Indian numbering system

Multiples

The Indian system is decimal (base-10), same as in the International System of Units, and the first five orders of magnitude are named in a similar way: one (100), ten (101), one hundred (102), one thousand (103), and ten thousand (104). For higher powers of ten, naming diverges. The Indian system uses names for every second power of ten: lakh (105), crore (107), arab (109), kharab (1011), etc. In the long and short scales, there are names for every third power of ten. The short scale uses million (106), billion (109), trillion (1012), etc.

Decimal formatting

The Indian system groups digits of a large decimal is represented differently than the International System of Units. The Indian system does group the first three digits to the left of the decimal point, but thereafter, groups by two digits to align with the naming of quantities at multiples of 100.

Like English and other locales, the Indian system uses a period as the decimal separator and the comma for grouping, while others use a comma for decimal separator and a thin space or point to group digits.

Pronunciation in English

When speakers of indigenous Indian languages are speaking English, the pronunciations may be closer to their mother tongue (e.g. "lakh" and "crore" might be pronounced /lɑkʰ/, /kɑrɔːr/, respectively).

• lakh /lɑːkʰ/
• crore /kɹɔːɹ/ (or /kɹoʊɹ/ in American English)
• arab /ʌˈɾʌb/
• kharab /kʰʌˈɾʌb/

Names of numbers

The table below includes the spelling and pronunciation of numbers in various Indian languages along with corresponding short scale names.

Historic numbering systems

Numbering systems in Hindu epics

There are various systems of numeration found in various ancient epic literature of India (itihasas). The following table gives one such system used in the Valmiki Ramayana.

Other numbering systems

The denominations by which land was measured in the Kumaon Kingdom were based on arable lands and thus followed an approximate system with local variations. The most common of these was a vigesimal (base-20) numbering system with the main denomination called a bisi (see Hindustani number bīs), which corresponded to the land required to sow 20 nalis of seed. Consequently, its actual land measure varied based on the quality of the soil. This system became the established norm in Kumaon by 1891.

Usage in different languages

Main article: lakh, crore

Below is a list of translations for the words lakh and crore in other languages spoken in the Indian subcontinent:

Formal written publications in English in India tend to use lakh/crore for Indian currency and International numbering for foreign currencies.

Current usage

The official usage of this system is limited to the nations of India, Pakistan and Bangladesh. It is universally employed within these countries, and is preferred to the International numbering system.

Sri Lanka and Nepal used this system in the past but has switched to the International numbering system in recent years. In the Maldives, the term lakh is widely used in official documents and local speech. However, the International System of Units is preferred for higher denominations (such as millions).

Most institutions and citizens in India use the Indian number system. The Reserve Bank of India was noted as a rare exception in 2015, whereas by 2024 the Indian system was used for amounts in rupees and the International system for foreign currencies throughout the Reserve Bank's website.

References

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References

1. "Knowing our Numbers". National Repository of Open Educational Resources.
2. Emmons, John. (2018-03-25). "UNICODE LOCALE DATA MARKUP LANGUAGE (LDML) PART 3: NUMBERS".
3. "Decimal and Thousands Separators (International Language Environments Guide)".
4. "Valmiki Ramayana - Yuddha Kanda, Chapter (Sarga) 28,(Verses 33 – 38)".
5. Traill, G.W.. (1828). "Statistical Sketch of Kamaon". [[John Murray (publishing house).
6. (1891). "North Indian Notes and Queries". Pioneer Press.
7. Shapiro, Richard. (2012-08-16). "The most distinctive counting system in English? Indian cardinal numbers". [[Oxford English Dictionary]].
8. (21 October 2010). "Hey! Who Can Explain What India Does With Its Commas? (Not Commies. Commas.)".
9. (10 August 2015). "Can we follow Indian numbering system for simplicity and good order?".
10. [[Reserve Bank of India]], [https://www.rbi.org.in/ old] and [https://website.rbi.org.in/ new website] (known on archive.org since 5 Apr 2024). Retrieved 16 Apr 2024.