Number Abbreviations Guide

Ever come across abbreviations like K, M, or B and wondered what they stand for? This guide breaks down the most common number abbreviations used in math, business, social media, finance, and tech. Learn how to quickly understand large numbers at a glance — from thousands to quintillions.

Basic Number Abbreviations

These are the most widely used abbreviations in everyday math, communication and online.

Abbreviation	Stands for	Example	Number of Zeros
H	Hundred (10²)	1H = 100	2
K or k	Thousand (10³)	1K = 1,000	3
M	Million (10⁶)	1M = 1,000,000	6
B	Billion (10⁹)	1B = 1,000,000,000	9
T	Trillion (10¹²)	1T = 1,000,000,000,000	12
Q	Quadrillion (10¹⁵)	1Q = 1,000,000,000,000,000	15
Qa or P	Quintillion (10¹⁸)	1Qa = 1,000,000,000,000,000,000	18

Scientific / Metric Prefixes

You may encounter these in scientific, industrial, or futuristic contexts. While rare in daily conversation, they matter in high-scale data and economics.

Prefix	Abbreviation	Value
kilo	k	10³
mega	M	10⁶
giga	G	10⁹
tera	T	10¹²
peta	P	10¹⁵
exa	E	10¹⁸

Number Abbreviations FAQ

Ever wondered what abbreviations like K, M, or B actually mean? This Q&A guide answers all your common questions about number shorthand used in finance, social media, data, and everyday life.

What does "K" mean in numbers?

"K" stands for "kilo," which means one thousand. For example, 5K = 5,000.

What does "M" mean in numbers?

"M" represents a million (1,000,000). It's widely used in finance and social media, like $3M = three million dollars.

What does "B" stand for?

"B" means billion (1,000,000,000). Example: A startup valued at $1.2B is worth 1.2 billion dollars.

What does "T" mean?

"T" is short for trillion (1,000,000,000,000). You'll find this in large-scale economics and national budgets.

Is there a letter for hundred?

"H" is sometimes used to mean a hundred (100), but it's not a standard abbreviation.

What does "G" mean in data or numbers?

"G" stands for "giga," which means a billion (10⁹). It's used in terms like gigabytes (GB) or gigawatts (GW).

What comes after trillion?

After trillion come quadrillion (Q = 10¹⁵) and quintillion (Qa or P = 10¹⁸). These are used in science and global-scale data.

Where are number abbreviations used most?

They're common in finance (revenue, market cap), tech (data storage), and social media (followers, views).

Are these abbreviations official?

They're not official in academic writing but are widely accepted in informal communication and media.

Why use number abbreviations?

They make communication faster and easier to digest — especially in headlines, tweets, and dashboards.