123 Or ๑๒๓

[nakriian]

Is it true that roman numbers are used and that thai numbers are just taught in thai school for traditional purposes?

For example, if I was at a market in Bangkok, will the prices be written as 10฿ or as ๑๐฿ and when they (thai natives) say the price, will they say "ten baht" or "sip baht"?

[meadish_sweetball]

If you ask them for the price in flawless Thai, they will generally say สิบบาท [L]sib [L]baht unless they are still doubtful you can understand. Some people have a hard time accepting that some foreigners actually speak and understand Thai quite well - or they are proud of being able to speak a bit of English and want to practice.

In a Thai context, both ๓๕ บาท and 35 บาท are pronounced สามสิบห้าบาท [R]saam [L]sib [F]haa [L]baad (i.e. thirtyfive baht).

Arabic numerals (1 2 3 4 5 etc.) are generally used, but it does help to learn the traditional numerals as well, as you will see them used every now and then - for example when there is one price for tourists and one for Thais .

Bills (banknotes) have both the Thai and Arabic numerals on them.

[mr_hippo]

Is it true that roman numbers are used and that thai numbers are just taught in thai school for traditional purposes?

For example, if I was at a market in Bangkok, will the prices be written as 10฿ or as ๑๐฿ and when they (thai natives) say the price, will they say "ten baht" or "sip baht"?

๕๕๕๕๕๕๕๕

Would a Frenchman say 'Five Euro' or 'Cinq Euro'?

[Richard W]

Is it true that roman numbers are used and that thai numbers are just taught in thai school for traditional purposes?

Thai numerals are definitely much commoner than Roman numerals are in the West, or at least, England. I was shocked, though, to see examples of sums done in Arabic numerals with the answer then neatly written in Thai numerals.

Academic and traditional books have a tendency to use Thai numerals for page numbers. You also see them used for fancy house numbers.

[chanchao]

> Academic and traditional books have a tendency to use Thai numerals for page numbers.

A lot of that is also related to ancient printing / type setting equipment. For example, typewriters, and forms originally designed on typewriters, are still very commonly used in government. A traditional mechanical typewriter doesn't have enough keys to fit both Thai and Western numbers and typically indludes only Thai ones. So that's why you find Thai numbers used pretty consistently on government documents, legal documents, religious writing, etc.

A second category where you can see Thai numerals used is for artistic purposes, like when a text is supposed to have a 'traditional' look.

But by far the most numbers of any kind, at any place anywhere are Western (Arabic) numbers, i.e. 0-9.

[Johpa]

A second category where you can see Thai numerals used is for artistic purposes, like when a text is supposed to have a 'traditional' look.

But by far the most numbers of any kind, at any place anywhere are Western (Arabic) numbers, i.e. 0-9.

Lest we not forget that the number one reason to learn traditional Thai numerology is that the most common form of dual pricing is to have local pricing displayed in Thai numerals and tourist (Farang) pricing displayed in Roman numerals.

[Richard W]

Lest we not forget that the number one reason to learn traditional Thai numerology is that the most common form of dual pricing is to have local pricing displayed in Thai numerals and tourist (Farang) pricing displayed in Roman numerals.

Surely you'd only see a price like 'xlv ฿' is if someone were quixotic enough to offer farangs the lower price!

[Johpa]

Lest we not forget that the number one reason to learn traditional Thai numerology is that the most common form of dual pricing is to have local pricing displayed in Thai numerals and tourist (Farang) pricing displayed in Roman numerals.

Surely you'd only see a price like 'xlv ฿' is if someone were quixotic enough to offer farangs the lower price!

Richard, you got me on that one, but of course what we use our Arabic numerals. Or in a pathetic transliteration of the old Arabic saying: kul kalb biji umu (every dog has his day)