Braille Pattern Dots-1235

In uncontracted English Braille, it is the Latin letter r. Unicode records the raised-dot arrangement; it does not assign the cell a universal letter.

On its own in a profile or design, ⠗ has no dependable word reading unless you know the Braille code and neighboring cells.

Why was Braille invented?

Books printed with raised, print-shaped letters were in use in Paris by 1786, but they were expensive and did not give blind readers a practical way to write notes. Louis Braille began developing a compact dot code in 1824, building on ideas from Charles Barbier’s system of raised dots. He published his method in 1829. Six-dot cells were compact, quick to read by touch, and easier to write.

Moon Type, another tactile reading system made from raised print-like shapes, was first published in 1845 and competed with Braille. Disputes over English systems continued through 1919; Unified English Braille became the English-language standard in 2015.

Does Braille mean the same in every language?

Braille is a family of language-specific writing codes. Unicode records the dot pattern, while each language’s Braille code and notation determine how to read it.

In uncontracted English Braille, ⠗ represents r. In contracted English Braille, a cell can have a code-dependent role; other languages may assign the same pattern differently. Check the code and the surrounding cells before decoding it.