Braille Pattern Dots-123568

It has no universal reading; the Braille code determines its meaning.

Raised dots are 1, 2, 3, 5, 6, and 8. Eight-dot Braille systems may place the extra dots 7 and 8 above or below the six-dot core; each context uses one layout at a time.

Charles Barbier described raised-point writing for blind readers in 1815. Louis Braille published a compact six-dot method in 1829; the smaller cell fit beneath a fingertip. In 1855, the Royal Spanish Conservatory recognized Gabriel Abreu’s eight-dot code for Braille music.