0 in Vai
× 1
Vai has an encoded decimal zero.
MODERN · BASE 10
Vai
Decimal digits from the Vai writing system.
Convert numbers- Place
- Liberia & Sierra Leone
- Period / variant
- Numerals devised in the 1920s
EXAMPLES
42 · Base 10
Four tens and two units using the documented decimal digit mapping.
Worked example
Write 42 in Vai
Read from left to right. The rightmost place counts ones; each place to its left is worth 10 times as much.
42 ÷ 10 = 4, remainder 2. Start with 4 in the 10s place, then write the remainder in the lower places.
- × 10
This sign is the digit 4. In the 10s place, it contributes 4 × 10 = 40.
- × 1
This sign is the digit 2. At the ones place, it contributes 2.
Check
4 × 10 + 2 = 42
Sources and notation notes
Everson, Riley and Rivera: Vai encoding proposal · Vai digit chart
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
The digit shapes are Vai, and the positions work like familiar decimal numbers.
- Read from left to right. For a two-digit number, the left digit counts tens and the right digit counts ones.
- For 42, the Vai digit 4 on the left means four tens, or 40.
- The Vai digit 2 on the right means two ones. Add 40 + 2 = 42.
- For 100, write the digit 1 followed by two zero signs. The zeros hold the empty tens and ones positions.
42 in Vai
× 10× 1
Four tens and two units using the documented decimal digit mapping.
100 in Vai
× 100× 10× 1
One hundred and two empty positions.
This entry demonstrates the encoded Vai digit repertoire. Its existence should not be taken to mean that these digits are preferred in every contemporary Vai context; familiar decimal digits are also used.
History
The Vai syllabary is an indigenous West African writing system. A set of ten numeral signs was devised in the 1920s, giving European decimal digits forms compatible with Vai writing. Script-specific numeral identity does not imply a different numerical base.
How to read it
The digit shapes are Vai, and the positions work like familiar decimal numbers.
- Read from left to right. For a two-digit number, the left digit counts tens and the right digit counts ones.
- For 42, the Vai digit 4 on the left means four tens, or 40.
- The Vai digit 2 on the right means two ones. Add 40 + 2 = 42.
- For 100, write the digit 1 followed by two zero signs. The zeros hold the empty tens and ones positions.
Limits
This entry demonstrates the encoded Vai digit repertoire. Its existence should not be taken to mean that these digits are preferred in every contemporary Vai context; familiar decimal digits are also used.
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