Tamil Numeration System: Learn Tamil Numbers to decipher Inscriptions

Tamil Inscription from Darasuram showing Tamil Numerals

Early civilization have understood the importance of numbers and the ways to handle them and every society had their own representation of numbers in their age and every civilization had different glyphs to represent number.

The Hindu-Arabic numeration system also called the decimal numeration system (Latin word decem, meaning "ten."), is the most popular numeration system used by people today. Positional numeration or decimal place-value numeration is the system of representing or encoding numbers. This numeration system uses Arabic numerals. 

Aryabhata I or Aryabhata the Elder  (476–550 CE), an astronomer and the earliest Indian mathematician from either Ashmaka or Kusumapura, India developed the place-value notation.  Brahmagupta (598 –.670 CE) from Bhinmal, Rajasthan another Indian mathematician and astronomer introduced the symbol for zero as well as rules to compute with zero in his work Brahmasphutasiddhanta (The Opening of the Universe), in 628 CE.

This numeration system and its glyph notations developed from Indian Brahmi numerals and the full numeration system was first developed in India (around A.D. 800). The numeration system was first reported in Al-Khwarizmi's On the Calculation with Hindu Numerals and in Al-Kindi's four volume work On the Use of the Indian Numerals. At later stage it was refined by Arabs.

1. Hindu-Arabic numeration system uses 10 digits or symbols that can be used in combination to represent all possible numbers. The numeration system digits or symbols are: 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9

2. Numeration system groups by tens: Ten ones are replaced by one ten, ten tens are replaced by one hundred, ten hundreds are replaced by one thousand, 10 one thousand are replaced by 10 thousands, and so forth...

3. Numeration system uses a place value - starting from right to left;

1. the first number represents how many ones there are
2. the second number represents how many tens there are
3. the third number represents how many hundreds there are
4. the fourth number represents how many thousands there are

    and so on...

Tamil numeration system (தமிழ் எண்கள், தமிழ் இலக்கங்கள்) is the forgotten numeration system by the Tamil speaking people today. The numeration system employs Vattezhuttu

glyph notations to represent numerals from "ONE" to "NINE." It is interesting to find that the numeration system doesn't contain a Tamil glyph notation to represent zero. People wondering why the Tamil numeration system does not have any glyph for "ZERO". Absence "Zero' makes it as the non-decimal numeration system.

1. Tamil numeration system uses the simple additive systems (sign-value notation). This single value notation and numeration system was adopted before positional notation became standard. In sign-value notation only digits or symbols can be used in combination to represent all possible numbers. The numeration system digits or symbols are:

Thus digits ONE to TEN represented as shown below: 

௧= 1 ௨= 2 ௩=3 ௪= 4 ௫= 5 ௬= 6 ௭= 7 ௮=8 ௯=9 ௰= 10

Thus digits ELEVEN to TWENTY represented as shown below:

௰௧ = 11 ௰௨ = 12 ௰௩ = 13 ௰௪ = 14 ௰௫ = 15

௰௬ = 16 ௰௭ = 17 ௰௮ = 18 ௰௯ = 19 ௨௰ = 20

The digits TWENTY ONE to TWENTY NINE represented below

௨௰௧ = 21 ௨௰௨  = 22 ௨௰௩ = 23 ௨௰௪ = 24  ௨௰௫ = 25

௨௰௬ = 26 ௨௰௭ = 27 ௨௰௮ = 28 ௨௰௯ = 29

The digits THIRTY to NINETY represented below

௩௰ = 30 ௪௰ = 40 ௫௰ = 50 ௬௰ = 60 ௭௰ = 70 ௮௰ = 80 ௯௰ = 90

The digits 101, 110, 111, and 156

௱௧ = 101 ௱௰ = 110 ௱௰௧ = 111 ௱௫௰௬= 156

The digits 201, 210, 211, and 256

௨௱௧ = 201 ௨௱௰ = 210 ௨௱௰௧ = 211 ௨௱௫௰௬ = 256

The digits 900 , 910, 911, 990, 999

௯௱ = 900 ௯௱௰ = 910 ௯௱௰௧ = 911 ௯௱௫௰௬ = 956 ௯௱௯௰ = 990 ௯௱௯௰௯ = 999

The digits 1000, 1001, 1010, 1056, 1111, 1156

௲ =1000 ௲௧ = 1001 ௲௱௰ = 1010 ௲௫௰௬ = 1056 ௲௱௰௧ = 1111 ௲௱௫௰௬ = 1156

2. Numeration system groups by nine: It had separate glyph for numbers TEN ௰  HUNDRED ௱

and THOUSAND ௲

3. Tamil Numeration system does not have a place value: 

Multiples of ten (பதின்பெருக்கம்)

10 (10 to the power of 1) Ten Patthu பத்து ௰
100 (10 to the power of 2) Hundred  Nooru நூறு ௱
1,000 (10 to the power of 3) Thousand Aayiram ஆயிரம்  ௲
10,000  (10 to the power of 4) Ten Thousand Patthayiram பத்தாயிரம் ௰௲
1,00,000  (10 to the power of 5) Hundred Thousand (One Lakh) Noorayiaram நூறாயிரம் ௱௲
1,000,000  (10 to the power of 6) Million  (Ten Lakh) meiyyiram மெய்யிரம் ௲௲
10,000,000 (10 to the power of 7) Ten Million (One Crore or One Hundred Lakh) ௰௲௲
1,00,000,000 (10 to the power of 8) One Billion (Ten Crore) ௱௲௲
1,000,000,000  (10 to the power of 9) Ten Billion (One Hundred Crore) tollun தொள்ளுண் ௲௲௲
1,000,000,000,000 (10 to the power of 12) One Trillion igiyam ஈகியம்
௲௲௲௲
1,000,000,000,000,000 (10 to the power of 15) Quadrillion neļai நெளை ௲௲௲௲௲
1,000,000,000,000,000,000 (10 to the power of 18) Quintillion ilanchi இளஞ்சி ௲௲௲௲௲௲
100,000,000,000,000,000,000 (10 to the power of 20) vellam வெள்ளம்  ௱௲௲௲௲௲௲
1,000,000,000,000,000,000,000 (10 to the power of 21) Sextillion ambal ஆம்பல் ௲௲௲௲௲௲௲

Currently unicode encodes Tamil numerals 1 to 9, 10, 100 and 1000. The proposed position in the Tamil Unicode range (U+BE06) is reserved and has the comment as equivalent digit zero  (U+0030). It is proposed that Tamil zero be encoded at this position:

Hindu-Arabic numeration system	Tamil  Numeartion System	Unicode
1	௧	&#3047
2	௨	&#3048
3	௩	&#3049
4	௪	&#3050
5	௫	&#3051
6	௬	&#3052
7	௭	&#3053
8	௮	&#3054
9	௯	&#3055
10	௰	&#3056
100	௱	&#3057
1000	௲	&#3058

Mr.Raman has developed an online software converter utility for converting the given Hindu Arabic numeration to Tamil numeration: Click here for Tamil Numeration Converter

Source: Tamil Epigraphy – Tamil numbers Raman's Kirukkalkal (wordpress) https://ramanchennai.wordpress.com/2012/01/

Reference:

1. Hindu–Arabic numeral system (Wikipedia) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hindu_Arabic_numeral_system
2. Numeral system (Wikipedia) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Numeral_system
3. Positional notation (Wikipedia) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Positional_notation
4. Single Value Notation (Wikipedia) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sign-value_notation
5. Tamil numerals (Wikipedia) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tamil_numerals