What ༬ means
Unicode assigns ༬ the value 2.5; Tibetan uses can differ. It is a crossed form of Tibetan digit three. In Tibetan number writing, a half-digit goes at the end of a multi-digit number, so the mark is not a decimal point.
A Tibetan-speaking correspondent reported in a 2000 Unicode mailing-list discussion that crossed digits can keep their digit value in astrology calculations. A related half-digit marks 7½ skar on a Tibetan postage stamp issued in 1933. These examples show why 2.5 is not a safe reading in every setting.
Where do Tibetan half-digits appear?
Examples connect them with number work and art. A pattern book from 18th-century Nepal, made for use in Tibet, pairs Tibetan numerals with proportional drawings for sacred images. It also uses Newari script, pointing to an art-making context shared by Newar and Tibetan traditions.
Specialist number and measurement notation; opaque in ordinary chat.
If someone sends it alone, ask what it denotes before reading it as 2.5.
Drift: The half-digit set entered Unicode in 1996 without numeric values; numeric values were added in 2000, but that did not settle how the characters are used.
Who writes ༬
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What it means when someone sends it to you
4 readingsA half-digit at the end of a number; the exact value depends on the notation.
Don't confuse it with
2
Related characters
1
Questions people ask
1Why can ༬ look different in different fonts?
Its strokes vary by font. Without Tibetan font support, the character may be unreadable.
More like this
10
How to type or find ༬
- Search it as
- 2.5 · 2½ · Tibetan half digit · Tibetan half three · Tibetan numeral · crossed digit
- Shows up in
- Anything that takes text · its shape is whatever your font draws
༬\0F2CCodes and encoding1 code points
A visible symbol can contain several code points. JS .length counts UTF-16 units; UTF-8 counts bytes.