The system of Armenian numerals is a historic numeral system

Numeral system

A numeral system is a writing system for expressing numbers, that is a mathematical notation for representing numbers of a given set, using graphemes or symbols in a consistent manner....

 created using the majuscules (uppercase letters) of the Armenian alphabet

Armenian alphabet

The Armenian alphabet is an alphabet that has been used to write the Armenian language since the year 405 or 406. It was devised by Saint Mesrop Mashtots, an Armenian linguist and ecclesiastical leader, and contained originally 36 letters. Two more letters, օ and ֆ, were added in the Middle Ages...

.

There was no notation for zero

0 (number)

0 is both a numberand the numerical digit used to represent that number in numerals.It fulfills a central role in mathematics as the additive identity of the integers, real numbers, and many other algebraic structures. As a digit, 0 is used as a placeholder in place value systems...

 in the old system, and the numeric values for individual letters were added together. The principles behind this system are the same as for the Ancient Greek numerals

Greek numerals

Greek numerals are a system of representing numbers using letters of the Greek alphabet. They are also known by the names Ionian numerals, Milesian numerals , Alexandrian numerals, or alphabetic numerals...

 and Hebrew numerals

Hebrew numerals

The system of Hebrew numerals is a quasi-decimal alphabetic numeral system using the letters of the Hebrew alphabet.In this system, there is no notation for zero, and the numeric values for individual letters are added together...

. In modern Armenia, the familiar Arabic numerals

Arabic numerals

Arabic numerals or Hindu numerals or Hindu-Arabic numerals or Indo-Arabic numerals are the ten digits . They are descended from the Hindu-Arabic numeral system developed by Indian mathematicians, in which a sequence of digits such as "975" is read as a numeral...

 are used. Armenian numerals are used more or less like the Roman numerals

Roman numerals

The numeral system of ancient Rome, or Roman numerals, uses combinations of letters from the Latin alphabet to signify values. The numbers 1 to 10 can be expressed in Roman numerals as:...

 in modern English, e.g. Գարեգին Բ. means Garegin II and Գ. գլուխ means Chapter III (as a headline).

Since not all browsers can render Unicode Armenia

Armenian alphabet

The Armenian alphabet is an alphabet that has been used to write the Armenian language since the year 405 or 406. It was devised by Saint Mesrop Mashtots, an Armenian linguist and ecclesiastical leader, and contained originally 36 letters. Two more letters, օ and ֆ, were added in the Middle Ages...

n letters, the transliteration (REArm) is given.

Armenian numerals

Armenian	Transliteration Transliteration Transliteration is a subset of the science of hermeneutics. It is a form of translation, and is the practice of converting a text from one script into another...	Arabic
Ա	A	1
Բ	B	2
Գ	G	3
Դ	D	4
Ե	E / YE	5
Զ	Z	6
Է	É	7
Ը	Ě (Ə/ə)	8
Թ	T‘	9
Ժ	Ž	10 10 (number) 10 is an even natural number following 9 and preceding 11.-In mathematics:Ten is a composite number, its proper divisors being , and...
Ի	I (Ē)	20 20 (number) 20 is the natural number following 19 and preceding 21. A group of twenty units may also be referred to as a score.-In mathematics:*20 is the basis for vigesimal number systems....
Լ	L	30 30 (number) 30 is the natural number following 29 and preceding 31.-In mathematics:30 is the sum of the first four squares, which makes it a square pyramidal number.It is a primorial and is the smallest Giuga number....
Խ	X (KH)	40 40 (number) 40 is the natural number following 39 and preceding 41.Despite being related to the word "four" , 40 is spelled "forty", and not "fourty"...
Ծ	C ('tDZ)	50 50 (number) This article discusses the number fifty. For the year 50 CE, see 50. For other uses of 50, see 50 50 is the natural number following 49 and preceding 51.-In mathematics:...
Կ	K'	60 60 (number) 60 is the natural number following 59 and preceding 61. Being three times twenty, 60 is called "three score" in some older literature.-In mathematics:...
Հ	H	70 70 (number) 70 is the natural number following 69 and preceding 71.-In mathematics:Its factorization makes it a sphenic number. 70 is a Pell number and a generalized heptagonal number, one of only two numbers to be both. Also, it is the seventh pentagonal number and the fourth 13-gonal number, as well as the...
Ձ	DZ	80 80 (number) 80 is the natural number following 79 and preceding 81.- In mathematics :The sum of Euler's totient function φ over the first sixteen integers is 80....
Ղ	GH	90 90 (number) 90 is the natural number preceded by 89 and followed by 91.- In mathematics :*Because 90 is the sum of its unitary divisors , it is a unitary perfect number, and because it is equal to the sum of a subset of its divisors, it is a semiperfect number. 90 is a pronic number. But it is also a...
Ճ	Č ('TCH)	100 100 (number) 100 is the natural number following 99 and preceding 101.-In mathematics:One hundred is the square of 10...
Մ	M	200 200 (number) 200 is the natural number following 199 and preceding 201.The number appears in the Padovan sequence, preceded by 86, 114, 151 ....
Յ	Y	300 300 (number) 300 is the natural number following 299 and preceding 301.- Mathematical properties :It is a triangular number and the sum of a pair of twin primes , as well as the sum of ten consecutive primes...
Ն	N	400 400 (number) 400 is the natural number following 399 and preceding 401. - Mathematical properties :400 is the square of 20.A circle is divided into 400 grads, which is equal to 360 degrees and 2π radians...
Շ	Š (SH)	500 500 (number) 500 is the natural number following 499 and preceding 501.- Other fields :Five hundred is also*many NASCAR races often use the number 500 at the end of their race names 500 (five hundred) is the natural number following 499 and preceding 501.- Other fields :Five hundred is also*many NASCAR races...
Ո	O / V	600 600 (number) For the year 600, see 600 BC or 600 AD.600 is the natural number following 599 and preceding 601.-Mathematical properties:Six hundred is a composite number, an abundant number, a pronic number and a Harshad number.-In other fields:...
Չ	Č‘ (CH)	700 700 (number) 700 is the natural number following 699 and preceding 701.It is the sum of four consecutive primes...
Պ	P'	800 800 (number) 800 is the natural number following 799 and preceding 801.It is the sum of four consecutive primes...
Ջ	J'	900 900 (number) For the year 900, see 900 BC or 900 AD.900 is the natural number following 899 and preceding 901. It is the square of 30 and the sum of Euler's totient function for the first 54 integers...
Ռ	RR	1000
Ս	S	2000 2000 (number) 2000 is the natural number following 1999 and preceding 2001.Two thousand is the highest number expressible using only two unmodified characters in roman numerals .Two thousand is also:...
Վ	V	3000 3000 (number) 3000 is the natural number following 2999 and preceding 3001. It is the smallest number requiring thirteen letters in English .- In other fields :...
Տ	T'	4000 4000 (number) 4000 is the natural number following 3999 and preceding 4001. It is a decagonal number.- Selected numbers in the range 4001–4999 :* 4005 – triangular number* 4007 – safe prime...
Ր	`R	5000 5000 (number) 5000 is the natural number following 4999 and preceding 5001. Five thousand is the largest isogrammic number in the English language.-Selected numbers in the range 5001–5999:* 5003 – Sophie Germain prime...
Ց	C‘ (TS)	6000 6000 (number) 6000 is the natural number following 5999 and preceding 6001.-Selected numbers in the range 6001–6999:* 6025 – Rhythm guitarist of the Dead Kennedys from June 1978 to March 1979...
Ւ	Y / I / V (H)	7000 7000 (number) 7000 is the natural number following 6999 and preceding 7001.-Selected numbers in the range 7001–7999:* 7021 – triangular number* 7043 – Sophie Germain prime* 7056 – 84^2...
Փ	P	8000 8000 (number) 8000 is the natural number following 7999 and preceding 8001.8000 is the cube of 20, as well as the sum of four consecutive integers cubed, 113 + 123 + 133 + 143....
Ք	K	9000 9000 (number) 9000 is the natural number following 8999 and preceding 9001.-In other fields:* ISO 9000 is the ISO's standard for Quality Management System in production environments...

Note that the final two letters of the Armenian alphabet, "o" (Օ) and "fe" (Ֆ) were added to the Armenian alphabet only after Arabic numerals were already in use, to facilitate transliteration

Transliteration

Transliteration is a subset of the science of hermeneutics. It is a form of translation, and is the practice of converting a text from one script into another...

of other languages. Thus, they do not have a numerical value assigned to them.

Algorithm

Numbers in the Armenian numeral system are obtained by simple addition. Armenian numerals are written left-to-right (as in the Armenian language). Although the order of the numerals is irrelevant since only addition is performed, the convention is to write them in decreasing order of value.

Examples:

• ՌՋՀԵ = 1975 = 1000 + 900 + 70 + 5
• ՍՄԻԲ = 2222 = 2000 + 200 + 20 + 2
• ՍԴ = 2004 = 2000 + 4
• ՃԻ = 120 = 100 + 20
• Ծ = 50

For numbers greater than 9000, a line is drawn over a corresponding letter, multiplying it by 10,000; i.e., 10,000 would be Ա with a line over it, 20,000 would be Բ with a line over it, etc.