User:Robbiemuffin/Devanagari/Numerals/2

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Devanagari Workbook – Numerals

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 d  e  v  a  n  a  g  a  r  i

&larr; Khmer numerals of modern Cambodia is where the first extant material evidence of zero as a numerical figure, dating its use back to the seventh century, is found. As it was from the Arabs that the Europeans learned this system, the Europeans called them Arabic numerals; ironically, to this day the Arabs refer to their numerals as Indian numerals.

=Writing devenagari script= Devanagari is written left to right, with spaces between words, like English. The graphemes have a line-width to them which guides the way graphemes are drawn. So long as you do not regularly write with a brush or caligraphic pen, as one becomes more familiar with the graphemes quicker, more fluid motions will naturally replace the caligraphic ones you learn here.

Instead of a base line, devanagari places a line above the letters: each segment of the line above the character is properly drawn explicitly with each character (it's a part of the shape). With numbers, the line is not a part of the graphemes, still they are written aligned to this imaginary line above the graphemes. If you are working with lined paper, be sure to use the line above, rather than below, to

  n  u  m  e  r  a  l  s

align your writing - but to me, one of the advantages that devanagari confers is that an explicit guide is not so necessary.

=शून्य shuny — zero=

० Draw each half in two strokes, starting in the middle (from about 8 o'clock as the face of a clock). Move to the thinnest part of the line (11 or 5 o'clock), then lift. Return and do the other direction. Then complete the other half the same way.

=एक ek — one=

१

Draw this in one fluid motion of three parts: The loop at the top down through the longer section crossing under, to the bottom before the last turn, and a quick flick at the tail.

&rarr;

