Numbers
The number 2 in braille
2 is the number sign followed by the letter b — dots 1 and 2.
Number sign + b
Dots 3-4-5-6, then dots 1-2
Why it uses a letter
After a number sign the cell for b reads as 2; without one it is the letter b — see B in braille.
2 inside larger numbers
One number sign covers the whole run: 2, 12 and 200 each take one.
2
12
200
2 in everyday writing
| Written | In braille | What the cells do |
|---|---|---|
| 2 June | a space ends the number | |
| 2.5 | a decimal point does not — no second number sign | |
| 2cm | c is a digit letter, so it takes the letter sign — without it these cells read as “23m” | |
| 2kg | k is not a digit letter, so nothing extra is needed |
Braille numbers sets out the rule behind all four.
What is particular to 2
The same cell with no number sign
It is the letter b, and standing alone in a Grade 2 text it is the word “but”. So ⠼⠃ is 2, and ⠃ between two spaces is “but”.
2nd
2nd is ⠼⠃⠝⠙. The n that follows the digit is not one of the digit letters a to j, so nothing has to separate it from the number. “2d” is different: ⠼⠃⠰⠙, with a letter sign, because a d straight after a digit would be read as another digit, 4.
One dot away, and mirrored
After the number sign, 2 is dots 1-2. Add one dot and it is 6 (dots 1-2-4) or 8 (dots 1-2-5). Take one away and it is 1 (dot 1). Mirrored left to right it is dots 4-5, which is no digit at all — on a slate that is the shape punched for it.
2 in braille as an image
Both cells as a picture: the number sign, then the letter b at dots 1-2.
