List of numeral systems

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There are many different numeral systems, that is, writing systems for expressing numbers.

"A base is a natural number B whose powers (B multiplied by itself some number of times) are specially designated within a numerical system."^[1]: 38 The term is not equivalent to radix, as it applies to all numerical notation systems (not just positional ones with a radix) and most systems of spoken numbers.^[1] Some systems have two bases, a smaller (subbase) and a larger (base); an example is Roman numerals, which are organized by fives (V=5, L=50, D=500, the subbase) and tens (X=10, C=100, M=1,000, the base).

Name	Base	Sample	Approx. First Appearance
Proto-cuneiform numerals	10&60		c. 3500–2000 BCE
Indus numerals	unknown[2]		c. 3500–1900 BCE[2]
Proto-Elamite numerals	10&60		3100 BCE
Sumerian numerals	10&60		3100 BCE
Egyptian numerals	10		3000 BCE
Babylonian numerals	10&60		2000 BCE
Aegean numerals	10	𐄇 𐄈 𐄉 𐄊 𐄋 𐄌 𐄍 𐄎 𐄏  ( ) 𐄐 𐄑 𐄒 𐄓 𐄔 𐄕 𐄖 𐄗 𐄘  ( ) 𐄙 𐄚 𐄛 𐄜 𐄝 𐄞 𐄟 𐄠 𐄡  ( ) 𐄢 𐄣 𐄤 𐄥 𐄦 𐄧 𐄨 𐄩 𐄪  ( ) 𐄫 𐄬 𐄭 𐄮 𐄯 𐄰 𐄱 𐄲 𐄳  ( )	1500 BCE
Chinese numerals Japanese numerals Korean numerals (Sino-Korean) Vietnamese numerals (Sino-Vietnamese)	10	零一二三四五六七八九十百千萬億 (Default, Traditional Chinese) 〇一二三四五六七八九十百千万亿 (Default, Simplified Chinese)	1300 BCE
Roman numerals	5&10	I V X L C D M	1000 BCE[1]
Hebrew numerals	10	א ב ג ד ה ו ז ח ט י כ ל מ נ ס ע פ צ ק ר ש ת ך ם ן ף ץ	800 BCE
Indian numerals	10	Bengali ০ ১ ২ ৩ ৪ ৫ ৬ ৭ ৮ ৯ Devanagari ० १ २ ३ ४ ५ ६ ७ ८ ९ Gujarati ૦ ૧ ૨ ૩ ૪ ૫ ૬ ૭ ૮ ૯ Kannada ೦ ೧ ೨ ೩ ೪ ೫ ೬ ೭ ೮ ೯ Malayalam ൦ ൧ ൨ ൩ ൪ ൫ ൬ ൭ ൮ ൯ Odia ୦ ୧ ୨ ୩ ୪ ୫ ୬ ୭ ୮ ୯ Punjabi ੦ ੧ ੨ ੩ ੪ ੫ ੬ ੭ ੮ ੯ Tamil ௦ ௧ ௨ ௩ ௪ ௫ ௬ ௭ ௮ ௯ Telugu ౦ ౧ ౨ ౩ ౪ ౫ ౬ ౭ ౮ ౯ Tibetan ༠ ༡ ༢ ༣ ༤ ༥ ༦ ༧ ༨ ༩ Urdu ۰ ۱ ۲ ۳ ۴ ۵ ۶ ۷ ۸ ۹	750–500 BCE
Greek numerals	10	ō α β γ δ ε ϝ ζ η θ ι ο Αʹ Βʹ Γʹ Δʹ Εʹ Ϛʹ Ζʹ Ηʹ Θʹ	<400 BCE
Kharosthi numerals	4&10	𐩇 𐩆 𐩅 𐩄 𐩃 𐩂 𐩁 𐩀	<400–250 BCE[3]
Phoenician numerals	10	𐤙 𐤘 𐤗 𐤛𐤛𐤛 𐤛𐤛𐤚 𐤛𐤛𐤖 𐤛𐤛 𐤛𐤚 𐤛𐤖 𐤛 𐤚 𐤖 [4]	<250 BCE[5]
Chinese rod numerals	10	𝍠 𝍡 𝍢 𝍣 𝍤 𝍥 𝍦 𝍧 𝍨 𝍩	1st Century
Coptic numerals	10	Ⲁ Ⲃ Ⲅ Ⲇ Ⲉ Ⲋ Ⲍ Ⲏ Ⲑ	2nd Century
Ge'ez numerals	10	፩ ፪ ፫ ፬ ፭ ፮ ፯ ፰ ፱ ፲ ፳ ፴ ፵ ፶ ፷ ፸ ፹ ፺ ፻ ፼ [6]	3rd–4th Century 15th Century (Modern Style)[7]: 135–136
Armenian numerals	10	Ա Բ Գ Դ Ե Զ Է Ը Թ Ժ	Early 5th Century
Khmer numerals	10	០ ១ ២ ៣ ៤ ៥ ៦ ៧ ៨ ៩	Early 7th Century
Thai numerals	10	๐ ๑ ๒ ๓ ๔ ๕ ๖ ๗ ๘ ๙	7th Century[8]
Abjad numerals	10	غ ظ ض ذ خ ث ت ش ر ق ص ف ع س ن م ل ك ي ط ح ز و هـ د ج ب ا	<8th Century
Chinese numerals (financial)	10	零壹貳參肆伍陸柒捌玖拾佰仟萬億 (T. Chinese) 零壹贰叁肆伍陆柒捌玖拾佰仟萬億 (S. Chinese)	late 7th/early 8th Century[9]
Eastern Arabic numerals	10	٩ ٨ ٧ ٦ ٥ ٤ ٣ ٢ ١ ٠	8th Century
Vietnamese numerals (Chữ Nôm)	10	𠬠 𠄩 𠀧 𦊚 𠄼 𦒹 𦉱 𠔭 𠃩	<9th Century
Western Arabic numerals	10	0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9	9th Century
Glagolitic numerals	10	Ⰰ Ⰱ Ⰲ Ⰳ Ⰴ Ⰵ Ⰶ Ⰷ Ⰸ ...	9th Century
Cyrillic numerals	10	а в г д е ѕ з и ѳ і ...	10th Century
Rumi numerals	10		10th Century
Burmese numerals	10	၀ ၁ ၂ ၃ ၄ ၅ ၆ ၇ ၈ ၉	11th Century[10]
Tangut numerals	10	𘈩 𗍫 𘕕 𗥃 𗏁 𗤁 𗒹 𘉋 𗢭 𗰗	11th Century (1036)
Cistercian numerals	10		13th Century
Maya numerals	5&20		<15th Century
Muisca numerals	20		<15th Century
Korean numerals (Hangul)	10	영 일 이 삼 사 오 육 칠 팔 구	15th Century (1443)
Aztec numerals	20		16th Century
Sinhala numerals	10	෦ ෧ ෨ ෩ ෪ ෫ ෬ ෭ ෮ ෯ 𑇡 𑇢 𑇣 𑇤 𑇥 𑇦 𑇧 𑇨 𑇩 𑇪 𑇫 𑇬 𑇭 𑇮 𑇯 𑇰 𑇱 𑇲 𑇳 𑇴	<18th Century
Pentadic runes	10		19th Century
Cherokee numerals	10		19th Century (1820s)
Vai numerals	10	꘠ ꘡ ꘢ ꘣ ꘤ ꘥ ꘦ ꘧ ꘨ ꘩ [11]	19th Century (1832)[12]
Bamum numerals	10	ꛯ ꛦ ꛧ ꛨ ꛩ ꛪ ꛫ ꛬ ꛭ ꛮ [13]	19th Century (1896)[12]
Mende Kikakui numerals	10	𞣏 𞣎 𞣍 𞣌 𞣋 𞣊 𞣉 𞣈 𞣇 [14]	20th Century (1917)[15]
Osmanya numerals	10	𐒠 𐒡 𐒢 𐒣 𐒤 𐒥 𐒦 𐒧 𐒨 𐒩	20th Century (1920s)
Medefaidrin numerals	20	𖺀 𖺁/𖺔 𖺂/𖺕 𖺃/𖺖 𖺄 𖺅 𖺆 𖺇 𖺈 𖺉 𖺊 𖺋 𖺌 𖺍 𖺎 𖺏 𖺐 𖺑 𖺒 𖺓 [16]	20th Century (1930s)[17]
N'Ko numerals	10	߉ ߈ ߇ ߆ ߅ ߄ ߃ ߂ ߁ ߀ [18]	20th Century (1949)[19]
Hmong numerals	10	𖭐 𖭑 𖭒 𖭓 𖭔 𖭕 𖭖 𖭗 𖭘 𖭑𖭐	20th Century (1959)
Garay numerals	10	[20]	20th Century (1961)[21]
Adlam numerals	10	𞥙 𞥘 𞥗 𞥖 𞥕 𞥔 𞥓 𞥒 𞥑 𞥐 [22]	20th Century (1989)[23]
Kaktovik numerals	5&20	𝋀 𝋁 𝋂 𝋃 𝋄 𝋅 𝋆 𝋇 𝋈 𝋉 𝋊 𝋋 𝋌 𝋍 𝋎 𝋏 𝋐 𝋑 𝋒 𝋓 [24]	20th Century (1994)[25]
Sundanese numerals	10	᮰ ᮱ ᮲ ᮳ ᮴ ᮵ ᮶ ᮷ ᮸ ᮹	20th Century (1996)[26]

Numeral systems are classified here as to whether they use positional notation (also known as place-value notation), and further categorized by radix or base.

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The common names are derived somewhat arbitrarily from a mix of Latin and Greek, in some cases including roots from both languages within a single name.^[27] There have been some proposals for standardisation.^[28]

Base	Name	Usage
2i	Quater-imaginary base	related to base −4 and base 16
${\displaystyle i{\sqrt {2}}}$	Base ${\displaystyle i{\sqrt {2}}}$	related to base −2 and base 4
${\displaystyle i{\sqrt[{4}]{2}}}$	Base ${\displaystyle i{\sqrt[{4}]{2}}}$	related to base 2
${\displaystyle 2\omega }$	Base ${\displaystyle 2\omega }$	related to base 8
${\displaystyle \omega {\sqrt[{3}]{2}}}$	Base ${\displaystyle \omega {\sqrt[{3}]{2}}}$	related to base 2
−1 ± i	Twindragon base	Twindragon fractal shape, related to base −4 and base 16
1 ± i	Negatwindragon base	related to base −4 and base 16

Base	Name	Usage
${\displaystyle {\frac {3}{2}}}$	Base ${\displaystyle {\frac {3}{2}}}$	a rational non-integer base
${\displaystyle {\frac {4}{3}}}$	Base ${\displaystyle {\frac {4}{3}}}$	related to duodecimal
${\displaystyle {\frac {5}{2}}}$	Base ${\displaystyle {\frac {5}{2}}}$	related to decimal
${\displaystyle {\sqrt {2}}}$	Base ${\displaystyle {\sqrt {2}}}$	related to base 2
${\displaystyle {\sqrt {3}}}$	Base ${\displaystyle {\sqrt {3}}}$	related to base 3
${\displaystyle {\sqrt[{3}]{2}}}$	Base ${\displaystyle {\sqrt[{3}]{2}}}$
${\displaystyle {\sqrt[{4}]{2}}}$	Base ${\displaystyle {\sqrt[{4}]{2}}}$
${\displaystyle {\sqrt[{12}]{2}}}$	Base ${\displaystyle {\sqrt[{12}]{2}}}$	usage in 12-tone equal temperament musical system
${\displaystyle 2{\sqrt {2}}}$	Base ${\displaystyle 2{\sqrt {2}}}$
${\displaystyle -{\frac {3}{2}}}$	Base ${\displaystyle -{\frac {3}{2}}}$	a negative rational non-integer base
${\displaystyle -{\sqrt {2}}}$	Base ${\displaystyle -{\sqrt {2}}}$	a negative non-integer base, related to base 2
${\displaystyle {\sqrt {10}}}$	Base ${\displaystyle {\sqrt {10}}}$	related to decimal
${\displaystyle 2{\sqrt {3}}}$	Base ${\displaystyle 2{\sqrt {3}}}$	related to duodecimal
φ	Golden ratio base	early Beta encoder[67]
ρ	Plastic number base
ψ	Supergolden ratio base
${\displaystyle 1+{\sqrt {2}}}$	Silver ratio base
e	Base ${\displaystyle e}$	best radix economy [citation needed]
π	Base ${\displaystyle \pi }$
eπ	Base ${\displaystyle e\pi }$
${\displaystyle e^{\pi }}$	Base ${\displaystyle e^{\pi }}$

• Factorial number system {1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, ...}
• Even double factorial number system {2, 4, 6, 8, 10, 12, ...}
• Odd double factorial number system {1, 3, 5, 7, 9, 11, ...}
• Primorial number system {2, 3, 5, 7, 11, 13, ...}
• Fibonorial number system {1, 2, 3, 5, 8, 13, ...}
• {60, 60, 24, 7} in timekeeping
• {60, 60, 24, 30 (or 31 or 28 or 29), 12, 10, 10, 10} in timekeeping
• (12, 20) traditional English monetary system (£sd)
• (20, 18, 13) Maya timekeeping

• Quote notation
• Redundant binary representation
• Hereditary base-n notation
• Asymmetric numeral systems optimized for non-uniform probability distribution of symbols
• Combinatorial number system

All known numeral systems developed before the Babylonian numerals are non-positional,^[68] as are many developed later, such as the Roman numerals. The French Cistercian monks created their own numeral system.