Braille pattern dots 234578

Six positions are filled; two are empty. Viewed in reading orientation, the left column is numbered 1, 2, 3, 7 from top to bottom; the right is 4, 5, 6, 8. In ⣞, the top left and the third position down on the right are empty.

Traditional six-dot Braille has two columns of three positions. Eight-dot Braille adds a bottom row, positions 7 and 8, and is used in computer Braille, among other systems. The numbers in this pattern’s name identify positions, not a number it spells. Unicode preserves this arrangement without assigning it a universal reading.

Where does Braille come from?

Louis Braille developed it for reading by touch. Braille uses patterns of raised dots that readers feel with their fingertips. It is a writing system used for different languages, not a language of its own.

In 1821, Louis Braille encountered Charles Barbier’s raised-dot system, known as night writing. Barbier’s larger pattern represented sounds; Braille developed a smaller six-dot cell. His 1829 publication explained writing words, music and plainsong, a form of unison chant. The eight-position cell used by ⣞ is a later extension.