20 in Traditional Tamil
Two × ten, as listed in Unicode Technical Note 21.
HISTORICAL · DECIMAL, NAMED POWERS
Traditional Tamil
தமிழ் எண்கள்
Digits combine with signs for ten, one hundred, and one thousand.
Convert numbers- Place
- Tamil-speaking South India and Sri Lanka
- Period / variant
- Traditional non-positional notation
EXAMPLES
3782 · Decimal, named powers
Three thousands, seven hundreds, eight tens, two.
Worked example
Write 3782 in Traditional Tamil
Read from left to right. A coefficient before a power sign multiplies that sign; groups with no value are left out.
Write the coefficient 3 before the 1,000 sign. In this order they mean 3 × 1,000 = 3,000.
Write the coefficient 7 before the 100 sign. In this order they mean 7 × 100 = 700.
Write the coefficient 8 before the 10 sign. In this order they mean 8 × 10 = 80.
Finish with the 2 sign for the remaining 2 ones.
Check
3 × 1,000 + 7 × 100 + 8 × 10 + 2 = 3,782
Sources and notation notes
Michael Kaplan · Unicode Technical Note 21: Tamil Numbers · Unicode Tamil character chart
Meet the symbols
Each tile shows a sign and what it means. A sign can stand for a whole amount, such as 10 or 100.
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
- 5
- 6
- 7
- 8
- 9
- 10
- 100
- 1,000
How the symbols fit together
Read left to right. A number before a ten, hundred, or thousand sign tells you how many of that amount to count.
- For 156, start with the hundred sign. Written alone, it means one hundred; the one is understood.
- Next read five followed by the ten sign. This means five tens: 5 × 10 = 50.
- The final six sign contributes six ones.
- Add 100 + 50 + 6 = 156. The same pattern builds 3,782: three thousands, seven hundreds, eight tens, and two ones. Leave out groups with no value.
156 in Traditional Tamil
Hundred + five × ten + six; an explicit source example.
3782 in Traditional Tamil
Three thousands, seven hundreds, eight tens, two.
The app supports the traditional whole-number notation through 9,999. Larger forms, specialized fractions, measures, and accounting signs exist but need additional adapters. A modern Tamil zero is not inserted into the traditional notation.
History
Traditional Tamil numerals retain distinct signs for ten, hundred, and thousand. This additive-multiplicative notation differs from modern positional writing with Tamil digits and a zero.
How to read it
Read left to right. A number before a ten, hundred, or thousand sign tells you how many of that amount to count.
- For 156, start with the hundred sign. Written alone, it means one hundred; the one is understood.
- Next read five followed by the ten sign. This means five tens: 5 × 10 = 50.
- The final six sign contributes six ones.
- Add 100 + 50 + 6 = 156. The same pattern builds 3,782: three thousands, seven hundreds, eight tens, and two ones. Leave out groups with no value.
Limits
The app supports the traditional whole-number notation through 9,999. Larger forms, specialized fractions, measures, and accounting signs exist but need additional adapters. A modern Tamil zero is not inserted into the traditional notation.
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