Abjad numerals
From Freepedia
The Abjad numerals are a numeral system which was used in the Arabic-speaking world prior to the use of the so-called Arabic numerals (which are actually of Indian origin). In the Abjad system the letters of the arabic alphabet are assigned numerical values. Thus in principle the system is similar to the Roman numerals—however the details are rather different. In the past these numbers were used by mathematicans. In modern use they are primarly used for numbering small quantities, such as items in a list. They are also used to assign numerical values to Arabic words for purposes of numerology. The word abjad derives from the first four letters in an archaic ordering of the letters.
| ā/' ا | 1 | y/ī ي | 10 | q ق | 100 |
| b ب | 2 | k ك | 20 | r ر | 200 |
| j ج | 3 | l ل | 30 | sh ش | 300 |
| d د | 4 | m م | 40 | t ت | 400 |
| h ه | 5 | n ن | 50 | th ث | 500 |
| w/ū و | 6 | s س | 60 | kh خ | 600 |
| z ز | 7 | ` ع | 70 | dh ذ | 700 |
| H ح | 8 | f ف | 80 | D ض | 800 |
| T ط | 9 | S ص | 90 | Z ظ | 900 |
| gh غ | 1000 |
(A few of the numerical values would be different when the alternative order of the abjad is used — see Abjadi Order.)
The word maghreb مغرب would have a nominal value of 40 + 1000 + 200 + 2 = 1242.
Hebrew numerals are equivalent to the Abjad numerals up to 400.
References
- "Overview of the abjad numerological system." Accessed August 11, 2005.
