D'ni numerals

D'ni numerals depict a base-25 system, with unique symbols for values between 0 and 24. In our own base-10 system, additional digits to the left of the decimal point indicate additional powers of 10. In base 25, additional digits represent additional powers of 25. Cyan's D'ni historian RAWA has provided an example of how this works:

9876 Base 10 = ((9 X 10^3) + (8 X 10^2) + (7 X 10^1) + (6 X 10^0))
= ((9 X 1000) + (8 X 100) + (7 X 10) + (6 X 1))
= (9000 + 800 + 70 + 6)
= 9876

9876 Base 25 = ((9 X 25^3) + (8 X 25^2) + (7 X 25^1) + (6 X 25^0))
= ((9 X 15625) + (8 X 625) + (7 X 25) + (6 X 1))
= (140625 + 5000 + 175 + 6 )
= 145806

Symbols and terminology

Numbers 0 - 25

Decimal number	D'ni symbol	D'ni word	Transliteration
0	0	rUn	roon
1	1	fa	fah
2	2	brE	bree
3	3	sen	sehn
4	4	tor	tor
5	5	vat	vaht
6	6	vagafa	vahgahfah (five-and-one)
7	7	vagabrE	vahgahbree
8	8	vagasen	vahgahsehn
9	9	vagator	vahgahtor
10	)	nAvU	nayvoo
11	!	nAgafa	naygahfah
12	@	nAgabrE	naygahbree
13	#	nAgasen	naygahsehn
14	$	nAgator	naygahtor
15	%	hEbor	heebor
16	^	hEgafa	'heegahfah
17	&	hEgabrE	heegahbree
18	*	hEgasen	heegahsehn
19	(	hEgator	heegahtor
20	[	riS	rish
21	]	rigafa	rigahfah
22	\	rigabrE	rigahbree
23	{	rigasen	rigahsehn
24	}	rigator	rigahtor
25	|	fasE	fahsee

The single-digit symbol for 25 was used for special occasions and shorthand, much like we use the Roman numeral "X" for ten. Typically, the D'ni would use 10 to write 25. There is also a "wrapped zero" character (=) used for cyclic sequences, such as clock faces, which would count from 0 through 24 and then wrap back to zero.

Powers of 25

Just as we have terms for tens, hundreds, thousands, etc., so the D'ni also had names for each power of 25.

Power of 25	Base-10 value	D'ni place value	D'ni word	Transliteration
250	1	1	fa	fah
251	25	10	fasE	fahsee
252	625	100	fara	fahrah
253	15,625	1000	falen	fahlen
254	390,625	10000	famel	fahmel
255	9,765,625	100000	fablO	fahblo

Reading numbers

The place values above can be directly compared to the words used in English to indicate our place values. For instance, 100 is "one hundred." Similarly, in D'ni, "fahsee" (fasE) means "one twenty-five." To indicate larger sums within that place value (such as, for example, fifty), you would say "breesee" (brEsE), or "two twenty-fives."

When reading long numbers, you read them left to right in a string. For example, 233 (98) would be spoken as "vahgahtorsee vahgahsehn" (vagatorsE vagasen), or "nine twenty-five, eight," just as we say "two hundred thirty-three" in English.