Gurmukhi digit zero

It is the zero digit in Gurmukhi numbers. Punjabi also uses the word sifar, written ਸਿਫ਼ਰ, for zero. In a Punjabi number, ੦ holds the empty place in decimal notation: ੧੦ is ten and ੧੦੦ is one hundred.

Gurmukhi developed from the older Landa script and is associated with Guru Angad, the second Sikh Guru. Recognizable forms predate its standardization around 1539, when Angad's community established Gurmukhi as a written form for Punjabi.

Sikh scripture uses Gurmukhi numerals for page, verse, and section numbers. A 2020 Unicode proposal describes lowered numerals beneath headings as local metadata; under a musical-measure heading, a number can identify a measure subtype or ਘਰ, a musical designation. The heading sets the number's job.

How do I type ੦?

On Windows, select Punjabi (Gurmukhi) and press number-row 0. Microsoft's layout documentation from 2024 maps that key to ੦. The Punjabi Phonetic input method instead lets you type Punjabi in Latin letters and select a Gurmukhi suggestion.

This is a text character, not emoji artwork. Gurmukhi fonts draw its outline, so a different loop can reflect the font rather than a different numeral.