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.
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 () or ().
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, () is a combination of (, the prefix for five) and (, which is ten). The prefix for nine changes with respect to the succeeding base 10. + the unvoiced consonant of the succeeding base 10 forms the prefix for nine. For instance, 90 is + ( being the unvoiced version of ), hence, ).
These are typically void in the Tamil language except for some Hindu references; for example, (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.
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.
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.
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.
Any fraction can be transcribed by affixing - (-il) after the denominator followed by the numerator. For instance, 1/41 can be said as ().
The suffixing of the - () requires the last consonant of the number to be changed to its () form. For example, + ( + ) becomes (); note the () has been omitted.
Common fractions () have names already allocated to them, hence, these names are often used rather than the above method.
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:
Aá¹Âu 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.
Decimal point is called () in Tamil. For example, 1.1 would be read as (). In Sri Lankan Tamil, Thasam à ®¤à ®Âà ®®à ¯Â.
Percentage is known as () in Tamil or (). These words are simply added after a number to form percentages. For instance, four percent is () or (). Percentage symbol (%) is also recognised and used.
Ordinal numbers are formed by adding the suffix - () after the number, except for 'First'.
This song is a list of each number with a concept its primarily associated with.
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.
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.
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.