Indian numbering system

This article is about digit grouping of numbers in India. For the symbols used to write digits in India, see Indian numerals.

The Indian numbering system is used in India as well as in Bangladesh, Nepal and Pakistan. It is based on the Vedic numbering system in which numbers over 9,999 are written in two-digit groups (or a mix of two- and three-digit groups) rather than the three-digit groups used in most other parts of the world. In Pakistan, this system is used in Urdu and other regional language media, but not in English-language media.

The terms lakh or lac (100,000 or 1,00,000 in the Indian system) and crore (10,000,000 or 1,00,00,000 in the Indian system) are used in Indian English to express large numbers. For example, in India 150,000 rupees becomes 1.5 lakh rupees, written as ₹1,50,000 or INR 1,50,000, while 30,000,000 (thirty million) rupees becomes 3 crore rupees, written as ₹3,00,00,000 with commas at the thousand, lakh, and crore levels, and 1,000,000,000 (one billion) rupees (one hundred crore rupees) is written ₹1,00,00,00,000.

Use of separators

The Indian numbering system uses separators differently from the international norm; in such numbers of at least one lakh (one hundred thousand), a comma divides every two rather than every three digits to the left of the last three, thus:

Indian system	Western system
5,00,000	500,000
12,12,12,123	121,212,123
7,00,00,00,000	7,000,000,000

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, Bangladesh and Pakistan, following former British usage, the long scale was used, with one billion equivalent to one million million.

Hindi / Urdu / Bengali (transliteration) South Asian English	Indian figure	Power notation	International figure	Short scale Western (long scale Western)
एक / ایک (ek) / এক (êk) one	1	100	1	One
दस / دس (das) / দশ (dôsh) ten	10	101	10	Ten Scientific (SI prefix): deca-
सौ / سو (sau) / একশ (êkshô) one hundred	100	102	100	One hundred SI prefix: hecto-
सहस्र (sahasra) / हज़ार / ہزار (hazār) / হাজার (hazar) one thousand	1,000	103	1,000	One thousand SI prefix: kilo-
दस हज़ार / دس ہزار (das hazār) / দশ হাজার (dôsh hazar) ten thousand	10,000	104	10,000	Ten thousand
लाख / لاکھ (lākh) / লাখ (lakh) one lakh (also lac)	1,00,000	105	100,000	One hundred thousand
अदन्त / ادنت (adant) / दस लाख / دس لاکھ (das lākh) / দশ লাখ (dôsh lakh) ten lakh	10,00,000	106	1,000,000	One million SI prefix: mega-
करोड़ / کروڑ (karoṛ) / কোটি (koti) one crore	1,00,00,000	107	10,000,000	Ten million
दस करोड़ / دس کروڑ (das karoṛ) / দশ কোটি (dôsh koti) ten crore	10,00,00,000	108	100,000,000	One hundred million
अरब / ارب (arab) / सौ करोड़ (sau karoṛ) / একশ কোটি (êkshô koti) one arab / one hundred crore	1,00,00,00,000	109	1,000,000,000	One billion (one milliard) SI prefix: giga-
एक हज़ार करोड़ (ek hazār karoṛ) / دس ارب (das arab) / এক হাজার কোটি (êk hazar koti) one thousand crore / ten arab	10,00,00,00,000	1010	10,000,000,000	Ten billion (ten milliard)
खरब / کھرب (kharab) / দশ হাজার কোটি (dôsh hazar koti) ten thousand crore / one kharab / one hundred arab	1,00,00,00,00,000	1011	100,000,000,000	One hundred billion (one hundred milliard)
एक लाख करोड़ (ek lākh karoṛ) / دس کھرب (das kharab) / এক লাখ কোটি (êk lakh koti) one lakh crore / ten kharab / one thousand arab	10,00,00,00,00,000	1012	1,000,000,000,000	One trillion (one billion) SI prefix: tera-
नील / نیل (nīl) / দশ লাখ কোটি (dôsh lakh koti) ten lakh crore / one neel / one hundred kharab / ten thousand arab	1,00,00,00,00,00,000	1013	10,000,000,000,000	Ten trillion (ten billion)
एक करोड़ करोड़ (ek karoṛ karoṛ) / دس نیل (das nīl) / শত লাখ কোটি (shôtô lakh koti) one crore crore / ten neel	10,00,00,00,00,00,000	1014	100,000,000,000,000	One hundred trillion (one hundred billion)
पद्म / پدم (padma) / হাজার লাখ কোটি (hajar lakh koti) one padma / one hundred neel / ten crore crore	1,00,00,00,00,00,00,000	1015	1,000,000,000,000,000	One quadrillion (one billiard) SI prefix: peta-
दस पद्म / دس پدم (das padm) / দশ হাজার লাখ কোটি (dôsh hajar lakh koti) ten padma / one hundred crore crore	10,00,00,00,00,00,00,000	1016	10,000,000,000,000,000	Ten quadrillion (ten billiard)
शङ्ख / شنکھ (śaṅkh) / শত হাজার লাখ কোটি (shôtô hajar lakh koti) one shankh / one hundred padma / one thousand crore crore / one lakh lakh crore	1,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,000	1017	100,000,000,000,000,000	One hundred quadrillion (one hundred billiard)
गुलशन / گلشن / দশ শত হাজার লাখ কোটি (dôsh shôtô hajar lakh koti) (ten shankh / ten thousand crore crore)	10,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,000	1018	1,000,000,000,000,000,000	One quintillion (one trillion) SI prefix: exa-
Maha-sankh	100,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,000	1019	10,000,000,000,000,000,000

Vedic numbering systems

There are various systems of numeration found in various ancient Vedic literatures of India. The following table gives one such system used in the Valmiki Ramayana.

Sanskrit (transliteration)	Indian figure	Power notation	Hindu figure	Short scale Western
एक (eka)	0,00,001	100	1	One
दश (daśa)	0,00,010	101	10	Ten
शत (śata)	0,00,100	102	100	One hundred
सहस्र (sahasra)	0,01,000	103	1,000	One thousand
अयुत (ayuta)	0,10,000	104	10,000	Ten thousand
लक्ष (lakṣa)	1,00,000	105	1,00,000	One hundred thousand
नियुत (niyuta)	1,00,000 daśa	106	10,00,000	One million
कोटी (koṭi)	1,00,000 śata	107	1,00,00,000	Ten million
शङ्कु (śaṅku)	1,00,000 koṭi	1012	10,00,00,00,00,000	One trillion
महाशङ्कु (mahā-śaṅku)	1,00,000 śaṅku	1017	1,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,000	One hundred quadrillion
वृन्द (vṛnda)	1,00,000 mahā-śaṅku	1022	10,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,000	Ten sextillion
महावृन्द (mahā-vṛnda)	1,00,000 vṛnda	1027	1,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,000	One octillion
पद्म (padma)	1,00,000 mahā-vṛnda	1032	10,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,000	One hundred nonillion
महापद्म (mahā-padma)	1,00,000 padma	1037	1,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,000	Ten undecillion
खर्व (kharva)	1,00,000 mahā-padma	1042	10,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,000	One tredecillion
महाखर्व (mahā-kharva)	1,00,000 kharva	1047	1,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,000	One hundred quattuordecillion
समुद्र (samudra)	1,00,000 mahā-kharva	1052	10,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,000	Ten sexdecillion
ओघ (ogha)	1,00,000 samudra	1057	1,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00.00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,000	One octodecillion
महौघ (mahaugha)	1,00,000 ogha	1062	10,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,000	One hundred novemdecillion

Usage in different languages

Main articles: lakh and crore

• In Punjabi, a lakh is called lakkh (Shahmukhi: لکھ, Gurmukhi: ਲੱਖ) and a crore is called karoṛ (Shahmukhi: کروڑ, Gurmukhi: ਕਰੋੜ).
• In Bengali, a lakh is called লক্ষ lokkho (ardha-tatsama), or laakh (tadbhava) and a crore is called কোটি koti.
• In Gujarati, a lakh is called લાખ lākh and a crore is called કરોડ karoḍ. A hundred crore is called અબજ abaj.
• In Sylheti, a lakh is called লাখ lakh (lax) and a crore is called কোটি kuti.
• In Kannada, a lakh is called ಲಕ್ಷ lakṣha and a crore is called ಕೋಟಿ kōṭi.
• In Malayalam, a lakh is called ലക്ഷം laksham and a crore is called കോടി kodi.
• In Marathi, a lakh is called लाख lākh and a crore is called कोटी koṭi or करोड karoḍ , and an arab (10⁹) is called अब्ज abja.
• In Nepali, a lakh is called लाख lākh and a crore is called करोड karoḍ.
• In Odia, a lakh is called ଲକ୍ଷ lakhya and a crore is called କୋଟି koti.
• In Sinhalese, a lakh is called ලක්ෂ lakṣa and a crore is called කෝටි kōṭi.
• In Tamil, a lakh is called நூறாயிரம் nooRaayiram as well as இலட்சம் 'ilatcham and a crore is called கோடி kodi.
• In Telugu, a lakh is called లక్ష lakṣa and a crore is called కోటి kōṭi.
• In Urdu, a lakh is called لاکھ lākh and a crore is called کروڑ karoṛ.
• Lakh has entered the Swahili language as "laki" and is in common use.
• In Burmese, crore is called ကုဋေ [ɡədè]. Lakh is used in Burmese English.