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==Origins of numerals==

==Origins of numerals==

The numerals used in various languages, living and extinct, show their origins in stroke marks or scores (cuts), like the Chinese 一二三, and the earliest forms of Hindu-Arabic-European numerals. The following are Kharosthi numerals, among the earliest forms known from India. Kharosthi was written from right to left, like the source for its writing, Aramaic, and the source for all alphabetic writing, Phoenician. First we have an image, so that you don't need a Kharosthi font to view it, followed by the numerals in Unicode text.

The numerals used in various languages, living and extinct, show their origins in stroke marks or scores (cuts), like the Chinese 一二三, and the earliest forms of Hindu-Arabic-European numerals. The following are Kharosthi numerals, among the earliest numeral forms known from India. Kharosthi was written from right to left, like the source for its writing, Aramaic, and the source for all alphabetic writing, Phoenician. First we have an image, so that you don't need a Kharosthi font to view it, followed by the numerals for 1–4 in Unicode text.

[[File:KharosthiNumerals1-3.png]]

[[File:KharosthiNumerals1-4.png]]

𐩀 𐩁 𐩂

𐩀 𐩁 𐩂 𐩃

Kharosthi numerals indicate counting on four fingers but not the thumb. The Kharosthi numeral for 4 is very similar to X, so 7 in Kharosthi can be approximated in ASCII (right-to-left, again) )))X.

 

Kharosthi numerals exist for 5–9, but these are not of the visual type. It was also possible to write numbers in Kharosthi in something like the manner of Roman numerals, so that 2 would be 𐩀𐩀. However, Kharosthi indicates a custom of counting on four fingers but not the thumb, so it uses a numeral for 4 rather than 5 as in Roman numerals. The Kharosthi numeral for 4 is very similar to X, so 7 in Kharosthi can be approximated in ASCII (right-to-left, again) )))X.

 

 

 

==Visual numerals in Unicode==

==Visual numerals in Unicode==