this post was submitted on 26 May 2026
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[–] napkin2020@sh.itjust.works 123 points 3 weeks ago* (last edited 3 weeks ago) (5 children)

1 = 壹 2 = 貳 3 = 參 4 = 肆 5 = 伍

These exist as well.

They're used in places where numbers should NOT be forged(i.e. bank documents...)

This is how they got their numeric meanings btw.

[–] danekrae@lemmy.world 58 points 3 weeks ago (1 children)
[–] lightnsfw@reddthat.com 23 points 3 weeks ago

Their math homework must take forever

[–] lugal@sopuli.xyz 15 points 3 weeks ago (3 children)

I don't get 4. At least the kanji 4 looks very different

[–] NikkiDimes@lemmy.world 15 points 3 weeks ago (1 children)

Yeaaaah, I don't know Chinese, but I've never seen a kanji of four horizontal lines, just 四 for 4

[–] JollyBrancher@sh.itjust.works 10 points 3 weeks ago* (last edited 3 weeks ago)

I never learned it as four lines. 四 was the way to do it. Maybe locally or something the hip kids are doing? Source: Mandarin professor ETA: I was a person of simplified Chinese though

[–] Treczoks@lemmy.world 6 points 3 weeks ago

A very Christmassy number, that 4. A Chrismas tree and the scaffolding to decorate it.

[–] Chrobin@discuss.tchncs.de 2 points 3 weeks ago

I guess the image is a lie and the Kanji are chosen by the reading and not because they contain the number kanji. It's just that due to phonetic radicals, containing the number may give it the same reading.

[–] ViperActual@sh.itjust.works 11 points 3 weeks ago (3 children)

Does 0 have a shorthand character as well?

[–] thecatprincx@pawb.social 20 points 3 weeks ago

Can be written as 〇

I'm not sure about China but in Japan there's 〇 which can be used like so: ハ〇〇円 to mean 800 yen, in a restaurant menu for example

[–] napkin2020@sh.itjust.works -4 points 3 weeks ago* (last edited 3 weeks ago) (1 children)

It's pretty complicated as-is so no.

Edit: clearly misunderstood the question. see below.

[–] k0e3@lemmy.ca 2 points 3 weeks ago (1 children)

This reply makes no sense lol

[–] napkin2020@sh.itjust.works 3 points 3 weeks ago* (last edited 3 weeks ago)

Sorry, I misunderstood what shorthand meant. I thought the question was whether there's a complex variant, like 一 → 臺 for 零.

I'm an ESL speaker, so please forgive me.

零 is the only character, as far as I know. 一, 二, ... are not shorthands; they're the original characters, while 臺 and other more complex forms are used only in certain situations where necessary.

Hope this is what the questions was about.

[–] Gonzako@lemmy.world 3 points 3 weeks ago

Oh, cool af! I got adviced to always write years with all 4 numbers not to allow forgeries