Why Is Fraktur g Not Showing in My LaTeX Resume?

If \mathfrak{g} disappears or produces an error in a LaTeX resume, the usual causes are that it is outside math mode or that the AMS font package is missing. The command is a math-mode command, not a text font command.

Put the command in math mode

Wrap the command in inline math delimiters wherever it appears in running text:

The Lie algebra is denoted by $\mathfrak{g}$.

For a displayed expression, use \[ ... \] instead:

\[
\mathfrak{g} = \mathrm{Lie}(G)
\]

The braces group the letter that receives the Fraktur styling. In this case, \mathfrak{g} produces a lowercase Fraktur g. Writing \mathfrak{g} directly in ordinary text mode can cause a “Missing $ inserted” error or another math-mode error, depending on the surrounding commands.

Load an AMS font package

Add amsfonts to the preamble, which is the part of the document before \begin{document}. The amssymb package also loads the AMS fonts and is a suitable alternative if you need its extra symbols.

Here is a complete minimal example that compiles with a standard LaTeX installation:

\documentclass{article}
\usepackage{amsfonts}

\begin{document}
The Lie algebra is denoted by $\mathfrak{g}$.
\end{document}

If your resume template already loads amssymb, you usually do not need to load amsfonts separately. Avoid loading both packages repeatedly in different parts of the template; put package declarations in the preamble.

Diagnose what is going wrong

The error message often identifies the cause:

Symptom	Likely cause	What to try
“Undefined control sequence” at \mathfrak	The AMS font package is not loaded	Add \usepackage{amsfonts} or \usepackage{amssymb}
“Missing $ inserted” or a math-mode error	The command is in text mode	Enclose it in $...$ or \(...\)
It compiles, but the symbol looks unexpected	The template or compiler changes math fonts	Test the minimal example, then inspect the template’s font settings
Nothing changes in the PDF	The edited file may not be the one being compiled, or the PDF is stale	Recompile the main resume file and open the newly generated PDF

If the minimal example works but the resume does not, add its preamble settings and resume content back in stages. That helps isolate a conflicting package or font configuration. If the resume is being edited in a word processor or a web-based résumé builder rather than compiled from LaTeX, the command will not render there; use that software’s equation or symbol tools instead.

Common mistakes

• Leaving off the math delimiters: use $\mathfrak{g}$, not \mathfrak{g} in ordinary prose.
• Putting the package in the document body: \usepackage{amsfonts} belongs before \begin{document}.
• Expecting a text-style Fraktur letter: \mathfrak selects a math alphabet. For a résumé’s ordinary text, use a text-font solution rather than treating it as a text command.
• Changing compilers before checking the basics: first test the minimal example with the same compiler as the resume. If that works, the issue is more likely in the template or its font setup.