<p>That's the kanji 円, pronounced "hen" or "yen", which means both "circle" and, as you might have guessed from the pronunciation, the japanese currency.</p>

<p>The ¥ symbol is the international symbol of the currency used for trade deals and in tourist destinations inside Japan, while 円 is the more common and japanese way to refer to local money.</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2017-01-04T23:00:54.457Z
So we can just chuck it up to the animators preference rather than some in universe reason why Yen is being used in Russia?
Memor-X
CC BY-SA 3.0
2017-01-04T23:07:46.917Z
Pretty much. This could be a mistake, it could've been done on purpose, or it could just be a case of whoever was assigned to that specific series of frames not caring enough.
Some Guy
CC BY-SA 3.0
2017-01-06T09:28:29.027Z
The pronunciation you're referring to is neither "hen" nor "yen", but "en", like in "and" but without the terminal "d". Any other pronunciation is totally different.
Right leg
CC BY-SA 3.0
2017-01-04T22:59:49.287Z
2017-01-04T22:59:49.287Z
Some Guy
<p>That's just the Japanese word "yen", written as a word 円 <em>en</em> rather than with the currency symbol ¥. </p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2017-01-04T23:00:52.020Z
So we can just chuck it up to the animators preference rather than some in universe reason why Yen is being used in Russia?
Memor-X
CC BY-SA 3.0
2017-01-04T22:58:47.350Z
2017-01-04T22:58:47.350Z
senshin
<p>Not only is that the symbol for Japanese yen, the phone itself is also something utterly Japanese, a <a href="http://japanvisitor.blogspot.ch/2010/09/public-telephones-in-japan.html" rel="noreferrer">pink public phone</a>:</p>

<p><a href="https://i.sstatic.net/TU9y5.jpg" rel="noreferrer"><img src="https://i.sstatic.net/TU9y5.jpg" alt="enter image description here"></a></p>

<p>They're very iconic (somewhat ubiquitous decades ago when you'd see them in shops or restaurants) but also very outdated (They only take 10 yen coins which is not much at all). If there are any still being operated then as something between a curiosity and a "living fossil".</p>

<p>So basically, if that scene is supposed to play in Russia, it's either some sort of joke or the animators were very sloppy, maybe reusing a generic "using a public phone" sequence.</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2017-01-05T10:59:35.823Z
2017-01-05T15:30:09.870Z
2017-01-05T15:30:09.870Z
Michael Borgwardt
<p>In the sixth episode of the second season of <em>Darker than Black</em>, Hei hung up a payphone.</p>

<p><a href="https://i.sstatic.net/dzYxY.png" rel="nofollow noreferrer"><img src="https://i.sstatic.net/dzYxY.png" alt="Payphone image"></a></p>

<p>On this payphone there is some symbol. They’re supposedly in Russia; however, the Russian currency symbol is ₽. What does this symbol mean? I doubt they would make up a currency since they also reference the CIA and MI6.</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2017-01-08T17:45:21.283Z
Have you actually *seen* that symbol get used in Russia? In my recollection, I only remember руб being used …
Jan
<japanese-language><darker-than-black>
What does this symbol represent on this payphone?
# What does this symbol represent on this payphone?
Posted by: username_0 on 2017-01-04
In the sixth episode of the second season of *Darker than Black*, Hei hung up a payphone.

[![Payphone image](https://i.sstatic.net/dzYxY.png)](https://i.sstatic.net/dzYxY.png)

On this payphone there is some symbol. They’re supposedly in Russia; however, the Russian currency symbol is ₽. What does this symbol mean? I doubt they would make up a currency since they also reference the CIA and MI6.
**Tags:** japanese-language darker-than-black
> **Comments:**
> **username_1**: Have you actually *seen* that symbol get used in Russia? In my recollection, I only remember руб being used …  
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## 3 answers
### Answer by username_6 on 2017-01-05. Score: 27 | Accepted answer
Not only is that the symbol for Japanese yen, the phone itself is also something utterly Japanese, a [pink public phone](http://japanvisitor.blogspot.ch/2010/09/public-telephones-in-japan.html):

[![enter image description here](https://i.sstatic.net/TU9y5.jpg)](https://i.sstatic.net/TU9y5.jpg)

They're very iconic (somewhat ubiquitous decades ago when you'd see them in shops or restaurants) but also very outdated (They only take 10 yen coins which is not much at all). If there are any still being operated then as something between a curiosity and a "living fossil".

So basically, if that scene is supposed to play in Russia, it's either some sort of joke or the animators were very sloppy, maybe reusing a generic "using a public phone" sequence.
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### Answer by username_5 on 2017-01-04. Score: 14
That's just the Japanese word "yen", written as a word 円 *en* rather than with the currency symbol ¥.
> **Comments:**
> **username_3** (2017-01-04): So we can just chuck it up to the animators preference rather than some in universe reason why Yen is being used in Russia?  
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### Answer by username_2 on 2017-01-04. Score: 8
That's the kanji 円, pronounced "hen" or "yen", which means both "circle" and, as you might have guessed from the pronunciation, the japanese currency.

The ¥ symbol is the international symbol of the currency used for trade deals and in tourist destinations inside Japan, while 円 is the more common and japanese way to refer to local money.
> **Comments:**
> **username_3** (2017-01-04): So we can just chuck it up to the animators preference rather than some in universe reason why Yen is being used in Russia?  
> **username_2** (2017-01-04): Pretty much. This could be a mistake, it could've been done on purpose, or it could just be a case of whoever was assigned to that specific series of frames not caring enough.  
> **username_4** (2017-01-06): The pronunciation you're referring to is neither "hen" nor "yen", but "en", like in "and" but without the terminal "d". Any other pronunciation is totally different.  
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