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Tamil numerals

Numeral system

A milestone which uses both Tamil and Indo-Arabic Numerals (Tanjore Palace Museum).

The Tamil language has number words and dedicated symbols for them in the Tamil script. They have mostly been supplanted by Arabic numerals in common usage.

Basic numbering in Tamil (Tamil Illakkam)

Zero

Old Tamil possesses a special numerical character for zero (see Old Tamil numerals below), which is read as (literally, no/nothing). Modern Tamil words for zero include சுழியம் () or பூஜ்ஜியம் ().

First ten numbers ({{lang|ta|முதல் எண்கள்}})

Tamil	Arabic	Tamil word and transliteration
௦	[0](0-number)	சுழியம் ()
Old Tamil: பாழ் ()
௧	[1](1-number)	ஒன்று ()
௨	[2](2-number)	இரண்டு ()
௩	[3](3-number)	மூன்று ()
௪	[4](4-number)	நான்கு ()
௫	[5](5-number)	ஐந்து ()
௬	[6](6-number)	ஆறு ()
௭	[7](7-number)	ஏழு ()
௮	[8](8-number)	எட்டு ()
௯	[9](9-number)	ஒன்பது ()
௰	[10](10-number)	பத்து ()

Transcribing other numbers

Reproductive and attributive prefixes

Tamil has a numeric prefix for each number from 1 to 9, which can be added to the words for the powers of ten (ten, hundred, thousand, etc.) to form multiples of them. For instance, the word for fifty, ஐம்பது () is a combination of ஐ (, the prefix for five) and பத்து (, which is ten). The prefix for nine changes with respect to the succeeding base 10. தொ + the unvoiced consonant of the succeeding base 10 forms the prefix for nine. For instance, 90 is தொ + ண் (ண் being the unvoiced version of ணூ), hence, தொண்ணூறு).

Tamil script		Tamil prefix		Transliteration
௧
௨
௩
௪
௫
௬
௭
௮

These are typically void in the Tamil language except for some Hindu references; for example, அட்ட இலட்சுமிகள் (the eight Lakshmis). Even in religious contexts, the Tamil language is usually more preferred for its more poetic nature and relatively low incidence of consonant clusters.

Specific characters

Unlike other modern Indian number systems, Tamil has distinct digits for 10, 100, and 1000. It also has distinct characters for other number-based aspects of day-to-day life.

ten		hundred		thousand
௰

day		month		year		debit		credit		as above		rupee		numeral
௳

Powers of ten ({{lang|ta|பதின்பெருக்கம்}})

There are two numeral systems that can be used in the Tamil language: the Tamil system which is as follows

The following are the traditional numbers of the region.

Original Tamil system

Rank	Words	Character	Transliteration	Translation
101	102	103	104	105
பத்து	நூறு	ஆயிரம்	பத்தாயிரம்	நூறாயிரம்
௰	௱	௲	௰௲	௱௲
[ten](10-number)	hundred	thousand	[ten thousand](10000-number)	hundred thousand

Current Tamil system

Rank	Words	Character	Transliteration	Translation
105	106	107	108	109
இலட்சம்	பத்து இலட்சம்	கோடி	பத்துக் கோடி	அற்புதம்
௱௲	௲௲	௰௲௲	௱௲௲	௲௲௲
lakh	ten lakh	crore	ten crore	arab

Partitive numerals ({{lang|ta|பகுத்தல்}})

Fractions ({{lang|ta|பின்னம்}})

Proposals to encode Tamil fractions and symbols to Unicode were submitted. As of version 12.0, Tamil characters used for fractional values in traditional accounting practices were added to the Unicode Standard.

Transcribing fractions ({{lang|ta|பின்னம் எழுத்தல்}})

Any fraction can be transcribed by affixing -இல் (-il) after the denominator followed by the numerator. For instance, 1/41 can be said as நாற்பத்து ஒன்றில் ஒன்று ().

The suffixing of the -இல் () requires the last consonant of the number to be changed to its இ () form. For example, மூன்று + இல் ( + ) becomes மூன்றில் (); note the உ () has been omitted.

Common fractions (பொது பின்னங்கள்) have names already allocated to them, hence, these names are often used rather than the above method.

Glyph	x/320	Value	Decimal	Tamil name	Transliteration
𑿀			0.003125	முந்திரி
𑿁			0.00625	அரைக்காணி
𑿂			0.0125	காணி
𑿄			0.025	அரைய்மா
𑿆			0.0375	முக்காணி
𑿈			0.05	மா
𑿋			0.1	இருமா
𑿍			0.15	மும்மா
𑿏			0.2	நான்குமா
𑿃			0.015625	கால் விசம்
ழூ			0.03125	அரை விசம்
𑿇			0.046875	முக்கால் விசம்
𑿉,𑿊			0.0625	விசம் / மாகாணி	/
𑿌			0.125	அரை கால்
𑿎			0.1875	மூ விசம் / மும்மா முக்காணி	/
𑿐			0.25	கால்
𑿑,𑿒			0.5	அரை
𑿓			0.75	முக்கால்
𑿔	×	×	×0.003125	கில்

when prefixed to a fraction, reduces (downscales) the value of the fraction by a scale of 1/320 (the value of the lowest fraction muntiri).

Other fractions include:

Value	Name	Transliteration
= 0.1875	மும்மாகாணி
= 0.15	மும்மா
= 0.046875	முக்கால்வீசம்
= 0.0375	முக்காணி
= 0.03125	அரைவீசம்
= 0.015625	கால் வீசம்
= 0.009375	முக்கால்காணி
= 0.003125	முந்திரி
= 0.00234375	கீழ் முக்கால்
= 0.0015625	கீழரை
= 7.8125	கீழ் கால்
= 0.000625	கீழ் நாலுமா
≈ 5.85938	கீழ் மூன்று வீசம்
= 4.6875	கீழ் மும்மா
= 0.0004	கீழ் அரைக்கால்
= 3.12500	கீழ் இருமா
≈ 1.95313	கீழ் வீசம்
= 1.56250	கீழொருமா
≈ 9.76563	கீழ்முந்திரி
≈ 4.65030	இம்மி
≈ 4.22754	மும்மி
≈ 6.03935	அணு
≈ 6.71039	குணம்
≈ 1.34208	பந்தம்
≈ 2.23680	பாகம்
≈ 3.19542	விந்தம்
≈ 1.87966	நாகவிந்தம்
≈ 1.34261	சிந்தை
≈ 6.71307	கதிர்முனை
≈ 1.67827	குரல்வளைப்படி
≈ 2.79711	வெள்ளம்
≈ 2.79711	நுண்மணல்
≈ 4.30325	தேர்த்துகள்

Aṇu was considered as the lowest fraction by ancient Tamils as size of smallest physical object (similar to an atom). Later, this term went to Sanskrit to refer directly to atoms.

Decimals ({{lang|ta|பதின்மம்}})

Decimal point is called புள்ளி () in Tamil. For example, 1.1 would be read as ஒன்று புள்ளி ஒன்று (). In Sri Lankan Tamil, Thasam தசம்.

Percentage ({{lang|ta|விழுக்காடு}})

Percentage is known as விழுக்காடு () in Tamil or சதவீதம் (). These words are simply added after a number to form percentages. For instance, four percent is நான்கு சதவீதம் () or நான்கு விழுக்காடு (). Percentage symbol (%) is also recognised and used.

Ordinal numbers ({{lang|ta|வரிசை எண்கள்}})

Ordinal numbers are formed by adding the suffix -ஆம் () after the number, except for 'First'.

Ordinal	Tamil	Transliteration
First	முதல்
Second	இரண்டாம்
Third	மூன்றாம்
Fourth	நான்காம்
101st	நூற்று ஒன்றாம்

Collective numerals ({{lang|ta|கூட்டெண்கள்}})

English	Tamil	Transliteration
Single	ஒற்றை
Pair	இரட்டை
Reproductives	௺ + வினைச்சொல்	Numeric prefix + noun*
Single (pillar), double (pillar)...	ஒருக்(கால்), இருக்(கால்)-	, *
Distributives	௺ + முறை	Numeric prefix +
Once, twice...	ஒருமுறை, இருமுறை	,

As always, when blending two words into one, an unvoiced form of the consonant as the one that the second starts with, is placed in between to blend.

Traditional Tamil counting song

This song is a list of each number with a concept its primarily associated with.

Tamil	Transliteration	English
ஒரு குலம்		One race
ஈரினம்		Two sexesmale (ஆண், ), female (பெண், )
முத்தமிழ்		Three sections of Tamilliterature (இயல், ), music (இசை, ), and drama (நாடகம், )
நான்மறை		Four scriptures
ஐம்புலன்		Five senses
அறுசுவை		Six tastessweet (), pungent (), bitter (), sour (), salty (), and astringent ().
ஏழிசை		Seven musical notes (, , , , , , )
எண் பக்கம்		Eight directionseast (), west (), north (), south (), south-west (), south-east (), north-west (), and north-east ().
நவமணிகள்		Nine gemsdiamond (வைரம், ), emerald (மரகதம், ), blue sapphire (நீலம், ), garnet (கோமேதகம், ), red coral (பவளம், ), ruby (மாணிக்கம், ), pearl (முத்து, ), topaz (புட்பராகம், ), and cat's eye (வைடூரியம், ).
தொன்மெய்ப்பாடு		Also known as as per the dance expressions. These are joyful (), humour (), cries (), innocent (), proud (), fear (), disgust (), wonder (), and tranquility ().

Influence on other Dravidian languages

As the ancient classical Dravidian language, Tamil numerals influenced and shaped the numerals of the others in the family. The following table compares the main Dravidian languages.

Number	Tamil	Tulu	Kolami	Kurukh	Brahui	Proto-Dravidian
1						*oru(1)
2		,				*iru(2)
3						*muC
4	,				(II)	*nān
5	,	,	3	(II)	(II)	*cayN
6			3	(II)	(II)	*caru
7		, ,	3	(II)	(II)	*ēlu
8		, , ,	3	(II)	(II)	*eṭṭu
9			3	(II)	(II)	*toḷ
10			3	(II)	(II)	*pat(tu)

Also, Tamil through the Pallava script which itself through the Kawi script, Khmer script and other South-east Asian scripts has shaped the numeral grapheme of most South-east Asian languages.

History

Before the Government of India unveiled as the new rupee symbol, people in Tamil Nadu used the Tamil letter ௹ as the symbol. This symbol continues to be used occasionally as rupee symbol by Indian Tamils. It is also used by Tamils in Sri Lanka.

The symbol ௳ is also known as the (), a symbol that most Tamil Hindus will start off any auspicious document with. It is written to invoke the god , known otherwise as Ganesha, who is the remover of obstacles.

References

(1996). "Śaṅgam polity: the administration and social life of the Śaṅgam Tamils". Ennes Publications.
Selvakumar, V. (2016). History of Numbers and Fractions and Arithmetic Calculations in the Tamil Region: Some Observations. ''HuSS: International Journal of Research in Humanities and Social Sciences, 3(1)'', 27-35. https://doi.org/10.15613/HIJRH/2016/V3I1/111730
Sharma, Shriramana. (2012). ''Proposal to encode Tamil fractions and symbols''. Retrieved 12 March 2019 from https://www.unicode.org/L2/L2012/12231-tamil-fractions-symbols-proposal.pdf
Government of Tamil Nadu. (2017). ''Finalized proposal to encode Tamil fractions and symbols''. Retrieved 12 March 2019 from http://unicode.org/wg2/docs/n4822-tamil-frac.pdf
(1997). "Literary theories in Tamil: with special reference to Tolka:ppiyam". Pondicherry Institute of Linguistics and Culture.

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