፩፪፫፬፭፮፯፰፱
Ethiopic numerals
A summing system in base 10, with no zero.
StructureAdditive — signs are summed; there are no columns, so nothing can be empty
Base10
ZeroNone — the system never needs one
RegionEthiopia and Eritrea
Datesadapted from Greek numerals, c. 4th c. CE onward
UnicodeU+1369–U+137C
Status living
Curatorial note
Distinct signs for 1–9, for the tens, for 100 and for 10,000, combined multiplicatively and summed — a Greek-derived scheme with overline marks that became its own thing. No zero and no place value, and it remains in use for dates, chapter numbers and liturgical text alongside Arabic digits for arithmetic.
Specimen
The digits, at size 56 ፩፪፫፬፭፮፯፰፱
40 ፩፪፫፬፭፮፯፰፱
26 ፩፪፫፬፭፮፯፰፱
17 ፩፪፫፬፭፮፯፰፱