How to Read Stock Codes and Tickers
You open the app to buy Samsung Electronics and see the number "005930," while Apple shows the letters "AAPL." They're both stocks, so why are they written differently?
What Are Stock Codes and Tickers?
Because many companies have similar or overlapping names, exchanges attach a unique "identification code" to each stock. It's like a resident registration number for a person.
In Korea this code is commonly called a "stock code," and in the U.S. it's called a "ticker symbol." The names differ, but the role is the same. When placing an order, you specify exactly which stock it is by this code rather than by the company name.
Korea Uses 6 Digits
Korea Exchange (KRX) stock codes are 6-digit numbers. Samsung Electronics is 005930, and SK Hynix is 000660.
There's a reason numbers are used. Asian exchanges adopted numeric codes considering that international investors find it hard to input non-Latin characters like Korean or Chinese. So Korean, Japanese, and Chinese stocks are mostly numeric.
On overseas data sites, Samsung Electronics is sometimes written with a market suffix, like "005930.KS" (.KS = KOSPI, .KQ = KOSDAQ).
The 6-digit number is assigned regardless of the company. The numbers have no special meaning (such as rank or size). (Source: Wikipedia — Ticker symbol; Namuwiki)
The U.S. Uses Alphabetic Abbreviations
The New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) and NASDAQ use tickers of 1 to 5 letters. They're often made to evoke the company's name.
For example, Apple is AAPL, Microsoft is MSFT, Tesla is TSLA, and Coca-Cola is KO. Just from the name, you can roughly guess which company it is.
However, preferred stocks or multiple share classes (Class A/B, etc.) are distinguished by adding a dot (.) or a hyphen (-), and the notation can differ slightly by data provider.
A ticker is requested and assigned when a company lists, and it can change due to a name change and so on. (Source: Wall Street Oasis — Stock Symbol; Capital.com)
Why You Need to Know the Code
Even things that look like the same name can be entirely different companies. Especially with overseas stocks, many tickers sound similar, so misreading a ticker and buying the wrong company actually happens.
So before ordering, it's important to make a habit of checking the company name and the code together. This site's asset search supports Korean names, English names, and tickers all together, so knowing the code accurately lets you quickly find the stock you want.
常见问题
Q. Do stock codes ever change?
Korea's 6-digit numeric codes usually stay the same, but they can change in special cases such as stock splits, mergers, or relisting. U.S. tickers change relatively more often due to name changes or moving exchanges. It's safe to check the latest code before ordering.
Q. Can the same company have both a Korean code and a U.S. ticker?
Yes. If one company is listed on multiple exchanges (dual listing), it has a different code on each exchange. Also, a foreign company listed in the U.S. may receive a separate ticker in the form of an ADR (American depositary receipt). Remember that the code differs depending on which market you trade in.
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