123 in Suzhou
× 100× 10× 1
The explicitly documented vertical–horizontal–vertical spelling: 〡二〣.
HISTORICAL · BASE 10
Suzhou
蘇州碼子
Decimal merchant numerals with alternating stroke orientations for one, two, and three.
Convert numbers- Place
- China · commercial traditions including Hong Kong and Macau
- Period / variant
- Ming–Qing commerce and later survivals
EXAMPLES
123 · Base 10
The explicitly documented vertical–horizontal–vertical spelling: 〡二〣.
Worked example
Write 123 in Suzhou
Write decimal digits from left to right. Within a run of 1, 2, and 3, alternate vertical and horizontal forms, starting with vertical.
- × 100
Write 1 with the vertical form. In the hundreds place, 1 × 100 = 100.
- × 10
Write 2 with the horizontal form to separate it from the preceding vertical digit. In the tens place, 2 × 10 = 20.
- × 1
Write 3 with the vertical form. In the ones place, it contributes 3.
Check
1 × 100 + 2 × 10 + 3 = 123
Sources and notation notes
LSE Economic History Working Paper 220 · Appendix II · The Unicode Standard 17.0, chapter 22
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
- 1 · alternate form
- 2 · alternate form
- 3 · alternate form
How the symbols fit together
Read the digits from left to right using decimal place value. Some digits change orientation to keep adjacent strokes readable.
- For 123, begin with the three digit values: 1, 2, and 3.
- In a consecutive run of ones, twos, and threes, start with a vertical form, then alternate horizontal and vertical forms. Here the signs are 〡, 二, 〣.
- Read their positions: the first digit means one hundred, the next two tens, and the last three ones.
- Add 100 + 20 + 3 = 123. A different digit breaks the alternating run, so in 42 the two uses the vertical form.
312 in Suzhou
× 100× 10× 1
Another explicit archival-study example: 〣一〢.
42 in Suzhou
× 10× 1
The four sign followed by a vertical two; four breaks an alternating run.
This converter renders the integer digit row. Full commercial labels may include a separate scale and unit line; those are not generated here. The horizontal-first alternative is also documented, but the app consistently uses vertical-first. Glyph variants occur in handwritten sources.
History
Suzhou numerals appear extensively in surviving Chinese merchant account books. Related to counting-rod notation, they became a compact companion to abacus bookkeeping and persisted in some later commercial settings.
How to read it
Read the digits from left to right using decimal place value. Some digits change orientation to keep adjacent strokes readable.
- For 123, begin with the three digit values: 1, 2, and 3.
- In a consecutive run of ones, twos, and threes, start with a vertical form, then alternate horizontal and vertical forms. Here the signs are 〡, 二, 〣.
- Read their positions: the first digit means one hundred, the next two tens, and the last three ones.
- Add 100 + 20 + 3 = 123. A different digit breaks the alternating run, so in 42 the two uses the vertical form.
Limits
This converter renders the integer digit row. Full commercial labels may include a separate scale and unit line; those are not generated here. The horizontal-first alternative is also documented, but the app consistently uses vertical-first. Glyph variants occur in handwritten sources.
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