Lakh

A lakh (/læk, lɑːk/; abbreviated L; sometimes written lac[1]) is a unit in the Indian numbering system equal to one hundred thousand (100,000; scientific notation: 105).[1][2] In the Indian 2,2,3 convention of digit grouping, it is written as 1,00,000.[3] For example, in India 150,000 rupees becomes 1.5 lakh rupees, written as ₹1,50,000 or INR 1,50,000.

It is widely used both in official and other contexts in Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Myanmar, Nepal, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka. It is often used in Indian, Bangladeshi, Pakistani, and Sri Lankan English. In Pakistan, the word lakh is used mostly in local languages rather than in English media.

Usage

In Indian English, the word is used both as an attributive and non-attributive noun with either an unmarked or marked ("-s") plural, respectively. For example: "1 lakh people"; "lakhs of people"; "200 lakh rupees"; "lakhs of rupees". In the abbreviated form, usage such as "₹5L" or "₹5 lac" (for "5 lakh rupees") is common. In this system of numeration, 100 lakh is called one crore[3] and is equal to 10 million.

Silver market

The term is also used in the pricing of silver on the international precious metals market, where one lakh equals 100,000 troy ounces (3,100 kilograms) of silver.[4][5]

Etymology and regional variants

The modern word lakh represents Sanskrit: lakṣa (Devanagari: लक्ष), originally denoting "mark, target, stake in gambling", but also used as the numeral for "100,000" in Gupta-era Classical Sanskrit (Yājñavalkya Smṛti, Harivaṃśa).[6]

  • In Assamese: লক্ষ lokhyo, or লাখ lakh
  • In Bengali: natively (tadbhava) known as লাখ lākh, though some use the ardha-tatsama লক্ষ lokkho.
  • In Gujarati: લાખ lākh
  • In Kannada: ಲಕ್ಷ lakṣha
  • In Khasi: lak
  • In Malayalam: ലക്ഷം laksham
  • In Marathi: लाख/लक्ष lākh
  • In Nepali: लाख lākh
  • In Odia: ଲକ୍ଷ lakhya
  • In Punjabi: lakkh (Shahmukhi: لکھ, Gurmukhi: ਲੱਖ)
  • In Sinhala: ලක්ෂ lakṣa
  • In Tamil: இலட்சம் ilatcham
  • In Telugu: లక్ష lakṣha
  • In Urdu: لاکھ lākh

See also

References
  1. Rowlett, Russ (15 December 2008) [1998]. "lakh". How Many? A Dictionary of Units of Measurement. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Archived from the original on 2 July 2016. Retrieved 29 August 2016.
  2. "lakh". Oxford English Dictionary (1st ed.). Oxford University Press. 1933.
  3. Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). "Lakh" . Encyclopædia Britannica. 16 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. p. 94.
  4. Gilkes, Paul (3 July 2017). "CME Group/Thomson Reuters step down from executing the London silver fix". Retrieved 5 July 2017.
  5. "Units of Measure". perthmint.com.au. Retrieved 6 September 2015.
  6. Turner, Sir Ralph Lilley (1985). "lakṣá10881". "lakṣhá 10881" in: A Comparative Dictionary of the Indo-Aryan Languages. London: Oxford University Press, 1962-1966. Includes three supplements, published 1969-1985. Digital South Asia Library, a project of the Center for Research Libraries and the University of Chicago. p. 629. Archived from the original on 15 December 2012. Retrieved 22 August 2010. lakṣh masculine "stake, prize" R̥igved, "mark, sign" Mahābhārat, "100,000" Yājñavalkya, "aim" Kālidās]
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