| , | Separates chromosome modal number, sex chromosomes, and chromosome abnormalities |
| - | Loss of a chromosome |
| ( ) | Surround structurally altered chromosomes and breakpoints |
| + | Gain of a chromosome |
| ; | Separates rearranged chromosomes and breakpoints involving more than one chromosome |
| / | Separates cell lines or clones |
| // | Separates recipient and donor cell lines in bone marrow transplants |
| del | Deletion |
| der | Derivative chromosome (used when only one chromosome from a translocation is present, or when one chromosome has two or more structural abnormalities) |
| dic | Dicentric chromosome |
| dn | Chromosomal abnormality not inherited from parents (de novo) |
| dup | Duplication of a portion of a chromosome |
| fra | Fragile site (usually used with Fragile-X syndrome) |
| h | Heterochromatic region of chromosome |
| i | Isochromosome (both arms of the chromosome are the same) |
| ins | Insertion of a portion of a chromosome |
| inv | Inversion |
| .ish | Precedes karyotype results from fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) analysis |
| mar | Marker chromosome (unidentifiable piece of chromosome) |
| mat | Maternally derived chromosome rearrangement |
| p | Short arm of a chromosome |
| pat | Paternally derived chromosome rearrangement |
| psu dic | Only one centromere is active (pseudo dicentric) |
| q | Long arm of a chromosome |
| r | Ring chromosome |
| t | Translocation |
| ter | Terminal end of arm (i.e. 2qter - end of the long arm of chromosome 2) |
| tri | Trisomy |
| trp | Triplication of a portion of a chromosome |
