How to read USD to JPY
USD to JPY is the number of JPY (Japanese Yen) that 1 USD (US Dollar) buys. The opposite direction is JPY to USD.
The European Central Bank publishes its reference rates against the euro, so USD to JPY is a cross rate, derived from the two published figures for USD and JPY. The rate for this pair is (JPY per EUR) ÷ (USD per EUR).
Who converts USD to JPY
The dollar to yen pair is one of the most heavily traded in the world. Visitors to Japan convert dollars to yen for hotels, trains and food, exporters and importers hedge against it, and investors watch it closely. Because the yen has no decimals in daily use, prices look like whole numbers, and amounts that seem large are normal.
Facts about this pair
- USD is ISO 4217 code 840 and JPY is code 392; the three letter codes are what the converter and the ECB use to tell currencies apart.
- USD is written with 2 decimal places and JPY with 0 decimal places in ISO 4217, so a result in JPY is rounded to 0 decimal places.
- The reverse pair is the reciprocal: the JPY to USD rate is 1 divided by the USD to JPY rate, apart from rounding.
Japanese prices usually include consumption tax in the tag price, which makes conversion simpler than in the United States, where tax is added later. Tax free shopping schemes for visitors exist in Japan, but their rules are being changed, so check the current conditions before you shop. Convert the amount you actually pay.
The US Dollar and the Japanese Yen
| Detail | US Dollar | Japanese Yen |
|---|---|---|
| ISO code | USD | JPY |
| Symbol | $ | ¥ |
| Central bank | The Federal Reserve System | The Bank of Japan |
| Minor unit | cent, 1/100 of the main unit | sen (not in use), 1/100 of the main unit |
| Used in | The United States and its territories, and it is official or widely used in some other economies such as Ecuador and El Salvador | Japan |
It is the most widely held reserve currency, and many commodities, including crude oil, are priced in it. The sen is no longer used in everyday payments, so yen amounts are shown as whole numbers.
Getting a fair rate on USD to JPY
Japan is still a cash friendly country, and many travellers withdraw yen from ATMs at convenience stores, where the rate comes from your bank or card network. Check your bank's foreign transaction fee, then compare the effective rate with this page.
Japan has many ATMs that accept foreign cards, particularly at convenience stores and post offices, but some small shops and restaurants still prefer cash. Carry enough yen for those, convert a rough daily amount in advance and refill from an ATM when you need more. Because the yen has no decimals, tally your spending in whole numbers to keep the sums simple.
A common slip is shifting the decimal point, because yen amounts are large and have no decimals. Compare the number of digits in your result with the number of digits in the price you started from.
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
Why does the yen not show decimals?
The yen is used in whole units in everyday life, so results are rounded to whole yen. The conversion itself uses the full reference rate before rounding.
What does USD to JPY mean?
It is the amount of Japanese yen you receive for one US dollar. Multiply a dollar amount by the rate to get yen.
How current is the rate?
It is the most recent European Central Bank reference rate, published on working days around 16:00 CET. The exact date is displayed with the result.
Is this an exchange offer?
No. It is information only. The page does not sell currency, and the rate is not a quote you can trade at.
More currency pairs
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