Numbers
The number 6 in braille
6 is the number sign followed by the letter f — dots 1, 2 and 4.
Number sign + f
Dots 3-4-5-6, then dots 1-2-4
Why it uses a letter
After a number sign the cell for f reads as 6; without one it is the letter f — see F in braille.
6 inside larger numbers
One number sign covers the whole run: 6, 16 and 600 each take one.
6
16
600
6 in everyday writing
| Written | In braille | What the cells do |
|---|---|---|
| 6 June | a space ends the number | |
| 6.5 | a decimal point does not — no second number sign | |
| 6cm | c is a digit letter, so it takes the letter sign — without it these cells read as “63m” | |
| 6kg | k is not a digit letter, so nothing extra is needed |
Braille numbers sets out the rule behind all four.
What is particular to 6
The same cell with no number sign
It is the letter f, and standing alone in a Grade 2 text it is the word “from”. So ⠼⠋ is 6, and ⠋ between two spaces is “from”.
6th
6th 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, 6 is dots 1-2-4. Add one dot and it is 7 (dots 1-2-4-5). Take one away and it is 2 (dots 1-2), 3 (dots 1-4) or 9 (dots 2-4). Mirrored left to right it becomes 4 (dots 1-4-5), which is the shape a slate writer punches for it.
6 in braille as an image
Both cells as a picture: the number sign, then the letter f at dots 1-2-4.
