Which symbol is the trident?
There is no plain keyboard character called "trident", so people use whichever three-pronged symbol fits. The Greek letter ψ (psi) is the most popular text trident because it works in any font and any app; the capital Ψ looks bolder and more like a classic sea-god trident.
If you want color, 🔱 is the trident emblem emoji, drawn as a gold trident on most phones. ♆ is the astronomical symbol for the planet Neptune, shaped like Neptune's trident, and ⋔ is the math pitchfork sign. Cyrillic and Coptic also have psi letters (Ѱ, Ⲯ) that make good alternatives in names.
In a game name or bio, try framing the trident with other symbols, like ⚓︎ψ⚓︎ or 🌊🔱🌊. The ocean wave symbol page has more sea-themed characters.
What the trident means
In Greek mythology, the trident belongs to Poseidon, god of the sea, earthquakes and horses; the Romans called him Neptune. In Hinduism, the god Shiva carries the trishula, a trident whose three points are read in many ways, such as creation, preservation and destruction. Ukraine's coat of arms, the tryzub, is also a stylized trident.
The letter psi has meanings of its own. Ψ is the emblem of psychology, from the Greek word psyche, meaning soul or mind. In quantum mechanics, ψ is the wave function in the Schrödinger equation, and in plant biology Ψ stands for water potential.
Psi is the 23rd letter of the Greek alphabet, between chi and omega, and stands for the "ps" sound in words like "psyche". See all 24 letters on the Greek letters page.
How to type ψ and 🔱
In Word, type 03C8 for ψ or 03A8 for Ψ and press Alt + X. On a Mac, open the Character Viewer with Control + Command + Space and search "psi" or "trident". With a Greek keyboard layout, the C key types ψ. In LaTeX, use \psi and \Psi; in HTML, ψ and Ψ.
For the emoji, press Windows + . (period) on Windows and search "trident", or search "trident" in the emoji keyboard on iPhone and Android.