International Forex Currency Pairs – Best Explained 2025

Trading on Forex Markets : Buying And Selling Forex Currency Pairs

Currency pairs represent two separate currencies whose values are traded against one another. The first listed currency in a pair is known as its base currency while its second listed counterpart is known as its quote currency

Imagine every one of your currency pairs always engaged in a “tug of war” with each currency on their own edge of the rope.

A rate of exchange is the value for two different currencies in two distinct nations.

Exchange rates fluctuate like to the currency that is stronger in the present.

There are three kinds that include currency pairs:

  • 1.   “Majors”
  • 2.   “Crosses”
  • 3.   “Exotics” 

The most important currencies always contain one currency: the U.S. dollar.

The cross-currency pair does not contain those that include the U.S. dollar. Crosses that include one of the main currencies is called ” minors”.

Exotic currency pairs comprise one major currency as well as one currency that comes from the emerging market (EM).

What is Forex trading?

Trading in forex is it’s simultaneous buying of a currency and selling it to another.

The exchange of currencies is done through an “forex broker” or “CFD provider” and are traded in pairs. Currencies are traded as a percentage of an additional currency.

For instance EUR and the U.S. dollar ( EUR/USD) or the British pounds and The Japanese the yen ( GBP/JPY).

Major Currency Pairs :

Currency pairs
Currency pairs

The currency pairs below are referred to as the “Majors.”

All of these pairs contain USD, or the U.S. dollar ( USD) on one side, and are among the most traded.

Although there’s EIGHT significant currencies. There are only seven important exchange rates.

As compared to the exotics and crosses The price fluctuates more frequently when compared to the majors. This provides greater trading opportunities.

CURRENCY PAIRCOUNTRIESFOREX GEEK SPEAK
EUR / USDEurozone / United States“Euro dollar”
USD / JPYUnited States / Japan“dollar yen”
GBP / USDUnited Kingdom / United  States“pound dollar”
USD / CHF United States / Switzerland “dollar swissy”
USD / CAD
United States / Canada “dollar loonie”
AUD / USD
Australia / United States“aussie dollar”
USD / NZD
 United States / New Zealand
“dollar kiwi”

 

The majors are the largest and most liquid in the world.

Liquidity is used to define the degree of activity within the world of finance.

In forex, it’s determined on the number of traders who buy and sell the currency pair in question and the amount of currency being traded.

The more often something is traded is the more liquid it is.

For instance there are more traders who use with the currency pair EUR/USD in greater volumes than the currency pair AUD/USD.

This implies that EUR/USD is more liquid than USD/AUD.

Major Cross-Currency Pairs or Minor Currency Pairs :

Currency pairs that comprise any two major currencies with the exception of those that include the U.S. dollar is referred to as cross-currency pairings or, more commonly, as ” crosses.”

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Major crosses can also be referred to by the term ” minors.”

Although they aren’t as often traded as majors, the cross markets are still quite liquid and bring many trading opportunities.

The most frequently traded crosses come from three major currency pairs that are not USD, EURJPY and GBP.

Euro Crosses :

CURRENCY PAIRCOUNTRIESFOREX GEEK SPEAK
EUR / CHF Eurozone / Switzerland“euro swiss”
EUR / GBP Eurozone / United Kingdom“euro pound”
EUR / CAD Eurozone / Canada“euro loonie”
EUR / AUDEurozone / Australia “euro aussie”
EUR / NZD Eurozone New Zealand“euro kiwi”
EUR / SEK Eurozone / Sweden“euro stockie”
EUR / NOK  Eurozone / Norway
“euro nockie”

 

Yen Crosses :

CURRENCY PAIRCOUNTRIESFOREX GEEK SPEAK
EUR / JPYEurozone / Japan“euro yen”
GBP / JPYUnited Kingdom / Japan “pound yen”
CHF / JPY Switzerland / Japan“swiss yen”
CAD / JPY Canada / Japan“loonie yen”
AUD / JPYAustralia / Japan “aussie yen”
NZD / JPYNew Zealand / Japan“kiwi yen”

Pound Crosses :

CURRENCY PAIRCOUNTRIESFOREX GEEK SPEAK
GBP / CHFUnited Kingdom / Switzerland“pound swiss”
GBP / AUDUnited Kingdom / Australia“pound aussie”
GBP / CADUnited Kingdom / Canada “pound loonie”
GBP / NZDUnited Kingdom / New Zealand“pound kiwi”

 

Other Crosses :

CURRENCY PAIRCOUNTRIESFOREX GEEK SPEAK
AUD / CHFAustralia / Switzerland“aussie swiss”
AUD / CAD Australia / Canada“aussie loonie”
USD / AUDAustralia / New Zealand “aussie kiwi”
CAD / CHFCanada / Switzerland“loonie swiss”
USD / NZDNew Zealand / Switzerland“kiwi swiss”
NZD / CADNew Zealand / Canada“kiwi loonie”

 

Exotic Currency Pairs :

No, exotic couples are non-exotic belly dancers that are twins.

exorbitant money is a form of currency used in countries with emerging or developing markets.

Currency pairs that are exotic comprise of one major currency that is paired with the national currency a developing economy, like Brazil, Mexico, Chile, Turkey, or Hungary.

In essence the term “exotic currency” consists of one major currency along with another exotic currency.

The chart below offers some examples of foreign currency pairs.

Are you interested in making a guess as to what these other currency symbols mean?

According to the forex broker you choose depending on your broker, you could see the following currency pairs, so it’s important to be aware of what they are.

Remember that these pairs aren’t extensively traded as “majors” or “crosses,” therefore the cost of trading these pairs are typically more expensive.

CURRENCY PAIRCOUNTRIESFOREX GEEK SPEAK
USD / BRL United States / Brazil “dollar real”
USD / HKD United States / Hong Kong 
USD / SAR United States / Saudi Arabia“dollar riyal”
USD / SGD United States / Singapore “dollar sing”
USD / ZARUnited States / South Africa “dollar rand”
USD / THBUnited States / Thailand “dollar baht”
USD / MXN United States / Mexico “dollar mex”
USD / RUB United States / Russia “dollar ruble”
USD / PLN United States / Poland “dollar zloty”
USD / CLP United States/ Chile

 

It’s not uncommon to find spreads that are three or two times greater than EUR/USD or EUR/JPY.

Because of the less liquidity the exotic currency pairs tend to be much more receptive to geopolitical and economic events.

For instance the possibility of a political scandal or unanticipated election payoff could cause the exchange rate of an exotic currency to move dramatically.

If you are planning to trade exotic currency pairs make sure you factor this into your plan.

For those who find themselves captivated by exotic creatures, here’s a more extensive list.

COUNTRYCURRENCY CODE COUNTRYCURRENCY CODECOUNTRYCURRENCY CODE
UAE DirhamAEDIndian RupeeINR Afghanistan AfghaniAFN
 Georgian Lari GEL Malaysian Ringgit MYRArmenian DramAMD
 Guyanese DollarGYDMozambique new Metical MZN  Aruban FlorinAWG
Indonesian Rupiah IDR  Omani RialOMRAzerbaijan New Manat AZN
Iraqi Dinar IQD Qatari RialQAR  Sierra Leone LeoneSLL
Bahraini DinarBHD Iranian Rial IRR Botswana Pula BWP
 Jordanian Dinar JOD Tajikistani Somoni TJS Belarusian RubleBYR
 Kyrgyzstani Som KGSTurkmenistan new ManatTMTCongolese Franc  CDF
Lebanese Pound LBP Tanzanian SchillingTZS Algerian DinarDZD 
Liberian Dollar LRDUzbekistan SomUZSEgyptian Pound EGP
Moroccan DirhamMADSamoan TalaWST Estonian KroonEEK 
Mongolian TugrikMNT Malawi KwachaMWK Ethiopian Birr ETB
Thai Baht   THBNew Turkish Lira  TRY Zimbabwe DollarZWD
South African Rand ZAR Chilean PesoCLP Brazilian Real BRL
Chinese Yuan Renminbi
CNYCzech Koruna  CZK Hungarian Forint HUF
Hong Kong DollarHKD Israeli Shekel ILS South Korean WonKRW
Mexican PesoMXN Pakistani RupeePKR Philippine Peso PHP
Argentinean Peso ARSIcelandic Krona ISK Kuwaiti DinarKWD
Singaporean DollarSGD Saudi Arabian Riyal SAR Taiwanese DollarTWD
Russian RubleRUB Polish Zloty  PLN  
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In addition to the three major categories of currency pairs there are several “groups” of currencies that are used within the Forex world that you must know about.

G10 Currencies :

G10 currencies are the G10 currencies are 10 of the most frequently traded currencies around the globe They are also ten of most liquid currencies in the world.

Traders often trade and buy them on an open market, with little effect on their own exchange rates.

COUNTRYCURRENCY NAME CURRENCY CODE
United States dollar
  USD
European Union euro
  EUR
United Kingdompound  GBP
Japan yen JPY
Australia dollar AUD
New Zealand dollar NZD
Canadadollar CAD
SwitzerlandfrancsCHF
Norway Krone NOK
SwedenKrone SEK
DenmarkKrone DKK

 

The Scandies :

Currency pairs
Currency pairs

 

Scandinavia is a subregion of Northern Europe, with strong cultural, historical, and cultural ties.

The expression ” Scandinavia” in everyday usage refers to the three kingdoms comprising Denmark, Norway, and Sweden.

Together, they are referred to as”the ” Scandies“.

Then, Denmark and Sweden established the Scandinavian Monetary Union to join their currencies on the gold standard. Norway was later added to the union.

It meant that all of these countries had now one currency that had the same value in terms of money, however, each country had their own currency.

However, when World War I happened, the gold standard was demolished in the aftermath of World War I, and then in the aftermath, the Scandinavian Monetary Union disbanded. The countries in question decided to continue with the currency, even though the value was distinct from each other. It’s the current state of affairs.

If you look at their names for currency the same, they’re all similar. This is because the word “krone or krona” literally is “crown”, and the variations in the spelling of the name reflect the distinctions between North Germanic languages.

Crown currencies. What an awesome name isn’t it?

I don’t know about your however, saying “Hook me up with some crowns yo.” is much cooler as “Hook me up with some dollahs yo.”

COUNTRYCURRENCY NAME CURRENCY CODE
Denmark krone DKK
Sweden krona SEK
Norway Krone NOK

 

SEK as well as NOK Also, they have fun nicknameslike ” Stockie” and ” Nokie“.

Also, when it is paired with U.S. dollar, USD/SEK is read as “dollar stockie” and USD/NOK is read as “dollar nockie”.

CEE Currencies :

Currency pairs
Currency pairs

” CEE” means Central Eastern Europe. Eastern Europe.

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Central as well as Eastern Europe is a term covering the countries in Central Europe and which includes the Baltics, Eastern Europe, and Southeast Europe (the Balkans) generally referring to former communist states that were part of the Eastern Bloc (Warsaw Pact) in Europe.

Central and Eastern European Countries (CEECs) is an OECD term used to describe the group of countries that includes Albania, Bulgaria, Croatia and Albania, Bulgaria and Croatia. Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland, Romania, the Slovak Republic, Slovenia, and the three Baltic States: Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania.

In the FX market There are four major CEE currencies that you should keep an eye on.

COUNTRYCURRENCY NAMECURRENCY CODE
Hungary forint HUF
Czech Republic koruna CZK
Poland Zloty PLN
Romania leu RON

 

 BRIICS :

BRIICS can be the acronym used to describe the alliance of six important emerging economies of the world, Brazil, Russia, India, Indonesia, China along with South Africa.

In the beginning, the four countries were classified together as ” BRIC” (or “the BRICs”). BRICs was a term coined in the name of Goldman Sachs to name today’s emerging economies that are high-growth and new.

BRIICS is the term coined through the OECD after it was added to Indonesia as well as South Africa.

COUNTRYCURRENCY NAMECURRENCY CODE
India rupee INR
Brazil real BRL
Russia ruble RUB
Indonesia rupiah IDR
China yuan CNY
South Africa rand ZAR

 

BRICS Plus+ :

The BRICS Summit held in September 2023, BRICS Plus+ countries announced plans to broaden the grouping to be comprised of the addition of new member countries.

Argentina, Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, Saudi Arabiaand the United Arab Emirates have been invited to become full members beginning in January 2024.

New BRICS+ will represent 46 percent of the global population and contribute around 37 percent of the world’s GDP.

 

Frequently Asked Questions :

Which is the most common currency in Forex?

Answer :

  • Currency pairs are essentially a combination of currencies whose value of one is in relation to the value of the other. For instance, GBP / USD is what is the worth of British sterling relative to U.S. dollar.

What is the main currencies?

Answer :

  • Major currency pairings (“majors”) Major currency pairs are ones that contain those that include the U.S. dollar and are the most commonly traded.
  • There are seven including EUR/USD, USD/JPY GBP/USD, USD/CAD USD/CHF and AUD/USD. NZD/USD.

What are the currencies crosses?

Answer :

  • The currency crosses (“crosses”) These are most traded currencies that DO NOT contain USD. U.S. dollar in their combination. Crosses include EUR/GBP, EUR/CAD, GBP/JPY, EUR/CHF, EUR/JPY, etc.

How many currencies exist?

Answer :

  • There are a myriad of currency pairs available, however not all of them can be traded on the Forex market. There is a United Nations currently recognizes 180 currencies. If you could join each currency to another, you’d have quite a few.

What Are Currency Pairs?

Answer :

  • Currency pairs represent two separate currencies whose values are traded against one another.
  • The first listed currency in a pair is known as its base currency while its second listed counterpart is known as its quote currency.

How Can I Trade Currency Pairs ?

Answer :

  • In order to begin trading currency pairs, first select a reliable forex broker and open an account.
  • Next, deposit funds, select your chosen pair to trade, and utilize your broker’s trading platform for placing trades.

What are the major currency pairs?

Answer :

  • The major pairs include EUR/USD (Euro/US Dollar),  USD/JPY (US Dollar/Japanese Yen), GBP/USD (British Pound/US Dollar),
  • USD/CHF (US Dollar/Swiss Franc), AUD/USD (Australian Dollar/US Dollar) and USD/CAD (US Dollar/Canadian Dollar),
  • which are most often traded and have the highest liquidity.

How are currency prices determined?

Answer :

  • Currency prices are determined by various factors, including interest rates, economic indicators, political events and market sentiment. Prices fluctuate based on supply and demand dynamics in each pair.

What Is Leverage in Forex Trading?

Answer :

  • Leverage allows traders to control larger positions with less actual cash on hand, which increases profits but increases risk as well. Leverage should only ever be used sparingly, understanding all possible implications before trading using leverage.

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