Old Tamil possesses a special numerical character for zero (see Old Tamil numerals below), which is read as andru (literally, no/nothing). Modern Tamil words for zero include சுழியம் (suḻiyam) or பூஜ்ஜியம் (pūjjiyam).
Tamil has a numeric prefix for each number from 1 to 9, which can be added to the words for the powers of ten (ten, hundred, thousand, etc.) to form multiples of them. For instance, the word for fifty, ஐம்பது (aimpatu) is a combination of ஐ (ai, the prefix for five) and பத்து (pattu, which is ten). The prefix for nine changes with respect to the succeeding base 10. தொ + the unvoiced consonant of the succeeding base 10 forms the prefix for nine. For instance, 90 is தொ + ண் (ண் being the unvoiced version of ணூ), hence, தொண்ணூறு).
These are typically void in the Tamil language except for some Hindu references; for example, அட்ட இலட்சுமிகள் (the eight Lakshmis). Even in religious contexts, the Tamil language is usually more preferred for its more poetic nature and relatively low incidence of consonant clusters.
Specific characters
Unlike other modern Indian number systems, Tamil has distinct digits for 10, 100, and 1000. It also has distinct characters for other number-based aspects of day-to-day life.
Proposals to encode Tamil fractions and symbols to Unicode were submitted.[3][4] As of version 12.0, Tamil characters used for fractional values in traditional accounting practices were added to the Unicode Standard.
Transcribing fractions (பின்னம் எழுத்தல்)
Any fraction can be transcribed by affixing -இல் (-il) after the denominator followed by the numerator. For instance, 1/41 can be said as நாற்பத்து ஒன்றில் ஒன்று (nāṟpattu oṉṟil oṉṟu).
The suffixing of the -இல் (-il) requires the last consonant of the number to be changed to its இ (i) form. For example, மூன்று + இல் (mūṉṟu + -il) becomes மூன்றில் (mūṉṟil); note the உ (u) has been omitted.
Common fractions (பொது பின்னங்கள்) have names already allocated to them, hence, these names are often used rather than the above method.
Value
1⁄4
1⁄2
3⁄4
1⁄5
1⁄8
1⁄10
1⁄16
1⁄20
1⁄40
1⁄80
1⁄160
Symbol
Name
கால்
அரை
முக்கால்
நாலுமா
அரைக்கால்
இருமா
மாகாணி, வீசம்
ஒருமா
அரைமா
காணி
அரைக்காணி
Transliteration
kāl
arai
mukkāl
nālumā
araikkāl
irumā
mākāṇi, vīsam
orumā
araimā
kāṇi
araikkāṇi
Other fractions include:
Value
Name
Transliteration
3⁄16 = 0.1875
மும்மாகாணி
mummākāṇi
3⁄20 = 0.15
மும்மா
mummā
3⁄64 = 0.046875
முக்கால்வீசம்
mukkālvīsam
3⁄80 = 0.0375
முக்காணி
mukkāṇi
1⁄32 = 0.03125
அரைவீசம்
araivīsam
1⁄64 = 0.015625
கால் வீசம்
kāl vīsam
3⁄320 = 0.009375
முக்கால்காணி
mukkālkāṇi
1⁄320 = 0.003125
முந்திரி
muntiri
3⁄1280 = 0.00234375
கீழ் முக்கால்
kīḻ mukkāl
1⁄640 = 0.0015625
கீழரை
kīḻarai
1⁄1280 = 7.8125×10−4
கீழ் கால்
kīḻ kāl
1⁄1600 = 0.000625
கீழ் நாலுமா
kīḻ nālumā
3⁄5120 ≈ 5.85938×10−4
கீழ் மூன்று வீசம்
kīḻ mūṉṟu vīsam
3⁄6400 = 4.6875×10−4
கீழ் மும்மா
kīḻ mummā
1⁄2500 = 0.0004
கீழ் அரைக்கால்
kīḻ araikkāl
1⁄3200 = 3.12500×10−4
கீழ் இருமா
kīḻ irumā
1⁄5120 ≈ 1.95313×10−4
கீழ் வீசம்
kīḻ vīsam
1⁄6400 = 1.56250×10−4
கீழொருமா
kīḻorumā
1⁄102400 ≈ 9.76563×10−6
கீழ்முந்திரி
kīḻmuntiri
1⁄2150400 ≈ 4.65030×10−7
இம்மி
immi
1⁄23654400 ≈ 4.22754×10−8
மும்மி
mummi
1⁄165580800 ≈ 6.03935×10−9
அணு
aṇu
1⁄1490227200 ≈ 6.71039×10−10
குணம்
kuṇam
1⁄7451136000 ≈ 1.34208×10−10
பந்தம்
pantam
1⁄44706816000 ≈ 2.23680×10−11
பாகம்
pāgam
1⁄312947712000 ≈ 3.19542×10−12
விந்தம்
vintam
1⁄5320111104000 ≈ 1.87966×10−13
நாகவிந்தம்
nāgavintam
1⁄74481555456000 ≈ 1.34261×10−14
சிந்தை
sintai
1⁄1489631109120000 ≈ 6.71307×10−16
கதிர்முனை
katirmuṉai
1⁄59585244364800000 ≈ 1.67827×10−17
குரல்வளைப்படி
kuralvaḷaippaḍi
1⁄3575114661888000000 ≈ 2.79711×10−19
வெள்ளம்
veḷḷam
1⁄357511466188800000000 ≈ 2.79711×10−21
நுண்மணல்
nuṇmaṇal
1⁄2323824530227200000000 ≈ 4.30325×10−22
தேர்த்துகள்
tērttugaḷ
^Aṇu was considered as the lowest fraction by ancient Tamils as size of smallest physical object (similar to an atom). Later, this term went to Sanskrit to refer directly to atoms.[citation needed]
Decimals (பதின்மம்)
Decimal point is called புள்ளி (puḷḷi) in Tamil. For example, 1.1 would be read as ஒன்று புள்ளி ஒன்று (oṉṟu puḷḷi oṉṟu). In Sri Lankan Tamil, Thasam தசம்.
Percentage (விழுக்காடு)
Percentage is known as விழுக்காடு (viḻukkāḍu) in Tamil or சதவீதம் (śatavītam). These words are simply added after a number to form percentages. For instance, four percent is நான்கு சதவீதம் (nāṉku satavītam) or நான்கு விழுக்காடு (nāṉku viḻukkāḍu). Percentage symbol (%) is also recognised and used.
Ordinal numbers (வரிசை எண்கள்)
Ordinal numbers are formed by adding the suffix -ஆம் (ām) after the number, except for 'First'.
Ordinal
Tamil
Transliteration
First
முதல்
mudal (/muðal/)
Second
இரண்டாம்
iraṇḍām
Third
மூன்றாம்
mūṉṟām
Fourth
நான்காம்
nāṉkām
101st
நூற்று ஒன்றாம்
nūṟṟu oṉṟām
Collective numerals (கூட்டெண்கள்)
English
Tamil
Transliteration
Single
ஒற்றை
oṟṟai
Pair
இரட்டை
iraṭṭai
Reproductives
௺ + வினைச்சொல்
Numeric prefix + noun*
Single (pillar), double (pillar)...
ஒருக்(கால்), இருக்(கால்)-
oruk(kāl), iruk(kāl)*
Distributives
௺ + முறை
Numeric prefix + muṟai
Once, twice...
ஒருமுறை, இருமுறை
orumuṟai, irumuṟai
As always, when blending two words into one, an unvoiced form of the consonant as the one that the second starts with, is placed in between to blend.
Traditional Tamil counting song
This song is a list of each number with a concept its primarily associated with.
Tamil
Transliteration
English
ஒரு குலம்
oru kulam
One race
ஈரினம்
īriṉam
Two sexes–male (ஆண், āṇ), female (பெண், peṇ)
முத்தமிழ்
muttamiḻ
Three sections of Tamil–literature (இயல், iyal), music (இசை, isai), and drama (நாடகம், nāṭakam)
நான்மறை
nāṉmaṟai
Four scriptures
ஐம்புலன்
aimpulaṉ
Five senses
அறுசுவை
aṟucuvai
Six tastes–sweet (iṉippu), pungent (kārppu), bitter (kasappu), sour (puḷippu), salty (uvarppu), and astringent (tuvarppu).
Eight directions–east (kiḻakku), west (mēṟku), north (vaḍakku), south (teṟku), south-west (teṉ-mēṟku), south-east (teṉ-kiḻakku), north-west (vaḍa-mēṟku), and north-east (vaḍa-kiḻakku).
நவமணிகள்
navamaṇikaḷ
Nine gems–diamond (வைரம், vairam), emerald (மரகதம், marakatam), blue sapphire (நீலம், nīlam), garnet (கோமேதகம், kōmētakam), red coral (பவளம், pavaḷam), ruby (மாணிக்கம், māṇikkam), pearl (முத்து, muttu), topaz (புட்பராகம், puṭparākam), and cat's eye (வைடூரியம், vaiṭūriyam).
தொன்மெய்ப்பாடு
toṉmeyppāṭu
Also known as navarasam as per the dance expressions. These are joyful (uvakai), humour (nakai), cries (aḻukai), innocent (vekuḷi), proud (perumitam), fear (accam), disgust (iḷivaral), wonder (maruṭkai), and tranquility (amaiti).[5]
Influence on other dravidian languages
As the ancient classical language of the Dravidian languages, Tamil numerals influenced and shaped the numerals of the others in the family. The following table compares the main Dravidian languages.
Before the Government of India unveiled ₹ as the new rupee symbol, people in Tamil Nadu used the Tamil letter ௹ as the symbol. This symbol continues to be used occasionally as rupee symbol by Indian Tamils. It is also used by Tamils in Sri Lanka.
The symbol ௳ is also known as the Piḷḷaiyār Suḻi (lit.'Curl of Piḷḷaiyār'), a symbol that most Tamil Hindus will start off any auspicious document with. It is written to invoke the god Piḷḷaiyār, known otherwise as Ganesha, who is the remover of obstacles.
↑ Selvakumar, V. (2016). History of Numbers and Fractions and Arithmetic Calculations in the Tamil Region: Some Observations. HuSS: International Journal of Research in Humanities and Social Sciences, 3(1), 27-35. https://doi.org/10.15613/HIJRH/2016/V3I1/111730
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