The South Asian numbering system, used today in the Indian subcontinent (comprising India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Nepal), is based on grouping by two decimal places, rather than the three decimal places commonplace in most parts of the world. This system of measurement introduces separators into numbers in places appropriate to the two-digit grouping. For example, 30 million (3 crore) rupees would be written as 3,00,00,000, with commas at the thousand, lakh, and crore levels, instead of 30,000,000.
The terms crore and lakh are in widespread use today in Indian English and Pakistani English.
The table below follows the short scale usage of billion being a thousand million. In India, following former British usage, the long scale was used, with one billion equivalent to one million million.
| Hindi (transliteration) | Indian figure | Power notation |
English figure | Short scale English (long scale English) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| एक (ek) | 1 | 100 | 1 | one |
| दस (das) | 10 | 101 | 10 | ten |
| सौ (sau) | 100 | 102 | 100 | hundred |
| सहस्र (sahasra) / हज़ार (hazaar) |
1,000 | 103 | 1,000 | one thousand |
| लाख (lākh / lac) | 1,00,000 | 105 | 100,000 | one hundred thousand |
| करोड़ (karoḍ) | 1,00,00,000 | 107 | 10,000,000 | ten million |
| अरब (arab) | 1,00,00,00,000 | 109 | 1,000,000,000 | one billion (one milliard) |
| खरब (kharab) | 1,00,00,00,00,000 | 1011 | 100,000,000,000 | one hundred billion (one hundred milliard) |
| नील (nīl) | 1,00,00,00,00,00,000 | 1013 | 10,000,000,000,000 | ten trillion (ten billion) |
| पद्म (padma) | 1,00,00,00,00,00,00,000 | 1015 | 1,000,000,000,000,000 | one quadrillion (one billiard) |
| शङ्ख (shankh) | 1,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,000 | 1017 | 100,000,000,000,000,000 | one hundred quadrillion (one hundred billiard) |
| महाशङ्ख (maha shankh / ald / udpadha) | 1,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,000 | 1019 | 10,000,000,000,000,000,000 | ten quintillion (ten trillion) |
| (ank / maha udpadha) | 1,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,000 | 1021 | 1,000,000,000,000,000,000,000 | one sextillion (one trilliard) |
| (jald / padha) | 1,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,000 | 1023 | 100,000,000,000,000,000,000,000 | one hundred sextillion (one hundred trilliard) |
| (madh) | 1,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,000 | 1025 | 10,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000 | ten septillion (ten quadrillion) |
| (paraardha) | 1,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,000 | 1027 | 1,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000 | one octillion (one quadrilliard) |
| (ant) | 1,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,000 | 1029 | 100,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000 | one hundred octillion (one hundred quadrilliard) |
| (maha ant) | 1,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,000 | 1031 | 10,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000 | ten nonillion (ten quintillion) |
| (shisht) | 1,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,000 | 1033 | 1,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000 | one decillion (one quintilliard) |
| (singhar) | 1,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,000 | 1035 | 100,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000 | one hundred decillion (one hundred quintilliard) |
| (maha singhar) | 1,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,000 | 1037 | 10,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000 | ten undecillion (ten sextillion) |
| (adant singhar) | 100,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,000 | 1041 | 100,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000 | one hundred duodecillion (one hundred sextilliard) |
There are various systems of numeration found in various ancient Vedic literatures of India. The following table gives one such system used in the Valmiki Ramayana.
| Sanskrit (transliteration) | Indian figure | Power notation |
English figure | Short scale English |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| एक (éka) | 1 | 100 | 1 | one |
| दशन् (dáśan) | 10 | 101 | 10 | ten |
| शत (śata) | 100 | 102 | 100 | hundred |
| सहस्र (sahasra) | 1,000 | 103 | 1,000 | one thousand |
| अयुत (ayuta) | 10,000 | 104 | 10,000 | ten thousand |
| लक्ष (lakṣa) →lakh | 1,00,000 | 105 | 100,000 | one hundred thousand |
| कोटि (koṭi) →crore | 1,00,00,000 | 107 | 10,000,000 | ten million |
| शङ्कु (śaṅku) | 10,00,00,00,00,000 | 1012 | 1,000,000,000,000 | one trillion |
| महाशङ्कु (mahā-śaṅku) | 1,00,000 śaṅku | 1017 | 100,000,000,000,000,000 | one hundred quadrillion |
| वृन्द (vṛnda) | 1,00,000 mahā-śaṅku | 1022 | 10,000,000,000,000,000,000,000 | ten sextillion |
| महावृन्द (mahā-vṛnda) | 1,00,000 vṛnda | 1027 | 1,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000 | one octillion |
| पद्म (padma) | 1,00,000 mahā-vṛnda | 1032 | 100,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000 | one hundred nonillion |
| महापद्म (mahā-padma) | 1,00,000 padma | 1037 | 10,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000 | ten undecillion |
| खर्व (kharva) | 1,00,000 mahā-padma | 1042 | 1,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000 | one tredecillion |
| महाखर्व (mahā-kharva) | 1,00,000 kharva | 1047 | 100,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000 | one hundred quattuordecillion |
| समुद्र (samudra) | 1,00,000 mahā-kharva | 1052 | 10,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000 | ten sexdecillion |
| ओघ (ogha) | 1,00,000 samudra | 1057 | 1,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000 | one octodecillion |
| महौघ (mahaugha/mahā-ogha) | 1,00,000 ogha | 1062 | 100,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000 | one hundred novemdecillion |