Numbers
The number 4 in braille
4 is the number sign followed by the letter d — dots 1, 4 and 5.
Number sign + d
Dots 3-4-5-6, then dots 1-4-5
Why it uses a letter
After a number sign the cell for d reads as 4; without one it is the letter d — see D in braille.
4 inside larger numbers
One number sign covers the whole run: 4, 14 and 400 each take one.
4
14
400
4 in everyday writing
| Written | In braille | What the cells do |
|---|---|---|
| 4 June | a space ends the number | |
| 4.5 | a decimal point does not — no second number sign | |
| 4cm | c is a digit letter, so it takes the letter sign — without it these cells read as “43m” | |
| 4kg | k is not a digit letter, so nothing extra is needed |
Braille numbers sets out the rule behind all four.
What is particular to 4
The same cell with no number sign
It is the letter d, and standing alone in a Grade 2 text it is the word “do”. So ⠼⠙ is 4, and ⠙ between two spaces is “do”.
4th
4th is ⠼⠙⠞⠓, with t and h as two separate cells. Elsewhere “th” 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, 4 is dots 1-4-5. Add one dot and it is 7 (dots 1-2-4-5). Take one away and it is 3 (dots 1-4) or 5 (dots 1-5). Mirrored left to right it becomes 6 (dots 1-2-4), which is the shape a slate writer punches for it.
4 in braille as an image
Both cells as a picture: the number sign, then the letter d at dots 1-4-5.
