0 in N’Ko
× 1
The script has a distinct decimal zero.
LIVING · BASE 10 · RIGHT TO LEFT
N’Ko
Decimal digits written from right to left.
Convert numbers- Place
- Manding communities, West Africa
- Period / variant
- 1949 onward
EXAMPLES
144 · Base 10 · right to left
One hundred at the right; this value illustrates directionality in Unicode.
Worked example
Write 144 in N’Ko
Read from right to left. The ones place is at the left; larger places extend to the right.
144 ÷ 100 = 1, remainder 44. Start with 1 in the 100s place, then write the remainder in the lower places.
- × 100
This sign is the digit 1. In the 100s place, it contributes 1 × 100 = 100.
- × 10
44 ÷ 10 = 4, remainder 4. This sign is the digit 4. In the 10s place, it contributes 4 × 10 = 40.
- × 1
This sign is the digit 4. At the ones place, it contributes 4.
Check
1 × 100 + 4 × 10 + 4 = 144
Sources and notation notes
N’Ko Institute: script encoding proposal · Unicode: N’Ko digits and directionality
Meet the symbols
Each tile shows one digit and its value. These are the 10 digits used by this display. Combine them using the rules below.
- 0
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
- 5
- 6
- 7
- 8
- 9
How the symbols fit together
Use familiar groups of ten, but begin reading the number at the right-hand end.
- Each sign is a digit from zero to nine. In this layout, the rightmost digit has the largest place value.
- For 42, begin with the 4 on the right. It is in the tens position, so it means four tens: 40.
- Move left to the 2 in the ones position. Add 40 + 2 = 42.
- A zero keeps an empty position visible. In 100, the rightmost 1 means one hundred, and the two zeros to its left mean no tens and no ones.
42 in N’Ko
× 1× 10
Four tens at the right, two units at the left.
144 in N’Ko
× 1× 10× 100
One hundred at the right; this value illustrates directionality in Unicode.
The artwork is arranged in visual reading order; copied Unicode retains most-significant-first logical order. This entry covers cardinal whole numbers, without ordinal diacritics or locale-specific grouping punctuation.
History
N’Ko writing was created by Solomana Kanté for Manding languages. Unlike Arabic numbers embedded in Arabic prose, N’Ko numerals follow the right-to-left direction of the surrounding script.
How to read it
Use familiar groups of ten, but begin reading the number at the right-hand end.
- Each sign is a digit from zero to nine. In this layout, the rightmost digit has the largest place value.
- For 42, begin with the 4 on the right. It is in the tens position, so it means four tens: 40.
- Move left to the 2 in the ones position. Add 40 + 2 = 42.
- A zero keeps an empty position visible. In 100, the rightmost 1 means one hundred, and the two zeros to its left mean no tens and no ones.
Limits
The artwork is arranged in visual reading order; copied Unicode retains most-significant-first logical order. This entry covers cardinal whole numbers, without ordinal diacritics or locale-specific grouping punctuation.
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