What 𒐤 means
𒐤 denotes three šar₂ units.
In Sumerian-Babylonian base-sixty notation, one šar₂ is 3600, making this numeral 10800. It names a high-order value, not a free-standing modern digit 3.
By the end of the fourth millennium BCE, early cuneiform tablets used number signs alongside signs for objects to track goods, measures, areas and time. Those early systems could vary signs’ values with what was counted; the šar₂ unit is attested from Early Dynastic IIIa onward.
It is a numeral, not the wider ŠAR₂ sign
In later Sumerian and Akkadian texts, the related base sign 𒊹 also carries word readings such as “totality/world,” “be numerous” and “mix.” Those readings belong to the wider ŠAR₂ sign, not to 𒐤 itself.
By the Ur III period, the related ŠAR₂ sign and HI 𒄭 could share an outline. This is a historical shape merger; for a tablet, its period and context help more than a modern font’s silhouette.
Specialist and historical: use it when this exact cuneiform numeral matters.
For modern quantities, write ordinary digits; this numeral names an ancient unit.
Don't confuse it with
1Questions people ask
1Why does 𒐤 show as a box?
The active font lacks its glyph. In a font without Cuneiform coverage, 𒐤 can appear as a box or blank; a font with coverage will display it.
How to type 𒐤
𒐤\12424Codes and encoding1 code points
A visible symbol can contain several code points. JS .length counts UTF-16 units; UTF-8 counts bytes.