Cyrillic numerals

Cyrillic numerals are a numeral system derived from the Cyrillic script, developed in the First Bulgarian Empire in the late 10th century. It was used in the First Bulgarian Empire and by South and East Slavic peoples.^[1] The system was used in Russia as late as the early 18th century, when Peter the Great replaced it with Arabic numerals as part of his civil script reform initiative.^[2][3] Cyrillic numbers played a role in Peter the Great's currency reform plans, too, with silver wire kopecks issued after 1696 and mechanically minted coins issued between 1700 and 1722 inscribed with the date using Cyrillic numerals.^[4] By 1725, Russian Imperial coins had transitioned to Arabic numerals.^[5] The Cyrillic numerals may still be found in books written in the Church Slavonic language.^[6]

Tower clock with Cyrillic numerals, in Suzdal, Russia

Reverse of silver half ruble (left) and copper beard token featuring the year 1705 in Cyrillic numerals (҂АѰЕ)

General description

The system is a quasi-decimal alphabetic numeral system, equivalent to the Ionian numeral system but written with the corresponding graphemes of the Cyrillic script. The order is based on the original Greek alphabet rather than the standard Cyrillic alphabetical order.^[7]

A separate letter is assigned to each unit (1, 2, ... 9), each multiple of ten (10, 20, ... 90), and each multiple of one hundred (100, 200, ... 900). To distinguish numbers from text, a titlo (  ҃) is sometimes drawn over the numbers, or they are set apart with dots.^[8] The numbers are written as pronounced in Slavonic,^[9] generally from the high value position to the low value position, with the exception of 11 through 19, which are written and pronounced with the ones unit before the tens; for example, ЗІ (17) is "семнадсять" (literally seven-on-ten, cf. the English seven-teen).^[2]

Examples:

•   (҂аѱ҃ѕ) – 1706
•   (҂зр︮и︯і) – 7118
• A long titlo may be used for long runs of numbers: ҂з︮р︦н︦і︯.

To evaluate a Cyrillic number, the values of all the figures are added up: for example, ѰЗ is 700 + 7, making 707. If the number is greater than 999 (ЦЧѲ), the thousands sign (҂) is used to multiply the number's value: for example, ҂Ѕ is 6000, while ҂Л҂В is parsed as 30,000 + 2000, making 32,000. To produce larger numbers, a modifying sign is used to encircle the number being multiplied.^[10] Two scales existed in such cases (similar to the long and short scales): one is 'Малый счёт' or Lesser count giving a new name and sign /every order of magnitude/, and the other is 'Великий счёт' or Greater Count (both are squaring except for the end—extending to 10 in the 49th power).^[11][12]

 

Modifying signs used to denote values 1000 and greater. For example, А҉ denotes 1 million.

Table of values

Value Greek Cyrillic 1 Αʹ А 2 Βʹ В 3 Γʹ Г 4 Δʹ Д 5 Εʹ Є or Е 6 Ϛʹ or Ϝʹ Ѕ or Ꙃ or Ꙅ 7 Ζʹ З or Ꙁ 8 Ηʹ И 9 Θʹ Ѳ

Value Greek Cyrillic 10 Ιʹ І or Ї 20 Κʹ К 30 Λʹ Л 40 Μʹ М 50 Νʹ Н 60 Ξʹ Ѯ or Ч^† 70 Οʹ Ѻ or О 80 Πʹ П 90 Ϟʹ Ч or Ҁ^†

Value Greek Cyrillic 100 Ρʹ Р 200 Σʹ С 300 Τʹ Т 400 Υʹ У or Ѵ or ОУ or Ꙋ 500 Φʹ Ф 600 Χʹ Х 700 Ψʹ Ѱ 800 Ωʹ Ѡ or Ѿ or Ꙍ 900 Ϡʹ Ц or Ѧ

^† In some varieties of Western Cyrillic, Ч was used for 60 and Ҁ was used for 90.

Cyrillic modifying signs

Name (English)^[11]	Lesser count multiplier	Greater count multiplier	Sign	Example
Тысяча знак (Thousand mark)	1,000	1,000	҂
Тьма (Myriad)	10,000	1,000,000	⃝
Легион (Legion)	100,000	10^12	҈
Леодр (Legion of Legions)	1,000,000	10^24	҉
Вран (Ворон) (Raven/Crow)	10,000,000	10^48	꙰
Колода (Trough/Log)	100,000,000	10^49	꙱
Тьма тем (Many Myriad)	1,000,000,000	possibly 10^50	꙲

Computing codes

character	◌҃		◌︮		◌︦		◌︯		҂
Unicode name	COMBINING CYRILLIC TITLO		COMBINING CYRILLIC TITLO LEFT HALF		COMBINING CONJOINING MACRON		COMBINING CYRILLIC TITLO RIGHT HALF		CYRILLIC THOUSANDS SIGN
character encoding	decimal	hex	decimal	hex	decimal	hex	decimal	hex	decimal	hex
Unicode	1155	0483	65070	FE2E	65062	FE26	65071	FE2F	1154	0482
UTF-8	210 131	D2 83	239 184 174	EF B8 AE	239 184 166	EF B8 A6	239 184 175	EF B8 AF	210 130	D2 82
Numeric character reference	҃	҃	︮	︮	︦	︦	︯	︯	҂	҂

character	⃝		҈		҉		꙰		꙱		꙲
Unicode name	COMBINING ENCLOSING CIRCLE (Cyrillic combining ten thousands sign)		COMBINING CYRILLIC HUNDRED THOUSANDS SIGN		COMBINING CYRILLIC MILLIONS SIGN		COMBINING CYRILLIC TEN MILLIONS SIGN		COMBINING CYRILLIC HUNDRED MILLIONS SIGN		COMBINING CYRILLIC BILLIONS SIGN
character encoding	decimal	hex	decimal	hex	decimal	hex	decimal	hex	decimal	hex	decimal	hex
Unicode	8413	20DD	1160	0488	1161	0489	42608	A670	42609	A671	42610	A672
UTF-8	226 131 157	E2 83 9D	210 136	D2 88	210 137	D2 89	234 153 176	EA 99 B0	234 153 177	EA 99 B1	234 153 178	EA 99 B2
Numeric character reference	⃝	⃝	҈	҈	҉	҉	꙰	꙰	꙱	꙱	꙲	꙲

See also

• Early Cyrillic alphabet
• Glagolitic alphabet
• Glagolitic numerals
• Greek numerals
• Relationship of Cyrillic and Glagolitic scripts

References

1. Dejić, Mirko (2013). "How the old Slavs (Serbs) wrote numbers". BSHM Bulletin: Journal of the British Society for the History of Mathematics. 29 (1): 2–17. doi:10.1080/17498430.2013.805559. ISSN 1749-8430. S2CID 121899464.
2. Chrisomalis, Stephen (2010). Numerical Notation: A Comparative History. Cambridge, England: Cambridge University Press. pp. 180–182. ISBN 978-1-139-48533-3. Retrieved 2016-12-28.
3. Yefimov, Vladimir (2002), "Civil Type and Kis Cyrillic", in Berry, John D. (ed.), Language Culture Type: International Type Design in the Age of Unicode, New York City: Graphis Press, pp. 369–147, ISBN 978-1932026016, retrieved 2017-01-02
4. Teplyakov, Sergei (2011). "How To Identify & Interpret Cyrillic Dates on Russian Coins of Peter I The Great". Metal Detecting World. Retrieved 2016-12-30.
5. Lorković, Tatjana (2003). "Coins and Medals of Imperial Russia". Yale University Library. Retrieved 2016-12-30.
6. Looijen, Maarten (2015). Over Getallen Gesproken/Talking About Numbers (in Dutch and English) (2nd ed.). Zaltbommel, Netherlands: Van Haren Publishing. pp. 59–60. ISBN 978-94-018-0601-5.
7. Ager, Simon. "Omniglot: Cyrillic Script". Retrieved 2016-12-29.
8. Gesang, Philipp (2013), (PDF), p. 3, archived from the original (PDF) on 2016-12-30, retrieved 2016-12-29
9. Lunt, Horace Gray (2001). Old Church Slavonic Grammar (7th ed.). Berlin, Germany: Walter de Gruyter. pp. 16–18. ISBN 978-3-11-016284-4.
10. Gamanovich, Alypy (2001). Shaw, John (ed.). Grammar of the Church Slavonic Language. Jordanville, New York: Holy Trinity Monastery. ISBN 978-0884650645. Retrieved 2016-12-28.
11. Козловский, Станислав (2007-02-25). "У больших чисел громкие имена" [Big Names of Large Numbers]. Вокруг Света (in Russian). Moscow. Retrieved 2017-01-02.
12. A. Kent; H. Lancour; J.E. Daily; W.Z. Nasri, eds. (1979). "Slavic Paleography". Encyclopedia of Library and Information Science. Vol. 27. New York, NY: Marcel Dekker Inc. pp. 510–520. ISBN 978-0-8247-2027-8. Retrieved 26 March 2018.

External links

•   Media related to Cyrillic numerals at Wikimedia Commons