What 〣 means
It is three in the Suzhou commercial numeral system. The family is a surviving variation of Chinese rod numerals, an older calculation system using counting rods. Its underlying system may have originated in Song China (960–1279). Surviving examples include the account books of Tongtai Sheng, a merchant house, from the 18th and 19th centuries.
In a historical price or account, read 〣 as three, then use the surrounding digits and unit line to place its value.
why did merchants use it?
Its short forms kept bookkeeping quick and compact. The notation worked with abacus calculation and spread into other commercial settings alongside the abacus during the Ming and Qing periods.
A 2011 study of land-sale and rent books describes the broader 花数 (“flower numbers”) system as quick bookkeeping shorthand, not a secret code. In Hong Kong, flower numbers appeared on market, restaurant, pharmacy, and minibus fare signs. A 2020 account says digits 0–9 replaced them on most prices, though some old shops kept them as heritage display; it notes younger readers puzzling over old menu prices.
why is 〣 called hangzhou?
Unicode’s character label is Hangzhou, but historical references use Suzhou, commercial, flower numbers (花码), or grass numerals (草码). A Unicode naming review in 2000 found no documentary link for Hangzhou in the dictionaries it checked.
In mixed numeral runs, marks for one, two, and three may rotate or switch to 一二三, the ordinary Chinese numerals, to keep adjacent digits distinct.
On an old ledger or sign, it reads as working commercial notation; elsewhere, it can look like an unfamiliar historical mark.
Outside a price or account, readers may not recognize it as three.
Part of the collection
Who writes 〣
Loading…
What it means when someone sends it to you
4 readingsRead 〣 as the digit three; use the surrounding units to decode the amount.
Don't confuse it with
2
Related characters
1
Combination ideas
3Questions people ask
2are suzhou numerals a secret code
No. A 2011 study describes the broader 花数 notation as quick bookkeeping shorthand, though trade-specific units can still make an old ledger opaque to outsiders.
why does 〣 look different in my font
Font outlines can differ. A 2023 discussion of Unicode fonts proposed a cleaner outline for 〣 and stressed clear boundaries between neighboring 1–3 forms.
More like this
9
How to type or find 〣
- Also called
- Suzhou numeral three · flower number three · grass numeral three
- Search it as
- Suzhou numerals · flower numbers · Huama · huā mǎ · 花码 · grass numerals · Caoma · 苏州码子
- Shows up in
- Anything that takes text · its shape is whatever your font draws
〣\3023Codes and encoding1 code points
A visible symbol can contain several code points. JS .length counts UTF-16 units; UTF-8 counts bytes.