Numbers
The number 5 in braille
5 is the number sign followed by the letter e — dots 1 and 5.
Number sign + e
Dots 3-4-5-6, then dots 1-5
Why it uses a letter
After a number sign the cell for e reads as 5; without one it is the letter e — see E in braille.
5 inside larger numbers
One number sign covers the whole run: 5, 15 and 500 each take one.
5
15
500
5 in everyday writing
| Written | In braille | What the cells do |
|---|---|---|
| 5 June | a space ends the number | |
| 5.5 | a decimal point does not — no second number sign | |
| 5cm | c is a digit letter, so it takes the letter sign — without it these cells read as “53m” | |
| 5kg | k is not a digit letter, so nothing extra is needed |
Braille numbers sets out the rule behind all four.
What is particular to 5
The same cell with no number sign
It is the letter e, and standing alone in a Grade 2 text it is the word “every”. So ⠼⠑ is 5, and ⠑ between two spaces is “every”.
5th
5th 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, 5 is dots 1-5. Add one dot and it is 4 (dots 1-4-5) or 8 (dots 1-2-5). Take one away and it is 1 (dot 1). Mirrored left to right it becomes 9 (dots 2-4), which is the shape a slate writer punches for it.
5 in braille as an image
Both cells as a picture: the number sign, then the letter e at dots 1-5.
