# Arabic Numbers **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [October 21, 2000, 10:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/arabic-numbers/37826 "2000-10-21T22:48:58Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 10\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![mongrel\_8](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e274bd/32.png) [@mongrel\_8](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mongrel_8)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2000, 10:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/arabic-numbers/37826/1 "2000-10-21T22:48:58Z")
Does everyone in the world us Arabic numbers? If not what do they use then? ---
**Author:** ![ElvisL1ves](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/5daacb/32.png) [@ElvisL1ves](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ElvisL1ves)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2000, 11:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/arabic-numbers/37826/2 "2000-10-21T23:11:14Z")
The Chinese use both their own and Arabic ones, for instance. The Arabic system is so practical, and used by so many “dominant” countries, that pretty much everybody at least knows them, as far as I know. ---
**Author:** ![samclem](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a9a28c/32.png) [@samclem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/samclem)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2000, 11:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/arabic-numbers/37826/3 "2000-10-21T23:29:11Z")
I make a living in the coin biz, so I need to know how to read dates on coins both current and older. My standard reference lists 25 different numeral systems. Some of them are Hebrew, Ethiopian, Georgian, Korean, Thai, etc. Many of these are still used on coins and banknotes from those countries. But I would agree with **Elvis** that most people today are familiar with (Western) “Arabic” numerals. Not Arabic(Arabic/Turkish) numerals. Does that make sense? ---
**Author:** ![system](https://global.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/original/2X/e/e489c3b7d8fce19c4b355dd4fc3f88cc39c34b87.png) [@system](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/system)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2000, 11:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/arabic-numbers/37826/4 "2000-10-21T23:53:03Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by samclem \* > \*\* > > But I would agree with **Elvis** that most people today are familiar with (Western) “Arabic” numerals. Not Arabic(Arabic/Turkish) numerals. Does that make sense? \*\* Actually both sets of Arabic numerals are of Indian origin. What we use in the West apparently was displaced in much of the Middle East by another set. ---
**Author:** ![AETBOND417](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/47e85d/32.png) [@AETBOND417](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AETBOND417)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2000, 12:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/arabic-numbers/37826/5 "2000-10-22T00:03:12Z")
There’s also those crazy Romans. MM my butt. ---
**Author:** ![samclem](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a9a28c/32.png) [@samclem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/samclem)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2000, 12:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/arabic-numbers/37826/6 "2000-10-22T00:08:58Z")
While I initially left out Roman numerals and Greek in my list of 25 numeric systems(because they just dont use them anymore), I just remembered---- The US gold coins issued between 1986 and 1991 used **Roman numerals** for dates. ---
**Author:** ![pluto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/f08c70/32.png) [@pluto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pluto)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2000, 1:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/arabic-numbers/37826/7 "2000-10-22T01:21:37Z")
As resident nit-picker I need to point out to **mongrel** that we use Arabic numerals, rather than Arabic “numbers”. Technically, the number is the quantity itself and the numeral is the symbol we make to represent it. ---
**Author:** ![Fernmeldetruppe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/e99b99/32.png) [@Fernmeldetruppe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fernmeldetruppe)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2000, 1:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/arabic-numbers/37826/8 "2000-10-22T01:39:26Z")
Here is a reference page for the above comments: [http://islam.org/mosque/ihame/Ref6.htm](http://islam.org/mosque/ihame/Ref6.htm) The fourth row (Modern Arabic (eastern)) is the one used in Arab countries. ---
**Author:** ![samclem](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a9a28c/32.png) [@samclem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/samclem)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2000, 2:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/arabic-numbers/37826/9 "2000-10-22T02:31:17Z")
Damn NITS! The **third** row shows the numerals. ---
**Author:** ![samclem](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a9a28c/32.png) [@samclem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/samclem)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2000, 2:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/arabic-numbers/37826/10 "2000-10-22T02:34:07Z")
Please accept my apology. I tried reading from left to right, not top to bottom. Sorry to have blown it. **Fern** was absolutely right.