Newa digit five

It means five in the Newar numeral system. In a standalone message, the surrounding text tells you what is being counted.

Newa script is recorded in a 908 CE manuscript of the Laṅkāvatāra Sūtra, a Buddhist text. A 14th-century Sanskrit manuscript held in Cambridge numbers its leaves 1–95 with Nepālākṣara numerals, the Newar script’s number forms.

Newa descends from Brahmi, an ancient South Asian script, through Northern Gupta, an intermediate stage in that history. Bengali, Oriya, and Tirhuta are related scripts in this broader history. Bhujimol and Ranjana are two styles of Newar writing, developed in the 11th century. Newa use declined in the latter half of the 18th century; the script was banned in 1905, and use revived after the ban was lifted in 1951.

Why does Newa digit five look different in another font?

The font can change its outline, not its value. Newa digits 3, 4, and 5 have variant forms selected by the typeface; a rounder or more angular outline still represents five.