Tamil has its own set of number symbols, and every phone sold in Chennai can display them: ௧ ௨ ௩ ௪ ௫ ௬ ௭ ௮ ௯ for one to nine, plus separate signs for ten (௰), a hundred (௱) and a thousand (௲). They sit in the Tamil block of the Unicode standard at code points U+0BE6 to U+0BF2, according to the Unicode Consortium’s chart. Most Tamil writing today uses ordinary 0 to 9, but the old numerals still turn up in calendars, temple notices, old documents and title deeds.
This guide shows what each symbol means, how the old system wrote large numbers, and where you are likely to see Tamil numerals in Chennai.
The digits and number signs
| Value | Tamil numeral | Unicode |
|---|---|---|
| 0 | ௦ | U+0BE6 |
| 1 | ௧ | U+0BE7 |
| 2 | ௨ | U+0BE8 |
| 3 | ௩ | U+0BE9 |
| 4 | ௪ | U+0BEA |
| 5 | ௫ | U+0BEB |
| 6 | ௬ | U+0BEC |
| 7 | ௭ | U+0BED |
| 8 | ௮ | U+0BEE |
| 9 | ௯ | U+0BEF |
| 10 | ௰ | U+0BF0 |
| 100 | ௱ | U+0BF1 |
| 1,000 | ௲ | U+0BF2 |
Several of the digits look like Tamil letters. ௧ (one) resembles the letter க, and ௮ (eight) resembles அ. Context tells you which is meant: a numeral usually stands alone or beside other numerals.
No zero in the old system
The traditional Tamil system had no zero and was not positional, explains Unicode Technical Note 21. Instead of placing digits in columns, writers combined a digit with the sign for its place value. The note’s example is 3,782, written as ௩௲௭௱௮௰௨: three-thousand, seven-hundred, eight-ten, two. In the modern positional style the same number is ௩௭௮௨, which works exactly like 3782.
The Tamil zero is a later addition. The International Forum for Information Technology in Tamil (INFITT) proposed adding it to Unicode in a 2004 proposal. The proposal said zero was not widely used but appeared in some traditional publications, especially Tamil calendars, and cited a calendar page for Margazhi 2001-02 among its examples. Writing in January 2005, Microsoft’s Michael Kaplan noted that the zero was scheduled for Unicode 4.1 and that, until then, the ordinary zero was being used as a stand-in, in a blog post that also records a reader’s mention of an 1825 school textbook already using zero.
Day, month, year and money signs
The Tamil block also has symbols that once filled account books and letters. The Unicode chart lists:
- ௳ day sign, ௴ month sign, ௵ year sign
- ௶ debit sign and ௷ credit sign
- ௸ “as above” sign, used like ditto
- ௹ rupee sign and ௺ number sign
A separate Tamil Supplement block, U+11FC0 to U+11FFF, holds the traditional fractions and specialised signs, as the current Unicode 18.0 chart shows. It includes fractions down to one three-hundred-and-twentieth, a three-quarters sign, old coin and weight signs (kaasu, panam, pon, varaakan), land signs for wet cultivation, dry cultivation and salt pans, and clerical signs for “spent” and “total”. A 2015 draft chart gives the Tamil names for some of them, such as arai for a half, mukkaal for three quarters, kaani for one eightieth and mundiri for one three-hundred-and-twentieth.
Where you will see them in Chennai
- Old property documents. Sale deeds, partition deeds and land records from before the mid-twentieth century can use Tamil numerals and fraction signs for survey extents and amounts. If you are tracing a title, ask your lawyer or document writer to transcribe these carefully, since a misread fraction changes the extent.
- Daily sheet calendars and almanacs, some of which still print Tamil numerals beside the Arabic ones.
- Temples and inscriptions. Dates and donation amounts on older temple walls and copper plates use Tamil numerals.
- Book chapter and verse numbers in some traditional editions of Tamil classics.
- Clocks and decorative items sold as Tamil heritage gifts, which sometimes use Tamil numerals on the dial.
When reading an old deed, watch for the place-value signs. A figure such as ௨௱ means two hundred, not twenty-something, because ௱ is the hundred sign rather than a digit.
Typing them
Because the numerals are in Unicode, they display on any modern phone or computer with a Tamil font. Many Tamil keyboards offer them on a long press or a symbols page; otherwise you can copy them from the table above. For bank forms, tax returns and other official documents, use ordinary 0 to 9 unless a form asks otherwise.
Quick answers
Did ancient Tamil have a zero?
No. The traditional system had no zero and used signs for 10, 100 and 1,000 instead.
How do I write 3,782 in old Tamil numerals?
௩௲௭௱௮௰௨, or ௩௭௮௨ in the modern positional style.
Are Tamil fraction signs in Unicode?
Yes, in the Tamil Supplement block, U+11FC0 to U+11FFF.
What is the Tamil sign for 100?
௱, at Unicode U+0BF1.
Information checked against official sources on 18 October 2026. Fees, dates and rules can change; confirm on the linked official pages before acting.
Sources
- Tamil block names list, U+0B80 to U+0BFF (Unicode Consortium)
- Unicode Technical Note 21: Tamil Numbers (Unicode Consortium)
- Proposal to encode Tamil Digit Zero, WG2 N2741, 2004 (Unicode / ISO WG2)
- Tamil Supplement code chart, U+11FC0 to U+11FFF, Unicode 18.0 (Unicode Consortium)
- In Tamil, sometimes they are digits; other times, just numbers (Michael Kaplan, Sorting It All Out)
