Zoho Sheet CHAR Function: Syntax, Examples and Troubleshooting

You may have received numeric code values from a data export, or you may need a separator without typing the character directly into a complex formula. For example, code 32 represents a standard ASCII space and code 45 a hyphen. Keep these cases to documented, uncomplicated ASCII codes to avoid character-set uncertainty on different systems.

=CHAR(number)

Zoho explicitly demonstrates CHAR(37) → %, CHAR(101) → e, and CHAR(65) → A. Its page does not state a Unicode standard, character set beyond this range, or whether control characters render consistently in a cell. A numeric code larger than 255 should not be presented as a supported input based on this reference.

Version, platform and locale scope

The syntax below is taken from Zoho Sheet’s current public English online function reference checked October 11, 2026. That reference does not identify the first Zoho release supporting this function or prove identical behaviour across historical releases, desktop wrappers, iOS, Android, or account configurations. No such first-supported version is claimed here. The published Zoho examples use semicolons (;) between arguments; syntax displayed by a localized application should be checked in its formula helper rather than copying separators from Excel. Zoho documents spreadsheet locale controls for number, date, currency, and decimal formats. Do not assume text that looks like a number will parse identically under all locales. Zoho locale settings.

Use a new Zoho Sheet spreadsheet. Create these six column headings in row 1, then enter the eight example rows. Select column E as text before entering values, because these are intentionally imported-looking numeric strings; a CSV import may otherwise turn them into numbers. Keep order identifiers in A as text. If importing the included CSV, inspect column types afterward and correct them before comparing formulas. The examples use fictitious records only.

A formula such as =B2 references the first data row, not the header. Enter examples in blank cells, or create a separate Results sheet and select the sample cells to form explicit references. When copying a formula down, check the references advance to the correct rows. Set result cells to General where you want to see the returned value without extra display formatting.

1. Start in a blank cell and enter =CHAR(65). Expected A. This is one uppercase Latin letter, not a number 65.
2. Enter =CHAR(37). Expected %; you may also compare this with Zoho’s own published example.
3. Enter =CHAR(101). Expected e.
4. Enter =CHAR(32). Expected one ASCII space, which may look blank. To make it visible, place it between words in the next step.
5. Enter =CONCATENATE(B2;CHAR(32);C2). With Ada in B2 and Ng in C2, expected Ada Ng.
6. Enter =CHAR(45). Expected a literal hyphen -.

Assume an external system needs a prefix joined to the original order number. Use:

=CONCATENATE("ID";CHAR(45);A2)

For row 2, the expected output is ID-ORD-001. This technique is useful when the separator is stored as a code or when you need to make it explicit that the separator is plain ASCII. Inspect any downstream system requirements: CHAR creates text, not a data-cleaning guarantee. Avoid generating invisible control characters unless there is a specific, independently verified need.

A reversible ASCII spot-check for your own testing is =CODE(CHAR(65)), expected 65 in the common ASCII subset. CODE and CHAR are related but the official CODE reference describes a numeric range of 0–255, while CHAR specifies accepted input values of 1–255; this difference does not prove every non-ASCII round trip succeeds.

Unicode caution: For codes 128–255, the reference does not identify a mapping guaranteed to match Excel on Windows, Excel on Mac, Google Sheets or other operating systems. Do not build a Unicode character library by extrapolating CHAR beyond its documented domain. For specialized characters, verify a documented alternative for that application/version rather than claiming CHAR accepts arbitrary Unicode code points.

Microsoft’s Excel CHAR also accepts numbers 1–255 but documents that the resulting character set may depend on the operating environment: Windows uses an ANSI set and Mac uses a Macintosh set. Excel for the web additionally restricts support for some control codes. Thus even when the numeric syntax is similar, values above ASCII 127 and invisible characters should be treated as migration risks. Basic CHAR(65) is a safer portability check. Zoho’s documented example needs only one argument so it has no separator difference for CHAR itself.

Quick questions

Why is CHAR(32) invisible? It represents a space; append it between words to inspect it.

Can I use a code above 255? Not on the basis of Zoho’s published CHAR syntax: the documented input domain is 1–255.

Can I create a line break? Character codes often represent controls, but native rendering, wrapping and export should be verified in Zoho before relying on it.

• CONCATENATE — join several text values.
• REPT — repeat text without building a string manually.
• CHAR — get a character from its numeric code.
• CODE — inspect the first character’s code.
• VALUE — convert text representing a number into a numeric result.
• LEFT, LEN, TEXTJOIN, and TRIM — related text tools under review.

• Zoho Sheet — function documentation
• Zoho locale settings

Verification status: Official documentation checked; example outcomes were independently reasoned or arithmetically checked where applicable. Not executed in Zoho Sheet.

• No genuine Zoho Sheet screenshots are included; this guide does not use mock application images.