Numbers
The number 1 in braille
1 is the number sign followed by the letter a — dot 1.
Number sign + a
Dots 3-4-5-6, then dots 1
Why it uses a letter
After a number sign the cell for a reads as 1; without one it is the letter a — see A in braille.
1 inside larger numbers
One number sign covers the whole run: 1, 11 and 100 each take one.
1
11
100
1 in everyday writing
| Written | In braille | What the cells do |
|---|---|---|
| 1 June | a space ends the number | |
| 1.5 | a decimal point does not — no second number sign | |
| 1cm | c is a digit letter, so it takes the letter sign — without it these cells read as “13m” | |
| 1kg | k is not a digit letter, so nothing extra is needed |
Braille numbers sets out the rule behind all four.
What is particular to 1
The same cell with no number sign
It is the letter a, and standing alone it is the word “a”. So ⠼⠁ is 1, and ⠁ between two spaces is “a”.
1st
1st is ⠼⠁⠎⠞, with s and t as two separate cells. Elsewhere “st” is one cell, but a contraction may not follow a number (Rules of Unified English Braille 6.5.3).
One dot away, and mirrored
After the number sign, 1 is dot 1. Add one dot and it is 2 (dots 1-2), 3 (dots 1-4) or 5 (dots 1-5). Mirrored left to right it is dot 4, which is no digit at all — on a slate that is the shape punched for it.
1 in braille as an image
Both cells as a picture: the number sign, then the letter a at dots 1.
