Arabic Numerals
الأرقام العربية
The history and forms of number systems
The digits 0–9 used worldwide are called "Arabic numerals" because they reached Europe through Arabic-speaking scholars who transmitted them from India. But the numerals used in much of the Arabic-speaking world today — ٠١٢٣٤٥٦٧٨٩ — look quite different and are called Eastern Arabic-Indic numerals. Persian and Urdu use their own variants (e.g., ۴ and ۶ differ from their Arabic counterparts).
Design Decisions
Choosing between Western and Eastern Arabic-Indic numerals is not just a stylistic preference — it depends on region, audience, and context. Egyptian publications typically use Eastern Arabic-Indic numerals, while Moroccan and Tunisian publications tend to use Western numerals. Digital interfaces face additional complexity: the same app may need to switch numeral styles based on locale. Good Arabic typefaces include both numeral sets and handle digit shaping automatically through OpenType features.