The Indian numbering system corresponds to the Western system for the zeroth through fourth powers of ten: one (100), ten (101), one hundred (102), one thousand (103), and ten thousand (104). For higher powers of ten, the names no longer correspond. In the ancient Indian system still in use in regional languages of India, there are words for (1062). These names respectively starting at 1000 are sahasra, ayuta, laksha, niyuta, koti, arbhudha, abhja, karva, nikarva, mahapadma, shanmkhu, jaladhi, amtya, madhya, paraardha. In the Indian system now prevalent in the northern parts,[clarification needed] the next powers of ten are called one lakh, ten lakh, one crore, ten crore, one arab (or one hundred crore), and so on; there are new words for every second power of ten (105 + 2n): lakh (105), crore (107), arab (109), kharab (1011), etc.
In the Western system, the next powers of ten are called one hundred thousand, one million, ten million, one hundred million, one billion (short scale)/one thousand million (long scale), and so on; in the short scale, there are new words for every third power of ten (103n): million (106), billion (109), trillion (1012), etc.
Written numbers differ in the placement of commas, grouping digits into powers of one hundred (102) in the Indian system (except for the first thousand), and into powers of one thousand (103) in the Western system. The Indian and most English systems both use the decimal point and the comma digit-separator, while other languages and countries using the Western numbering system use the decimal comma and the thin space or point to group digits.[2]
There are terms for numbers larger than 1 crore as well, but these are not commonly used. These include 1 arab (equal to 100 crore or 1 billion (short scale)), 1 kharab (equal to 100 arab or 100 billion (short scale)), 1 nil (sometimes transliterated as neel; equal to 100 kharab or 10 trillion), 1 padma (equal to 100 nil or 1 quadrillion), 1 shankh (equal to 100 padma or 100 quadrillion), and 1 mahashankh (equal to 100 shankh or 10 quintillion). In common parlance, the thousand, lakh, and crore terminology (though inconsistent) repeats for larger numbers: thus 1,000,000,000,000 (one trillion) becomes 1 lakh crore, written as 10,00,00,00,00,000.
Examples
lakh: 150,000 rupees in India is referred to as "1.5 lakh rupees", which is written as 1,50,000 rupees;
crore: 30,000,000 (thirty million) rupees is referred to as "3 crore rupees", which is written as 3,00,00,000 rupees with commas at the thousand, lakh, and crore places.
Pronunciation in English
When speakers of indigenous Indian languages are speaking English, the pronunciations may be closer to their mother tongue; e.g. "lakh" and "crore" might be pronounced /lɑkʰ/, /kɑrɔːr/, respectively.
lakh /læk/
crore /krɔː(ɹ̠)/
arab /æˈɹ̠æb/
kharab /kʰæˈɹ̠æb/
Use of separators
The Indian numbering system uses separators differently from the international norm. Instead of grouping digits by threes as in the international system, the Indian numbering system groups the rightmost three digits together (until the hundreds place), and thereafter groups by sets of two digits.[3] One trillion would thus be written as 10,00,00,00,00,000 or 10 kharab (or one lakh crore). This makes the number convenient to read using the system's terminology. For example:
Indian system
Indian system (words)
International system
International system (words)
5,00,000
Five lakh
500,000
Five hundred thousand
12,34,56,789
Twelve crore, thirty-four lakh, fifty-six hazar, seven hundred, and eighty-nine
123,456,789
One hundred and twenty-three million, four hundred and fifty-six thousand, seven hundred and eighty-nine
Six quadrillion, seven hundred and eighty-nine trillion
This accords with the Indian numbering system, which has units for thousands, hundreds of thousands, tens of millions, etc.
Names of numbers
The table below follows the short scale usage of one billion being one thousand million. In India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Sri Lanka, following former British usage, the long scale was used, with one billion equivalent to one million million.
There are various systems of numeration found in various ancient epic literature of India (itihasas). The following table gives one such system used in the Valmiki Ramayana.[5]
The denominations by which land was measured in the Kumaon Kingdom were based on arable lands and thus followed an approximate system with local variations. The most common of these was a vigesimal (base-20) numbering system with the main denomination called a bisi (see Hindustani number bīs), which corresponded to the land required to sow 20 nalis of seed. Consequently, its actual land measure varied based on the quality of the soil.[6] This system became the established norm in Kumaon by 1891.[7]
In Rohingya, a lakh is called lák and a crore is called kurul. A thousand crore is called kuthí.
In Sinhala, a lakh is called ලක්ෂlakṣa and a crore is called කෝටිkōṭi.
In Tamil, a lakh is called இலட்சம்ilaṭcam and a crore is called கோடிkōṭi.
In Telugu, a lakh is called లక్షlakṣha and a crore is called కోటిkōṭi.
In Urdu, a lakh is called لاکھlākh and a crore is called کروڑkaroṛ. A billion is called arab (ارب), and one hundred billion/arab is called a kharab (کھرب).
Lakh has entered the Swahili language as "laki" and is in common use.
Formal written publications in English in India tend to use lakh/crore for Indian currency and International numbering for foreign currencies.[8]
Current usage
The usage of this system is limited to the nations of Nepal, India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Myanmar. It is universally employed within these countries, and is preferred to the English numbering system.[9]
Sri Lanka used this system in the past but has switched to the English numbering system in recent years.
In the Maldives, the term lakh is widely used in official documents and local speech. However, the Westernised Hindu-Arabicnumeral system is preferred for higher denominations (such as millions).
Most institutions and citizens in India use the Indian number system. The Reserve Bank of India was noted as a rare exception in 2015,[10] whereas by 2024 the Indian system was used for amounts in rupees and the Western system for foreign currencies throughout the Reserve Bank's website.[11]
^"Knowing our Numbers". Department Of School Education And Literacy. National Repository of Open Educational Resources. Archived from the original on 16 February 2016. Retrieved 13 February 2016.
^Use of separator in digit grouping here follows customs in most English-speaking countries. For international standards and details, see decimal mark.
