Numbers
The number 7 in braille
7 is the number sign followed by the letter g — dots 1, 2, 4 and 5.
Number sign + g
Dots 3-4-5-6, then dots 1-2-4-5
Why it uses a letter
After a number sign the cell for g reads as 7; without one it is the letter g — see G in braille.
7 inside larger numbers
One number sign covers the whole run: 7, 17 and 700 each take one.
7
17
700
7 in everyday writing
| Written | In braille | What the cells do |
|---|---|---|
| 7 June | a space ends the number | |
| 7.5 | a decimal point does not — no second number sign | |
| 7cm | c is a digit letter, so it takes the letter sign — without it these cells read as “73m” | |
| 7kg | k is not a digit letter, so nothing extra is needed |
Braille numbers sets out the rule behind all four.
What is particular to 7
The same cell with no number sign
It is the letter g, and standing alone in a Grade 2 text it is the word “go”. So ⠼⠛ is 7, and ⠛ between two spaces is “go”.
7th
7th 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, 7 is dots 1-2-4-5. Take one away and it is 4 (dots 1-4-5), 6 (dots 1-2-4), 8 (dots 1-2-5) or 0 (dots 2-4-5). Mirrored left to right the cell is unchanged, so it is punched on a slate exactly as it is read.
7 in braille as an image
Both cells as a picture: the number sign, then the letter g at dots 1-2-4-5.
