Grade 3 English Braille (using Braille ASCII)

Grade 3 English Braille extends Grade 2 English Braille. Many of the concepts, signs, and rules are the same. We focus on the differences, because people usually learn Grade 2 before learning Grade 3.

Characters

The lists and tables of braille characters on this page use the traditional order for the 64 braille characters and sometimes group these characters into their traditional groupings. Many different braille codes use this order. The groupings help to show that the order is not entirely arbitrary. We show the usual Grade 2 English Braille sign for many of the characters in this list.

Group 0 character

The only character in group 0 is the space character, which does not use any dots.

Group 1 characters

The ten characters in group 1 use either dot 1 or dot 4 or both and can also use dot 2 and dot 5. These characters do not use dot 3 or dot 6.

Group 2 characters

The ten characters in group 2 repeat the pattern of the ten characters in group 1 with the addition of dot 3. These characters do not use dot 6.

Group 3 characters

The ten characters in group 3 repeat the pattern of the ten characters in group 1 with the addition of dot 3 and dot 6.

Group 4 characters

The ten characters in group 4 repeat the pattern of the ten characters in group 1 with the addition of dot 6. These characters do not use dot 3.

Group 5 characters

The 10 characters in group 5 repeat the pattern of the 10 characters in group 1 using the lower four dots instead of the upper four dots, so that a dot 1 in group 1 becomes a dot 2 in group 5, a dot 2 in group 1 becomes a dot 3 in group 5, a dot 4 in group 1 becomes a dot 5 in group 5, and a dot 5 in group 1 becomes a dot 6 in group 5. These characters do not use dot 1 or dot 4.

Group 6 characters

The six characters in group 6 all use dot 3 and never use dot 1 or dot 2. These characters can use dot 4 or dot 6 or both. They can only use dot 5 if they also use dot 4.

Group 7 characters

The seven characters in group 7 do not use any dots from the left-hand column and use at least one dot from the right-hand column.

Terminology

We describe a character that uses dots 1 or 4 (or both) as an upper character. We describe a non-space character that does not use dots 1 or dot 4 (or both) as a lower character.

An upper sign contains an upper character. A lower sign contains only lower characters. We can use any number of lower signs together.

A group sign represents a group of letters in a word. Context-insensitive group signs represent the same letters wherever that group sign appears in a word. Context-sensitive group signs represent different letters, depending on the position of that sign in a word.

Three types of context-sensitive group signs exist:

We can write a braille character by itself (as a word) to represent a word: We call this a one-cell word sign.

We call the seven characters in group 7 right-hand characters, because they consist only of dots 4, 5, and 6 (the dots in the right-hand column of the cell). These right-hand characters can precede any of the other characters to form two-cell signs.

We use the first four characters in group 7 to form two-cell word signs. Two-cell word signs represent words or groups of letters and we can use them in a larger word.

We use the last three characters in group 7 to form two-cell group signs. Two-cell group signs represent groups of letters and we can use them medially or terminally in a word.

A short form is a combination of braille signs that represents a word in an abbreviated form.

Outlining is the selective omission of the vowels "a", "e", "i", "o", and "u" from between two consonants of a word.

Sequencing is when we write two or more words without an intervening space: this creates a word sequence.

One-cell group signs

A group sign represents a group of letters in a word. Context-insensitive group signs represent the same letters wherever that group sign appears in a word. Context-sensitive group signs represent different letters, depending on the position of that sign in a word.

Context-insensitive group signs

Context-sensitive group signs

Three types of context-sensitive group signs exist:

Context-sensitive one-cell group signs
CharacterInitialMedialTerminal
I (dots 24)[i][i]ire
J (dots 245)de (syllable)[j]de (including ade ide ode ude)
Q (dots 12345)ququle
U (dots 136)[u][u]ure
V (dots 1236)[v][v]ve (including ave ive ove) (extendable)
X (dots 1346)ex (syllable)[x][x]
Z (dots 1356)[z][z]es
< (dots 126)sp ghghgh
: (dots 156)whwh se (end of syllable)wh se ose ise ize
\ (dots 1256)ou out (syllable)ouou ous (extendable)
[ (dots 246)ow re (syllable)owow
W (dots 2456)[w][w]ward (extendable)
1 (dot 2)an (sequenced)ea[,]
2 (dots 23)be (syllable)bb[;]
3 (dots 25)concc[:]
4 (dots 256)disdd[.]
6 (dots 235)[to (sequenced)]ff[!]
7 (dots 2356)[(]gg[)] ge (extendable)
8 (dots 236)[“]rr[?]
0 (dots 356)[by sequenced)]tt[”] te (including ate ete ite ote ute) (extendable)
+ (dots 346)ing un (syllable)inging
# (dots 3456)[numeral sign]bleble
' (dot 3)[at (sequenced)] [']['][']
- (dots 36)compp[-] ce cy
@ (dot 4)[accent sign] [dot 4][accent sign] aa ae ai ao au ayay
^ (dots 45)[dots 45]oa oe io oo oyly
_ (dots 456)[dots 456]llll
" (dot 5)[an (sequenced)] [dot 5]ee ei eo eu eyry
. (dots 46)[italic sign]ssss
; (dots 56)[letter sign]ua ue ui uu uyity ty
, (dot 6)[capital sign]ia ie ii io iu iyian ion

We use square brackets ("[" and "]") to indicate other meanings of a character. These signs are not group signs, but they avoid having empty cells in the table.

We use "(syllable)" to indicate that we can only use a group sign when it forms a complete syllable.

We use "(extendable)" to indicate that we can follow a terminal group sign with the two-cell group signs ;S ("ness") and ;T ("ment") or with a one-cell sign necessary to complete the word. Examples:

We use "(end of syllable)" to indicate that we can only use a medial group sign at the end of a syllable.

We use "(sequenced)" to indicate that an initial sign represents a word sign that usually precedes the following word without a space.

One-cell initial group signs can follow each other. Examples:

We must not use the terminal group signs 7 (dots 2356) ("ge"), 0 (dots 356) ("te"), or - (dots 36) ("ce" or "cy") when our reader could mistake them for punctuation.

For words that end with "ies", we tend to use the terminal group sign Z (dots 1356) ("es") to give IZ rather than using the medial group sign , (dot 6) ("ie") to give ,S.

Word signs and two-cell group signs

We can write a braille character by itself (as a word) to represent a word: We call this a one-cell word sign.

We call the seven characters in group 7 right-hand characters, because they consist only of dots 4, 5, and 6 (the dots in the right-hand column of the cell). These right-hand characters can precede any of the other characters to form two-cell signs.

We use the first four characters in group 7 to form two-cell word signs. Two-cell word signs represent words or groups of letters and we can use them in a larger word.

We use the last three characters in group 7 to form two-cell group signs. Two-cell group signs represent groups of letters and we can use them medially or terminally in a word.

Group 1 word signs and two-cell group signs

Word signs and two-cell group signs using characters from group 1
CharacterOne-cell word signTwo-cell word signsTwo-cell group signs
@ (dot 4)^ (dots 45)_ (dots 456)" (dot 5). (dots 46); (dots 56)
A (dot 1)a@A act^A appear_A all"A among  
B (dots 12)but@B better^B bear_B brought"B bring  
C (dots 14)can@C course^C clear_C cannot"C Christ  
D (dots 145)do@D doing^D does_D did done"D day.D ound 
E (dots 15)every@E etc^E each_E even"E ever.E ance;E ence
F (dots 124)from@F first^F fear_F follow"F father  
G (dots 1245)go@G going^G goes_G gone"G God ;G ong
H (dots 125)have@H having^H has_H had"H here  
I (dots 24)I@I if^I idea_I improve"I import  
J (dots 245)just@J join^J judge_J judgment"J Jesus  

Group 2 word signs and two-cell group signs

Word signs and two-cell group signs using characters from group 2
CharacterOne-cell word signTwo-cell word signsTwo-cell group signs
@ (dot 4)^ (dots 45)_ (dots 456)" (dot 5). (dots 46); (dots 56), (dot 6)
K (dots 13)knowledge@K kind^K keep_K knew known"K know   
L (dots 123)like@L life^L least_L long"L lord ;L ful (rarely used) 
M (dots 134)more@M may^M most_M many"M mother   
N (dots 1345)not@N next^N near_N never"N name.N sion;N tion,N ation
O (dots 135)O on@O old^O other_O over"O one   
P (dots 1234)people@P pre (syllable)^P please_P pro (syllable)"P part   
Q (dots 12345)quite@Q quiet^Q quick_Q quality"Q question   
R (dots 1235)rather@R represent^R read_R regular"R right   
S (dots 234)so@S same^S sea see_S spirit"S some.S less;S ness 
T (dots 2345)that@T TRUE^T treat_T truly"T time.T ount;T ment 

We use "(rarely used)" to indicate that we do not usually use the two-cell group sign "ful", because we usually outline "ful" as "fl" and we take ;L in a word to be the medial group sign ; followed by the letter "l", indicating "ual", "uel", "uil", "uol", "uul", or "uyl".

We use "(syllable)" to indicate that we can only use the two-cell word signs "pre" and "pro" when these letters form a complete syllable.

Group 3 word signs and two-cell group signs

Word signs and two-cell group signs using characters from group 3
CharacterOne-cell word signTwo-cell word signsTwo-cell group signs
@ (dot 4)^ (dots 45)_ (dots 456)" (dot 5). (dots 46); (dots 56), (dot 6)
U (dots 136)us@U up^U upon_U unto"U under   
V (dots 1236)very@V live^V leave_V left"V love   
X (dots 1346)it@X except^X extreme_X example"X extra   
Y (dots 13456)you@Y yet^Y year_Y your"Y young.Y bly;Y ity,Y ally
Z (dots 1356)as@Z side^Z seem_Z soon"Z ask.Z ances;Z ences 
& (dots 12346)and@& any^& anybody_& anything"& anyone   
= (dots 123456)for@= forget^= fortune_= fortunate"= foreign   
( (dots 12356)of@( offer^( office_( official"( often   
! (dots 2346)the@! then^! these_! their"! there   
) (dots 23456)with@) within^) without_) made") make   

Group 4 word signs

Word signs using characters from group 4
CharacterOne-cell word signTwo-cell word signs
@ (dot 4)^ (dots 45)_ (dots 456)" (dot 5)
* (dots 16)child@* change^* chief_* charge"* character
< (dots 126)them@< they^< speak_< spoke spoken"< special
% (dots 146)shall@% she^% share_% shalt"% short
? (dots 1456)this@? than^? those_? though"? through
: (dots 156)which@: who^: whose_: whole": where
$ (dots 1246)what@$ when^$ whether_$ while"$ why
] (dots 12456)we@] want^] weak week_] well"] went
\ (dots 1256)out@\ outside^\ ounce_\ our"\ ought
[ (dots 246)now@[ own^[ however_[ allow"[ how
W (dots 2456)will@W willing^W word_W world"W work

Group 5 word signs

Word signs using characters from group 5
CharacterOne-cell word signTwo-cell word signs
@ (dot 4)^ (dots 45)_ (dots 456)" (dot 5)
1 (dot 2)am an ^1 another_1 along"1 alone
2 (dots 23)be@2 beginning^2 believe_2 belong"2 become
3 (dots 25)is@3 concern^3 consider_3 continue"3 condition
4 (dots 256)are@4 differ^4 dear_4 down"4 during
5 (dots 26)enough@5 enter^5 endeavour_5 enclose inclose"5 entire
6 (dots 235)been to (sequenced)@6 together^6 too_6 two"6 toward towards
7 (dots 2356)were@7 giving^7 great_7 gave given"7 give
8 (dots 236)his@8 he^8 hear_8 her"8 house
9 (dots 35)in@9 inside^9 instead_9 interest"9 instant
0 (dots 356)was by (sequenced)@0 writing^0 writes_0 written wrote"0 write

We use "(sequenced)" to indicate that when we use the one-cell word signs "to" and "by" (and also 96 "into"), we must omit the space before the next word.

We must not use the lower one-cell word signs when our reader could reasonably mistake them for punctuation.

Group 6 word signs

Word signs using characters from group 6
CharacterOne-cell word signTwo-cell word signs
@ (dot 4)^ (dots 45)_ (dots 456)" (dot 5)
/ (dots 34)still@/ strange^/ strength_/ strong"/ straight
+ (dots 346)or@+ origin^+ ordinary_+ ordinarily"+ order
# (dots 3456)no@# number^# nobody_# nothing"# none
> (dots 345)me@> might^> mean_> my"> mind
' (dot 3)at@' something^' thing_' things"' someone
- (dots 36)come@- coming^- comes_- came"- common

We must not use the lower one-cell word signs when our reader could reasonably mistake them for punctuation.

Forming the "ing" form of two-cell word signs that end with the letter "e"

We can form the "ing" form of a two-cell word sign that ends with the letter "e" by adding a letter "g". Examples:

Short forms

A short form is a combination of braille signs that represents a word in an abbreviated form.

Alphabetical list of words with short forms, subdivided by the initial letter of the word

A

B

C

D

E

F

G

H

I

J

L

M

N

O

P

Q

R

S

T

U

V

W

Y

Inflecting short form words that end with the letter "e"

We can form the "ed" form of a short form word whose short form ends with the letter "e" by replacing that letter "e" with the letter "d". Examples:

We can form the "es" form of a short form word whose short form ends with the letter "e" by replacing that letter "e" with the letter "z". Examples:

We can form the "ing" form of a short form word whose short form ends with the letter "e" by replacing that letter "e" with the letter "g". Examples:

When we have a short form for a word that ends with the letter "e" and we form the "ing" form of that word by replacing that letter "e" with the letters "ing", we can form the short form of the "ing" form of the word by adding the letter "g" to the end of the short form of the word that ends with the letter "e". Examples:

Outlining

Outlining is the selective omission of the vowels "a", "e", "i", "o", and "u" from between two consonants of a word.

We can omit the vowel "a" from the first or only syllable of a word. We can omit the vowel "i" from the first or only syllable of a word when the vowel precedes the group sign "gh".

We can omit any of the vowels "a", "e", "i", "o", and "u" from second and subsequent syllables of a word of more than one syllable.

We cannot omit a vowel when:

Sequencing

Sequencing is when we write two or more words without an intervening space: this creates a word sequence.

  1. We can omit the space after the word signs "and", "for", "of", "with", "it", and "as" when:
    • The next word is not either of the word signs "to" or "by".
    • The next word does not begin with any of the lower initial group signs "be", "con", or "dis".
  2. We can omit the space after the word sign "the" when the next word is not either of the word signs "to" or "by".
  3. We can omit the space before the word signs "and", "for", "of", "the", and "with" when the preceding word is a word sign.
  4. We usually write the lower linking word signs ("am", "be", "is", "are", "been", "were", "his", and "was") without spaces before or after them. They should not begin or end a word sequence, unless the sequence begins "am I" or "is" or "are" precede a word sign.
  5. We can omit the space after the word signs "an" and "at".
  6. The word signs "come", "enough", and "in" can precede any word sign without a space.
  7. The word signs "a" and "have" can follow any word without a space.
  8. Most of the time, we can omit the space after a two-cell word sign. We use a space when:
    • The next word is either of the word signs "to" or "by".
    • The next word begins with any of the lower initial group signs "be", "con", or "dis".
  9. We never sequence the word "o".
  10. We must not omit spaces when doing so would create ambiguity in that situation.

Examples:

Other rules

Formatting

Rather than starting a new line and indenting with two spaces, we can use three spaces to separate paragraphs.

Unusual words

We usually do not use Grade 3 for unusual spellings, dialect, proper names, and foreign words. However, we can use Grade 3 with words of this sort that occur frequently, when they have become familiar to our reader. Alternatively, we can use special abbreviations for such words.

Special abbreviations

We can introduce special abbreviations for long or common words that appear in our text. For example, we could decide to write "parliament" as P;T or P>'. We should introduce the special abbreviations in a note in our text. We should position this note where our reader should easily find it. If we decide to use just an initial letter as an abbreviation, we should precede it with the letter sign (;).

Choice of signs

When we have a choice between two or more ways of writing a word with equal brevity, we use the one that is clearest, which usually means we choose the form with the fewest alternative meanings.

Capitalization

We usually omit the capital sign (,), unless it is necessary to give a special effect or emphasis or to clearly identify an unusual proper noun.

Numbers

We can use the 64 braille characters after the numeral sign (#) to represent the numbers 0 to 63. We can use these characters to represent these numbers or we can use them to represent digits in larger numbers.

Numbers represented by braille characters subdivided by group

Group 0 number 0

  1. (space) (no dots)

Group 1 numbers 1 to 10

  1. A (dot 1)
  2. B (dots 12)
  3. C (dots 14)
  4. D (dots 145)
  5. E (dots 15)
  6. F (dots 124)
  7. G (dots 1245)
  8. H (dots 125)
  9. I (dots 24)
  10. J (dots 245)

We can also use #J to mean 0 as in Grade 2, but this creates an ambiguity that might cause confusion. I have proposed some extensions to represent 0 in a less ambiguous way.

Group 2 numbers 11 to 20

  1. K (dots 13)
  2. L (dots 123)
  3. M (dots 134)
  4. N (dots 1345)
  5. O (dots 135)
  6. P (dots 1234)
  7. Q (dots 12345)
  8. R (dots 1235)
  9. S (dots 234)
  10. T (dots 2345)

Group 3 numbers 21 to 30

  1. U (dots 136)
  2. V (dots 1236)
  3. X (dots 1346)
  4. Y (dots 13456)
  5. Z (dots 1356)
  6. & (dots 12346)
  7. = (dots 123456)
  8. ( (dots 12356)
  9. ! (dots 2346)
  10. ) (dots 23456)

Group 4 numbers 31 to 40

  1. * (dots 16)
  2. < (dots 126)
  3. % (dots 146)
  4. ? (dots 1456)
  5. : (dots 156)
  6. $ (dots 1246)
  7. ] (dots 12456)
  8. \ (dots 1256)
  9. [ (dots 246)
  10. W (dots 2456)

Group 5 numbers 41 to 50

  1. 1 (dot 2)
  2. 2 (dots 23)
  3. 3 (dots 25)
  4. 4 (dots 256)
  5. 5 (dots 26)
  6. 6 (dots 235)
  7. 7 (dots 2356)
  8. 8 (dots 236)
  9. 9 (dots 35)
  10. 0 (dots 356)

Group 6 numbers 51 to 56

  1. / (dots 34)
  2. + (dots 346)
  3. # (dots 3456)
  4. > (dots 345)
  5. ' (dot 3)
  6. - (dots 36)

Group 7 numbers 57 to 63

  1. @ (dot 4)
  2. ^ (dots 45)
  3. _ (dots 456)
  4. " (dot 5)
  5. . (dots 46)
  6. ; (dots 56)
  7. , (dot 6)

Using numbers to represent dates and times

We can use the braille characters to represent dates numerically, without any characters to separate the numbers that represent the year, month, and day.

We can use the braille characters to represent times numerically, without any characters to separate the numbers that represent the hour, minute, and second.

Proposed extensions

I propose some small extensions to Grade 3 in this section. These extensions have no official standing, but you can use them if you like them. Please tell me about your own suggestions for extending Grade 3.

Proposed group signs

I propose the following two-cell group sign that we can use medially or terminally:

  • ;B (dots 56 dots 12) bility

Proposed short forms

I propose the following short form:

  • parliament: P;T (dots 1234 dots 56 dots 2345)

Proposed outlining simplification

I propose simplifying the outlining rules.

We can omit any of the vowels "a", "e", "i", "o", and "u" that occur between two consonants of a word provided that the word remains unambiguously recognizable in the current context. We treat the group sign "qu" as a consonant. The second consonant cannot be the letter "y".

We should only omit vowels when we believe that the reader should be able to recognize two or more consonants that do not usually occur together in English words and can easily determine the word by considering each of the possible vowel omissions in turn. The reader should consider each pair of consonants where a vowel might have been omitted and each of the possible vowels that might have been omitted. When a group of more than two consonants could suggest that multiple vowels have been omitted, the reader should consider the possibility of the lowest number of vowels being omitted before considering higher numbers of vowels being omitted. If the possible words of the same length were arranged in alphabetical order, the first word that fits the context should be the correct word.

We should only omit vowels from words that we believe will be familiar to our reader. Although we give examples of many unusual or meaningless words to demonstrate the process, our reader should be able to quickly determine the word by considering the short list of possible words that make sense in the context and should not need to struggle to recognize unfamiliar words.

Examples:

  • BN*: The letters "bn" do not usually occur together in English at the beginning of a word and the characters do not form one of the short form words, so a vowel must have been omitted between "b" and "n". The vowel before the letter "n" was not "e" or "i", because otherwise the group signs "en" or "in" would have been used. The possible words are "banch", "bonch", and "bunch". The first possible word in most contexts would be "bunch".
  • MNDNE: The letters "mndne" do not usually occur together in English and do not form one of the short form words, so at least one vowel must have been omitted. If a vowel was omitted before the letter "n", it was not "e" or "i", because otherwise the group signs "en" or "in" would have been used. If a vowel was omitted before the letter "d", it was not "e", because otherwise the group sign "ed" would have been used. If a vowel was omitted before the letters "ne", it was not "o", because otherwise the word sign "one" would have been used. If only one vowel was omitted, the possible words are "mandne", "mnadne", "mndane", "mndune", "mnidne", "mnodne", "mondne", and "mundne". If none of these seem like possibilities in the context, we consider that more than one vowel was omitted. If two vowels were omitted, the possible words are "manadne", "mandane", "mandune", "manidne", "manodne", "manudne", "mnadane", "mnadune", "mnidane", "mnidune", "mnodane", "mnodune", "monadne", "mondane", "mondune", "monidne", "monodne", "monudne", "munadne", "mundane", "mundune", "munidne", "munodne", and "munudne". The first possible word in most contexts would be "mundane".
  • /RK: The letters "strk" do not usually occur together in English and these characters do not form one of the short form words, so at least one vowel must have been omitted. A vowel was not omitted between the letters "s" and "t", because the group sign "st" was used. If a vowel was omitted before the letter "r", it was not "a" or "e", because otherwise the group signs "ar" or "er" would have been used. If only one vowel was omitted, the possible words are "stirk", "stork", "strak", "strek", "strik", "strok", "struk", and "sturk". The first possible word in most contexts would be "stork".
  • /RKE: The letters "strke" do not usually occur together in English and do not form one of the short form words, so at least one vowel must have been omitted. A vowel was not omitted between the letters "s" and "t", because the group sign "st" was used. If a vowel was omitted before the letter "r", it was not "a" or "e", because otherwise the group signs "ar" or "er" would have been used. If only one vowel was omitted, the possible words are "stirke", "storke", "strake", "streke", "strike", "stroke", "struke", and "sturke". The first possible word in most contexts would be "strike".

Proposed sequencing simplification

I propose simplifying the sequencing rules.

We can omit spaces between words in the same phrase whenever doing so does not create an ambiguity in that context.

Examples:

  • Can we do this or not?: C]D?+N8
  • I just do not know what to do with it: IJDN"K$6D)X

Proposal for including uncontracted braille

I propose a simple way to include uncontracted braille characters.

We can use the letter sign (;) to introduce a sequence of uncontracted braille that is terminated by a space. We can use the letter sign immediately followed by a space to introduce a passage of uncontracted braille that is terminated by another letter sign followed by a space.

We can borrow many features of six-dot Computer Braille Code to use in our sequences and passages of uncontracted braille.

Printable ASCII characters

  • ! ! (dots 2346)
  • " " (dot 5)
  • # # (dots 3456) (when in a passage of uncontracted braille) or #; (dots 3456 dots 56) (when in a sequence of uncontracted braille)
  • $ $ (dots 1246)
  • % % (dots 146)
  • & & (dots 12346)
  • ' ' (dot 3)
  • ( ( (dots 12356)
  • ) ) (dots 23456)
  • * * (dots 16)
  • + + (dots 346)
  • , , (dot 6)
  • - - (dots 36)
  • . . (dots 46)
  • / / (dots 34)
  • 0 0 (dots 356)
  • 1 1 (dot 2)
  • 2 2 (dots 23)
  • 3 3 (dots 25)
  • 4 4 (dots 256)
  • 5 5 (dots 26)
  • 6 6 (dots 235)
  • 7 7 (dots 2356)
  • 8 8 (dots 236)
  • 9 9 (dots 35)
  • : : (dots 156)
  • ; ; (dots 56)
  • < < (dots 126)
  • = = (dots 123456)
  • > > (dots 345)
  • ? ? (dots 1456)
  • @ @ (dot 4)
  • A _A (dots 456 dot 1)
  • B _B (dots 456 dots 12)
  • C _C (dots 456 dots 14)
  • D _D (dots 456 dots 145)
  • E _E (dots 456 dots 15)
  • F _F (dots 456 dots 124)
  • G _G (dots 456 dots 1245)
  • H _H (dots 456 dots 125)
  • I _I (dots 456 dots 24)
  • J _J (dots 456 dots 245)
  • K _K (dots 456 dots 13)
  • L _L (dots 456 dots 123)
  • M _M (dots 456 dots 134)
  • N _N (dots 456 dots 1345)
  • O _O (dots 456 dots 135)
  • P _P (dots 456 dots 1234)
  • Q _Q (dots 456 dots 12345)
  • R _R (dots 456 dots 1235)
  • S _S (dots 456 dots 234)
  • T _T (dots 456 dots 2345)
  • U _U (dots 456 dots 136)
  • V _V (dots 456 dots 1236)
  • W _W (dots 456 dots 2456)
  • X _X (dots 456 dots 1346)
  • Y _Y (dots 456 dots 13456)
  • Z _Z (dots 456 dots 1356)
  • [ [ (dots 246)
  • \ \ (dots 1256)
  • ] ] (dots 12456)
  • ^ ^ (dots 45)
  • _ __ (dots 456 dots 456)
  • ` _@ (dots 456 dot 4)
  • a A (dot 1)
  • b B (dots 12)
  • c C (dots 14)
  • d D (dots 145)
  • e E (dots 15)
  • f F (dots 124)
  • g G (dots 1245)
  • h H (dots 125)
  • i I (dots 24)
  • j J (dots 245)
  • k K (dots 13)
  • l L (dots 123)
  • m M (dots 134)
  • n N (dots 1345)
  • o O (dots 135)
  • p P (dots 1234)
  • q Q (dots 12345)
  • r R (dots 1235)
  • s S (dots 234)
  • t T (dots 2345)
  • u U (dots 136)
  • v V (dots 1236)
  • w W (dots 2456)
  • x X (dots 1346)
  • y Y (dots 13456)
  • z Z (dots 1356)
  • { _[ (dots 456 dots 246)
  • | _\ (dots 456 dots 1256)
  • } _] (dots 456 dots 12456)
  • ~ _^ (dots 456 dots 45)

Indicators in uncontracted braille

  • _+ (dots 456 dots 346): Computer Braille Code indicator, terminated by the termination indicator _: (dots 456 dots 156)
  • _& (dots 456 dots 12346): continuation indicator, indicates that the line break that follows it in braille is not present in the original
  • _* (dots 456 dots 16): Emphasis indicator, terminated with _/ (dots 456 dots 34)
  • _> (dots 456 dots 345): Caps lock indicator, terminated by the caps release indicator _< (dots 456 dots 126) or space. After the caps lock sign, we represent the upper case letters from "A" to "Z" without the shift indicator (_ (dots 456)) and we represent the lower case letters from "a" to "z" with the shift indicator.
  • _% (dots 456 dots 146): Nemeth Code indicator, terminated by the termination indicator _: (dots 456 dots 156)
  • _? (dots 456 dots 1456): Half-line shift down (subscript) indicator, terminated by space or the termination indicator _: (dots 456 dots 156)
  • _# (dots 456 dots 3456): Half-line shift up (superscript) indicator, terminated by space or the termination indicator _: (dots 456 dots 156)
  • _$ (dots 456 dots 1246): Shape indicator for describing shapes and other characters, terminated by the termination indicator _: (dots 456 dots 156)
  • _ (dots 456): Numeral sign (in an uncontracted sequence) or the number symbol # (in an uncontracted passage)

Examples of uncontracted braille

  • 25%: #Z;%
  • $15: ;$#O
  • P#11(b): ;_P##K;(B)
  • #tag: #;TAG

Proposed numeric signs

Sometimes we need to represent the digit 0 unambiguously and we need to represent other numerical concepts. We can do this by using the characters in groups 1 to 5 after the numeral sign (#) to represent the numbers from 1 to 50 (and the digits of these numbers in larger numbers) and use the characters in groups 6 and 7 after the numeral sign to take other meanings .

Group 6 numeric signs

  • / (dots 34): Slash symbol ("/"), used to separate the numerator from the denominator of a fraction or as a separator elsewhere (for example, in dates) (We can omit a numerator of 1 from a fraction.)
  • + (dots 346): Superscript, terminated with a space or +'
  • # (dots 3456): Number sign (#) (when it immediately follows the numeral sign) or space or other character used as an unspecified separator (for example, in telephone numbers or dates) or to separate the whole and fractional parts of a mixed fraction
  • ' (dot 3): Comma (","), used as a numerical separator
  • - (dots 36): Subscript, terminated with a space or -'

Group 7 numeric signs

  • @ (dot 4): 0
  • ^ (dots 45): 00
  • _ (dots 456): 000 (We can omit any thousands separator occurring immediately before or after this sign.)
  • " (dot 5): Mathematical symbol prefix, used when symbols might otherwise be mistaken for numbers
  • . (dots 46): Decimal point or full stop ("."), used as a numerical separator (When a zero immediately follows a numeral sign and precedes a decimal point, we can omit the zero.)
  • ; (dots 56): Letter sign (When a number sign immediately follows the numeral sign and precedes the letter sign, we can omit the number sign.)
  • , (dot 6): Comma (","), used as a numerical separator