A major has 3 sharps — F♯, C♯, G♯. Here's the signature on the staff, the full scale, its relative minor, and the trick to recognize it instantly.
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The fastest way to spot a sharp key is the last sharp: it always sits a semitone below the tonic. A major's final sharp is G♯, and a semitone above that is A — the key. Count 3 sharps and you have A major every time.
The A major scale runs A, B, C♯, D, E, F♯, G♯. Every sharpened note in the piece takes the key's accidentals automatically, which is exactly what the signature saves you from writing note by note.
A major shares its signature — 3 sharps — with its relative minor, F♯ minor, a minor third below the tonic. They use the same seven pitches; what tells them apart is which note the music settles on and treats as home.
A major has 3 sharps — F♯, C♯, G♯.
The relative minor of A major is F♯ minor — it shares the identical key signature (3 sharps).
The A major scale is A, B, C♯, D, E, F♯, G♯.
Keep practicing: key signature quiz · circle of fifths · key trainer
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