What does QR stand for?
QR stands for "Quick Response." The name comes from the code's original purpose: to be read quickly, by machine, on a busy factory line. Here is where the name came from, what "quick" actually refers to, and a few other things "QR" can mean.
The short answer
In "QR code", QR is short for Quick Response. A QR code is a two-dimensional barcode — a square grid of dark and light modules — that a phone camera or scanner can decode in a fraction of a second. The format was created in 1994 by Denso Wave, a Japanese company in the Denso / Toyota group, in a project led by engineer Masahiro Hara.
A QR (Quick Response) code is a 2D barcode that stores text — usually a web link — and is designed to be decoded fast, from any angle, even when partly damaged.
Why "quick response"?
Denso Wave built the code for car-parts logistics. The barcodes in use at the time held only about 20 characters, and factories were stacking several of them on one label, each scanned separately. The goal was a single code that held much more data and could be read at high speed. The name advertises exactly that: a code the reader can respond to quickly.
Several design choices serve that goal:
- Three finder patterns. The large squares in three corners use a distinctive 1:1:3:1:1 band ratio, so a scanner can find the code and its orientation instantly, from any rotation. See how QR codes work.
- Two dimensions. Data is stored across and down, so one small square can hold thousands of characters instead of a dozen digits. See QR code capacity.
- Built-in error correction. Reed-Solomon redundancy lets a smudged or partly covered code still decode on the first try. See error correction levels.
QR, QR code, or QR Code?
All three are used. "QR" alone is the abbreviation; "QR code" is the everyday name for the symbol. "QR Code" (capitalised) is a registered trademark of DENSO WAVE INCORPORATED, which is why careful publishers add a trademark notice. The trademark covers the name, not the use of the format: Denso Wave published the specification (later standardised as ISO/IEC 18004) and chose not to exercise its patent rights, so anyone can make and read QR codes without a licence.
It is pronounced letter by letter: "cue-are code".
Other meanings of QR
Outside barcodes, the letters QR turn up with unrelated meanings — useful to know if a search lands you somewhere odd:
| Context | QR means |
|---|---|
| Barcodes, phones, payments | Quick Response (the QR code) |
| Finance | Quick ratio, a liquidity measure |
| Mathematics | QR decomposition of a matrix (Q orthogonal, R upper-triangular) |
If you meant the barcode, the next step is what a QR code is and what it can hold.
Make a Quick Response code
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Open the generatorFrequently asked questions
What does QR stand for in QR code?
QR stands for Quick Response. Denso Wave chose the name in 1994 because the code was designed to be decoded at high speed.
Who invented the QR code?
Denso Wave, a Japanese company in the Denso / Toyota group, in 1994. The development team was led by Masahiro Hara.
Is "QR Code" a trademark?
Yes. "QR Code" is a registered trademark of DENSO WAVE INCORPORATED. The format itself is an open ISO standard (ISO/IEC 18004) that anyone can use for free.
What is the difference between a QR code and a barcode?
A QR code is a two-dimensional barcode. A classic barcode stores a short number in one row of bars; a QR code stores data in a grid, so it holds far more and includes error correction. See QR code vs barcode.