockquote|Implementations interworking with legacy data should be aware of [...] alternative representations for the ''numero sign'' when converting data.
|source=The Unicode Standard.<ref>{{Cite web|title=The Unicode Standard 5.0 — 15.2 Letterlike Symbols|publisher=The Unicode Consortium|url=https://www.unicode.org/versions/Unicode5.0.0/ch15.pdf#G14143|year=2007|access-date=2009-09-11}}</ref>
}}

== See also ==
*Superior letter

==References==

{{reflist}}

== External links ==
* [http://unicode.org/charts/PDF/U2100.pdf Unicode Letterlike Symbols code chart]


{{DEFAULTSORT:Numero Sign}}
[[Category:Numbers]]

{{Sourceattribution|Numero sign}}