Balinese Digit Eight

It is the Balinese digit for eight.

Alone, ᭘ reads as eight; beside other Balinese digits, its position gives it the value eight within a larger number. In prose, carik marks—Balinese punctuation—can set a number apart from nearby words.

How old is Balinese writing?

Balinese writing is documented from the 8th century.

Clay tablets from the 8th century carry Buddhist mantras, sacred phrases used in religious practice. The 914 CE Blanjong pillar preserves inscriptions in Old Balinese, an earlier form of the Balinese language, and Sanskrit, an ancient Indian language, in two script traditions.

The Balinese script grew from the Brahmic family of writing systems, through forms linked to Pallava and Kawi, the Old Javanese script; it remains closely related to Javanese script. At the ends of palm-leaf manuscripts, colophons—brief closing notes—recorded dates, scribes and places. By 2025, Latin script led general administration and mobile communication, while Balinese remained in ceremonies, traditional manuscripts, schools, signs and digital heritage.