Let $G$ be a group, let $V$ be a finite-dimensional [vector space](/page/Vector%20Space) over $\mathbb{C}$, and let
\begin{align*}
\rho: G \to GL(V)
\end{align*}
be a group representation. Define the character of $\rho$ to be the map
\begin{align*}
\chi_\rho: G &\to \mathbb{C} \\
g &\mapsto \operatorname{tr}(\rho(g)).
\end{align*}
Then $\chi_\rho$ is a class function; equivalently, for every $g,h \in G$,
\begin{align*}
\chi_\rho(hgh^{-1}) = \chi_\rho(g).
\end{align*}