Arabic numbers (0-9) in Japan

Hi, if I use Arabic numbers (0-9) and also + and - for my numbers in the Japanese localised version of my game, will that be acceptible to Japanese players? Will most Japanese players understand these numbers due to their normally excellent schooling in the English language? Thanks.

Hi there, Arabic number are completely different to japanese character, therefore I would imagine the japanese player would be puzzled. Japanese characters are based on chinese characters

Hope I have understood your question :)

..well..im living with them and I tell you..dont rely on their knowledge of english at all...they are quite conservative folks and you will be surprised how such highly developed community is away from such things like learning other languages...numbers (0-9) shouldnt be a problem..

Im going to say yes, its perfectly OK. For the following reasons.

And This


Edit: Oh, I didnt expect them to appear here. Oh well

nrasool: Thanks. yes I realise they are different but I wondered if they would still be understood by lots of Japanese players.

Naughty Alien: Yeah all other text will be localised, just maybe not the numbers. Think that'll be a problem?

H&K: OK, thanks.

I guess it also depends on if BFG want 100% conversion or not.

Numbers 0-9 will do just fine..no problems at all..

great thanks. But I guess + and - signs wouldn't be so easily recognised?

Hey Grey Alien, As Naughty Alien mention, it would be better to use 0-9 rather than arabic numbers. I know a little arabic, my wife knows it fully, and got to say it is different to japanese. They are very different.

0-9 are arabic numbers. and they are used in japan the same as in all the world. the same goes for + and -

nrasool: yeah 0-9 ARE Arabic numbers (numerals), they replaced Roman numerals in Europe around the 10th century because it was bitchin' to do maths with Roman numerals. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arabic_numerals

Its intresting to note that these number symbols are actually Indian in origin, but known throughtout the world as 'Arabic' becuase it was Arabic traiders who spread them across europe and asia.

yeah I never knew that until I wikied today.

It was also an Indian monk who invented Kung Fu. India certainly has a rich and ancient past.

Didn't India come up with the concept of 0 (zero)?

Quite how maths was done before that, I can't imagine.

Yeah, I was about to say 0-9 are Indian, not Arabic.

0,1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9 Are Arabic numerials, based on "Arabic-Indic" or "Eastern Arabic numerals"
But apart from 1 and 9 they dont look like each other

H&K has it right. Yeah the zero was pretty damn important!

Reading up on it a bit it seems that they were started by the Indians, altered slightly by the Arabs and then finally changed again by Europeans. Surely therefore they should be referred to by the people who first started it off or by the people that came up with the current variant. Surely not by the people the created an intermediate step?

The Buddists started a ten first numeral system, and then it was changed to a different set of numerial, then to a different set of numerials.

This third set is called either "Aribic" or "European", now whereas I agree with you that the only fundemental differance is one of shape. The actual question here is can Grey use this third set. Specificly the set called "Aribic"

Now the Aribic Indian numerial set doesnt look like the Aribic european set does it? So yes we could if we wanted to say that the Number "system" was indian in origin. But the question as to would it be acceptable to use the Indian numerials in a Japanese game is NO, but yes if its the Aribic European numerials

So in this specific situation we have to specifficly refer to the Numerial set as "Aribic" or "Aribic European"

It's anal, but I agreen.

yeah but who invented Chicken Tikka Masala ? - lol

I thought the British Army started currying old gross meat in the first world war to hide the taste.

Cos like they had fresh meat in the Indian campaigns?

In Japan, they use 0-9, but are pronounced of course in Japanese. They do have kanji for numbers but are rarely used anymore, usually for menu prices, books (novels) etc.
You'll have no problems with 0-9 or - and +

ENAY: Thanks.