Ethiopic Digit Six

፮ means six; the sign before it sets the larger unit. In Ethiopic numerals, ፲፮ means 10 + 6, and ፻፮ means 100 + 6. The notation adds values in sequence; it does not use Western ones-tens-hundreds positions. For typing, switch to an Ethiopic layout; a standard 6 key will not produce ፮.

The Ethiopic script developed from South Arabian writing. Its numeral signs are conventionally connected to Greek alphabetic numerals, perhaps through Coptic. A different proposal links ፮ specifically to an older unvocalized Geʽez form of ገ with a stroke; that derivation remains disputed.

These signs gave writers a compact way to record quantities. Ḥǝnzat Stela 1, an inscribed standing stone, is dated to the third century CE. A 2023 study identifies it as the oldest inscription using numeral ciphers and says earlier inscriptions wrote numbers in words. In the Aksumite period, Ethiopic numerals were used on coins and inscriptions for regnal years (a ruler’s years in power) and other quantities. In the medieval period, they also appeared in mathematical, astronomical, and numerological texts. As of 2026, familiar 0–9 digits are common in modern writing, while Ethiopic numerals remain documented in dates and manuscripts.

Can a barless ፮ still mean six?

Yes; a missing bar by itself does not change the value. Some historical forms omit the bars that mark a sign as a numeral. Read the shape with its surrounding text: barless ፮ can still mean six.