A simple guide to maths symbols for children aged 6–11

Maths uses special symbols to help us say things quickly.

Instead of writing:

“Five is greater than three”

we can write:

5 > 3

Much quicker!

In this lesson, you will learn some of the most useful maths symbols, what they mean, and how to use them.

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🎯 What You Will Learn

By the end of this lesson, you should be able to:

• recognise common maths symbols;
• explain what each symbol means;
• compare numbers using <, > and =;
• recognise symbols used for money, decimals and percentages;
• recognise some geometry symbols;
• answer simple symbol questions.

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🟰 1. The Equal Sign

= means Equal To

The equal sign tells us that the amount on one side is the same as the amount on the other side.

Examples:

2 + 3 = 5

10 = 10

6 + 4 = 5 + 5

💡 Think of = as saying “is the same as.”

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🚫 2. The Not Equal Sign

≠ means Not Equal To

We use ≠ when two values are not the same.

Examples:

4 ≠ 7

2 + 2 ≠ 5

10 ≠ 8

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🐊 3. Less Than and Greater Than

These two symbols are very important:

< means Less Than

3 < 8

This means:

3 is less than 8.

> means Greater Than

10 > 6

This means:

10 is greater than 6.

🐊 Easy Way to Remember

Imagine the symbol is a hungry crocodile mouth.

The crocodile always wants to eat the bigger number.

3 < 8

The open mouth points towards 8 because 8 is bigger.

 Crocodile Less Than and Greater Than Guide

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⚖️ 4. Less Than or Equal To

≤ means Less Than or Equal To

This means the number can be smaller than OR exactly equal to another number.

For example:

x ≤ 10

x could be:

4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9 or 10

Example

7 ≤ 10 ✅

10 ≤ 10 ✅

12 ≤ 10 ❌

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⚖️ 5. Greater Than or Equal To

≥ means Greater Than or Equal To

This means the number can be greater than OR exactly equal to another number.

For example:

x ≥ 5

x could be:

5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10…

Examples

8 ≥ 5 ✅

5 ≥ 5 ✅

3 ≥ 5 ❌

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🧠 Remember These Four

Another useful way to say them

≥ can also mean “not less than.”

≤ can also mean “not more than.”

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Maths Comparison Symbols Chart

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💰 6. Money Symbols

Maths symbols are also used when working with money.

¢ means Cents

For example:

50¢

means 50 cents.

$ means Dollars

For example:

$10

means ten dollars.

You might see:

$5.50

That means:

5 dollars and 50 cents.

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🔵 7. The Decimal Point

. means Decimal Point

A decimal point separates whole numbers from parts of a whole.

For example:

2.5

means:

2 and 5 tenths

You will often see decimal points when using money.

$3.75

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🌡️ 8. The Degree Symbol

° means Degrees

The degree symbol can be used when measuring temperature.

For example:

25°C

means:

25 degrees Celsius

It is also used when measuring angles.

For example:

90°

is a right angle.

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💯 9. Percentage

% means Percent

Percent means “out of 100.”

For example:

50%

means:

50 out of 100

or

one half.

Examples

100% = all of something

50% = half

25% = one quarter

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📐 10. The Angle Symbol

∠ means Angle

An angle is formed when two lines meet.

For example:

∠ABC

means:

angle ABC

Types of Angles for Children

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🔺 11. Triangle Symbol

△ represents a Triangle

A triangle has:

• 3 sides
• 3 corners
• 3 angles

You may sometimes see a triangle represented using:

△ABC

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√ 12. Square Root

√ means Square Root

This is usually introduced to older primary-school children.

The square root asks:

“What number multiplied by itself gives this number?”

For example:

√9 = 3

because:

3 × 3 = 9

Another example:

√16 = 4

because:

4 × 4 = 16

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🥧 13. Pi

π means Pi

Pi is a special number used when working with circles.

Its value begins:

π ≈ 3.14

You do not need to memorise lots of digits.

For most introductory work, remember:

π ≈ 3.14

The uploaded learning material also uses pi in its circle formula section.

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🔍 14. Approximately Equal To

≈ means Approximately Equal To

Sometimes an answer is very close to a number but is not exactly the same.

We use:

≈

For example:

π ≈ 3.14

This means:

Pi is approximately 3.14.

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⭐ Maths Symbols Quick Reference

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🎮 Your Turn!

Choose the correct symbol.

Question 1

5 __ 5

Which symbol belongs in the space?

=  <  >

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Question 2

4 __ 9

=  <  >

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Question 3

12 __ 7

=  <  >

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Question 4

Which symbol means not equal to?

=  ≠  >

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Question 5

Which symbol means percent?

$  %  °

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Question 6

Which symbol means approximately equal to?

≈  =  √

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Question 7

Fill in the missing symbol:

8 __ 8

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Question 8

Fill in the missing symbol:

6 __ 10

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Question 9

Fill in the missing symbol:

15 __ 9

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Question 10

What does this mean?

20°C

A. 20 centimetres
B. 20 degrees Celsius
C. 20 cents

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✅ Answers

1. =

2. <

3. >

4. ≠

5. %

6. ≈

7. =

8. <

9. >

10. B — 20 degrees Celsius

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🏆 Challenge Time

Can you fill in the correct symbol?

25 __ 19

13 __ 13

6 __ 12

100 __ 99

45 __ 45

Bonus

What does this mean?

π ≈ 3.14

Answer:

Pi is approximately equal to 3.14.

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👨‍👩‍👧 Grown-Up Tip

For younger learners, start with only:

= ≠ < >

Once your child understands these confidently, introduce:

≤ ≥

Older learners can then explore:

% ∠ √ π ≈

This avoids introducing too many unfamiliar symbols at once.

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🌟 Remember

Maths symbols are like a special maths language.

Once you learn what each symbol means, maths becomes much easier to read.

Learn it. Practise it. Grow! 🌱

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