How to read JPY to USD
JPY to USD is the number of USD (US Dollar) that 1 JPY (Japanese Yen) buys. The opposite direction is USD to JPY.
The European Central Bank publishes its reference rates against the euro, so JPY to USD is a cross rate, derived from the two published figures for JPY and USD. The rate for this pair is (USD per EUR) ÷ (JPY per EUR).
Who converts JPY to USD
Yen to dollars is used by people in Japan who buy from abroad or travel to the United States, by Japanese exporters and by anyone trying to read a yen price in dollars. Because yen amounts are large, results in dollars can be much smaller numbers, and it is easy to be off by a factor of ten if you convert by hand. This converter does the arithmetic and keeps the decimals visible.
Facts about this pair
- JPY is ISO 4217 code 392 and USD is code 840; the three letter codes are what the converter and the ECB use to tell currencies apart.
- JPY is written with 0 decimal places and USD with 2 decimal places in ISO 4217, so a result in USD is rounded to 2 decimal places.
- The reverse pair is the reciprocal: the USD to JPY rate is 1 divided by the JPY to USD rate, apart from rounding.
Japanese online stores that ship abroad may list prices in yen even for overseas buyers, and the final dollar charge depends on your card's rate. Some also exclude Japanese consumption tax for export orders. Convert the listed price here, then read the checkout page carefully for the final total and its currency.
The Japanese Yen and the US Dollar
| Detail | Japanese Yen | US Dollar |
|---|---|---|
| ISO code | JPY | USD |
| Symbol | ¥ | $ |
| Central bank | The Bank of Japan | The Federal Reserve System |
| Minor unit | sen (not in use), 1/100 of the main unit | cent, 1/100 of the main unit |
| Used in | Japan | The United States and its territories, and it is official or widely used in some other economies such as Ecuador and El Salvador |
The sen is no longer used in everyday payments, so yen amounts are shown as whole numbers. It is the most widely held reserve currency, and many commodities, including crude oil, are priced in it.
Getting a fair rate on JPY to USD
When you enter a yen amount, check the number of zeros you typed. Adding or dropping a zero changes the result tenfold. If the dollar figure looks surprising, re-read the amount before trusting it.
Do not rely on dropping zeros in your head when you read a Japanese price tag, because yen amounts are large and a slip of one digit changes the answer tenfold. Use the converter above and type the exact yen amount. If you are paying with a card in dollars, remember that the issuer's own rate and any foreign fee apply on top of the figure shown here.
Dollar results for small yen amounts show extra decimal places so that they do not round to zero. For example, a very small yen price will show several digits after the point.
Where the rate comes from
The rate loads in your browser from Frankfurter, which republishes European Central Bank reference rates. They are published on working days for information only, and a bank is not obliged to deal at them. If the service cannot be reached the page shows no number, except a rate saved in your browser within six hours, marked as cached. How the rates work is explained on the currency pairs page. Nothing here is financial advice.
FAQ
What does JPY to USD mean?
It is the number of US dollars you receive for one Japanese yen. The figure is far below one, because a yen is worth much less than a dollar.
Why does the result have so many decimals?
One yen is worth a small fraction of a dollar. The converter shows extra digits for small amounts so that they do not round to zero.
Where does the rate come from?
From the European Central Bank daily reference rate for the yen, served through the Frankfurter service. The date is shown beside the result.
Is this suitable for currency trading?
No. It is a reference rate for information, not a live trading price, and nothing on the page is financial advice.
More currency pairs
Other pairs on this site, each with its own latest rate and notes:
- USD to JPY: the same exchange read the other way.
- AUD to USD: another route into USD.
- EUR to USD: another route into USD.
- GBP to USD: another route into USD.
- CNY to USD: another route into USD.
- CAD to USD: another route into USD.
- USD to MXN: a related pair.
- USD to INR: a related pair.
- All currency pairs: the full list.
- Currency converter: choose any two of the supported currencies.