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{{Short description|100,000 (1,00,000 in Indian numbering)}}
{{Short description|100,000 in the Indian numbering system}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=January 2023}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=December 2024}}
{{Use Indian English|date=February 2026}}


A '''lakh''' ({{IPAc-en|l|æ|k|,_|l|ɑː|k}}; abbreviated '''L'''; sometimes written '''lac'''<ref name="Rowlett_2008">{{cite dictionary|title=lakh |encyclopedia=How Many? A Dictionary of Units of Measurement |author-first=Russ |author-last=Rowlett |publisher=[[University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill]] |date=15 December 2008 |orig-year=1998 |access-date=29 August 2016 |url=http://www.unc.edu/~rowlett/units/dictL.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160702030033/http://www.unc.edu/~rowlett/units/dictL.html |archive-date=2 July 2016 }}</ref>) is a unit in the [[Indian numbering system]] equal to [[100,000|one hundred thousand]] (100,000; [[scientific notation]]:&nbsp;10<sup>5</sup>).<ref name="Rowlett_2008"/><ref name="OED1">{{OED1|lakh}}</ref> <!--The commas here are in their proper place. Please do not change to 1,00,000--> In the Indian 2,2,3 convention of [[Indian numbering system#Use of separators|digit grouping]], it is written as 1,00,000.<ref name=EB1911>{{cite EB1911 |wstitle=Lakh |volume=16 |page=94}}</ref> For example, in India, 150,000 [[Indian rupee|rupees]] becomes 1.5 ''lakh'' rupees, written as {{INR}}1,50,000 or INR&nbsp;1,50,000.
A '''lakh''' ({{IPAc-en|l|æ|k|,_|l|ɑː|k}}; abbreviated '''L'''; sometimes written '''lac'''<ref name="Rowlett_2008">{{cite dictionary|title=lakh |encyclopedia=How Many? A Dictionary of Units of Measurement |author-first=Russ |author-last=Rowlett |publisher=[[University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill]] |date=15 December 2008 |orig-year=1998 |access-date=29 August 2016 |url=http://www.unc.edu/~rowlett/units/dictL.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160702030033/http://www.unc.edu/~rowlett/units/dictL.html |archive-date=2 July 2016 }}</ref>) is a unit in the [[Indian numbering system]] equal to [[100,000|one hundred thousand]] (100,000; [[scientific notation]]:&nbsp;10<sup>5</sup>).<ref name="Rowlett_2008"/><ref name="OED1">{{OED1|lakh}}</ref> <!--The commas here are in their proper place. Please do not change to 1,00,000--> In the [[Indian numbering system#Decimal formatting|Indian 2, 2, 3 convention of digit grouping]], it is written as 1,00,000.<ref name=EB1911>{{cite EB1911 |wstitle=Lakh |volume=16 |page=94}}</ref> For example, in India, 150,000 [[Indian rupee|rupees]] becomes 1.5 ''lakh'' rupees, written as {{INR}}1,50,000 or INR&nbsp;1,50,000.


It is widely used both in official and other contexts in [[Afghanistan]], [[Bangladesh]], [[Bhutan]], [[India]], [[Myanmar]], [[Nepal]], [[Pakistan]], and [[Sri Lanka]]. It is often used in [[Bangladeshi English|Bangladeshi]], [[Indian English|Indian]], [[Pakistani English|Pakistani]], and [[Sri Lankan English]].
It is widely used both in official and other contexts in [[Afghanistan]], [[Bangladesh]], [[Bhutan]], [[India]], [[Myanmar]], [[Nepal]], [[Pakistan]], and [[Sri Lanka]]. It is often used in [[Bangladeshi English|Bangladeshi]], [[Indian English|Indian]], [[Pakistani English|Pakistani]], and [[Sri Lankan English]].


==Usage==
==Usage==
In [[Indian English]], the word is used both as an [[Noun adjunct|attributive]] and non-attributive noun with either an unmarked or marked ("-s") plural, respectively. For example: "1 ''lakh'' people"; "''lakhs'' of people"; "20 ''lakh'' [[rupee]]s"; "''lakhs'' of rupees". In the abbreviated form, usage such as "{{INR|link=Indian rupee}}5L" or "{{INR|link=Indian rupee}}5 lac" (for "5 ''lakh'' rupees") is common.<ref>{{Cite book|last1=Posamentier|first1=Alfred S.|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=FmPcDwAAQBAJ&dq=use+of+cr+%22crore%22+abbreviation&pg=PA478|title=Understanding Mathematics Through Problem Solving|last2=Poole|first2=Peter|date=23 March 2020|publisher=World Scientific|isbn=978-981-4663-69-4|language=en}}</ref> In this system of numeration, 100 ''lakh'' is called one ''[[crore]]''<ref name=EB1911/> and is equal to 10 million.
In [[Indian English]], the word is used both as an [[Noun adjunct|attributive]] and non-attributive noun with either an unmarked or marked ("-s") plural, respectively. For example: "1 ''lakh'' people"; "''lakhs'' of people"; "20 ''lakh'' [[rupee]]s"; "''lakhs'' of rupees". In the abbreviated form, usage such as "{{INR|link=Indian rupee}}5L" or "{{INR|link=Indian rupee}}5 lac" (for "5 ''lakh'' rupees") is common.<ref>{{Cite book|last1=Posamentier|first1=Alfred S.|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=FmPcDwAAQBAJ&dq=use+of+cr+%22crore%22+abbreviation&pg=PA478|title=Understanding Mathematics Through Problem Solving|last2=Poole|first2=Peter|date=23 March 2020|publisher=World Scientific|isbn=978-981-4663-69-4}}</ref> In this system of numeration, 100 ''lakh'' is called one ''[[crore]]''<ref name=EB1911/> and is equal to 10 million.
 
Formal written publications in English in India tend to use ''lakh'' and ''[[crore]]'' for [[Indian rupee|Indian currency]] and Western numbering for foreign currencies, such as [[United States dollar|dollars]] and [[Pound sterling|pounds]].<ref>{{cite web|author=Shapiro, Richard<!--Employee as per https://www.oed.com/public/oedstaff/staff-of-the-oxford-english-dictionary/loginpage-->|url=https://public.oed.com/blog/the-most-distinctive-counting-system-in-english-indian-cardinal-numbers/|title=The most distinctive counting system in English? Indian cardinal numbers|work=Oxford English Dictionary |publisher=[[Oxford English Dictionary]]|date=16 August 2012|access-date=24 May 2020}} – Shapiro is/was an OED employee. The article states: "The opinions and other information contained in the OED blog posts and comments do not necessarily reflect the opinions or positions of [[Oxford University Press]]."</ref>


===Silver market===
===Silver market===
The term is also used in the pricing of silver on the international [[precious metal]]s market, where one ''lakh'' equals {{convert|100000|ozt|kg|lk=in|abbr=off}} of [[silver]].<ref>{{cite news|last1=Gilkes|first1=Paul|title=CME Group/Thomson Reuters step down from executing the London silver fix|url=http://www.coinworld.com/news/precious-metals/2017/03/cme-group-thomson-reuters-out-of-silver-price-ficing.all.html|access-date=5 July 2017|date=3 July 2017}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.perthmint.com.au/education_uom.aspx|title=Units of Measure|work=perthmint.com.au|access-date=6 September 2015|archive-date=24 September 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150924071802/http://www.perthmint.com.au/education_uom.aspx|url-status=dead}}</ref>
The term is also used in the pricing of silver on the international [[precious metal]]s market, where one ''lakh'' equals {{convert|100000|ozt|kg|0|lk=in|abbr=off}} of [[silver]].<ref>{{cite news|last1=Gilkes|first1=Paul|title=CME Group/Thomson Reuters step down from executing the London silver fix|url=http://www.coinworld.com/news/precious-metals/2017/03/cme-group-thomson-reuters-out-of-silver-price-ficing.all.html|access-date=5 July 2017|date=3 July 2017}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.perthmint.com.au/education_uom.aspx|title=Units of Measure|work=perthmint.com.au|access-date=6 September 2015|archive-date=24 September 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150924071802/http://www.perthmint.com.au/education_uom.aspx|url-status=dead}}</ref>


==Etymology and regional variants==
==Etymology and regional variants==
The modern word ''lakh'' derives from {{lang-sa|लक्ष|translit=lakṣa}}, originally denoting "mark, target, stake in gambling", but also used as the numeral for "100,000" in [[Gupta Empire|Gupta-era]] Classical Sanskrit (''[[Yājñavalkya Smṛti]]'', ''[[Harivaṃśa]]'').<ref>{{cite web |url=https://dsal.uchicago.edu/cgi-bin/philologic/getobject.pl?p.3:88.soas |archive-url=https://archive.today/20121215010456/http://dsal.uchicago.edu/cgi-bin/philologic/getobject.pl?p.3:88.soas |url-status=dead |archive-date=15 December 2012 |title=lakṣá10881 |access-date=22 August 2010 |author-last=Turner |author-first=Sir Ralph Lilley |author-link=Ralph Lilley Turner |year=1985 |work="lakṣhá 10881" in: A Comparative Dictionary of the Indo-Aryan Languages. London: Oxford University Press, 1962-1966. Includes three supplements, published 1969-1985 |publisher=Digital South Asia Library, a project of the Center for Research Libraries and the University of Chicago |page=629 |quote= lakṣh masculine "stake, prize" R̥igved, "mark, sign" Mahābhārat, "100,000"  Yājñavalkya, "aim" Kālidās<!--, lakṣhya— neuter, masculine ʻ aim ʼ Muṇḍ Upaniṣhad, ʻ prize ʼ Mahābhārat, ʻ 100,000 ʼ Mahābhārat,  [√lakṣ. For derivation from root to become numeral, see Addenda: Pali lakkha— masculine ʻ mark, target, stake in gambling ʼ; Oṛiyā lākha, nākha ʻ aim, distinguishing mark ʼ, lācha ʻ brand ʼ; Gujarātī lāchɔ masculine ʻ burning the feet ʼ; Marāṭhī lās masculine ʻ mark made by cautery ʼ, neuter.-->] }}</ref>
The modern word ''lakh'' derives from {{langx|sa|लक्ष|translit=lakṣa}}, originally denoting "mark, target, stake in gambling", but also used as the numeral for "100,000" in [[Gupta Empire|Gupta-era]] Classical Sanskrit (''[[Yājñavalkya Smṛti]]'', ''[[Harivaṃśa]]'').<ref>{{cite web |url=https://dsal.uchicago.edu/cgi-bin/philologic/getobject.pl?p.3:88.soas |archive-url=https://archive.today/20121215010456/http://dsal.uchicago.edu/cgi-bin/philologic/getobject.pl?p.3:88.soas |url-status=dead |archive-date=15 December 2012 |title=lakṣá10881 |access-date=22 August 2010 |author-last=Turner |author-first=Sir Ralph Lilley |author-link=Ralph Lilley Turner |year=1985 |work="lakṣhá 10881" in: A Comparative Dictionary of the Indo-Aryan Languages. London: Oxford University Press, 1962-1966. Includes three supplements, published 1969–1985 |publisher=Digital South Asia Library, a project of the Center for Research Libraries and the University of Chicago |page=629 |quote= lakṣh masculine "stake, prize" R̥igved, "mark, sign" Mahābhārat, "100,000"  Yājñavalkya, "aim" Kālidās<!--, lakṣhya— neuter, masculine ʻ aim ʼ Muṇḍ Upaniṣhad, ʻ prize ʼ Mahābhārat, ʻ 100,000 ʼ Mahābhārat,  [√lakṣ. For derivation from root to become numeral, see Addenda: Pali lakkha— masculine ʻ mark, target, stake in gambling ʼ; Oṛiyā lākha, nākha ʻ aim, distinguishing mark ʼ, lācha ʻ brand ʼ; Gujarātī lāchɔ masculine ʻ burning the feet ʼ; Marāṭhī lās masculine ʻ mark made by cautery ʼ, neuter.-->] }}</ref>
 
; By language
Another possible etymology comes from the root word for the [[lac]] bug, used to produce [[shellac]]. The word lakh is a unit in the [[Indian numbering system]] for {{formatnum:100000}} and presumably refers to the large number of insects that swarm on host trees, up to {{convert|150|/in2}}.<ref name=Berenbaum1993Page27>{{cite book|last1=Berenbaum|first1=May|title=Ninety-nine More Maggots, Mites, and Munchers|url=https://archive.org/details/ninetyninemorema00bere|url-access=registration|date=1993|publisher=University of Illinois Press|isbn=978-0-252-02016-2|page=[https://archive.org/details/ninetyninemorema00bere/page/27 27]}}</ref>
* [[Assamese language|Assamese]]: {{lang|as|লক্ষ}} ''lokhyo'', or {{lang|as|লাখ}} ''lakh''
 
* [[Bengali language|Bengali]]: natively ([[tadbhava]]) known as {{lang|bn|লাখ}} ''lākh'', though some use the [[Tatsama|ardha-tatsama]] {{lang|bn|লক্ষ}} ''lokkho''.
* In [[Assamese language|Assamese]]: {{lang|as|লক্ষ}} ''lokhyo'', or {{lang|as|লাখ}} ''lakh''
* [[Bhojpuri language|Bhojpuri]]: 𑂪𑂰𑂎 ''lākh''
* In [[Bengali language|Bengali]]: natively (tadbhava) known as {{lang|bn|লাখ}} ''lākh'', though some use the ardha-tatsama {{lang|bn|লক্ষ}} ''lokkho''.
* [[Bishnupriya Manipuri language|Bishnupriya Manipuri]]: লাখ ''lākha''
* In [[Hindi language|Hindi]]: {{Lang|he|लाख}} ''lākh''
* [[Hindustani language|Hindustani]]: ([[Hindi]]: {{Lang|hi|लाख}}, [[Urdu]]: {{lang|ur|{{nastaliq|لاکھ}}}}) ''lākh''
* In [[Maldivian language|Dhivehi]]: ލައްކަ ''la'kha''
* [[Maldivian language|Dhivehi]]: {{Lang|dv|ލައްކަ}} ''lakka''
* In [[Gujarati language|Gujarati]]: {{lang|gu|લાખ}} ''lākh''
* [[Gujarati language|Gujarati]]: {{lang|gu|લાખ}} ''lākh''
* In [[Kannada language|Kannada]]: {{lang|kn|ಲಕ್ಷ}} ''lakṣha''
* [[Kannada]]: {{lang|kn|ಲಕ್ಷ}} ''lakṣha''
* In [[Kashmiri language|Kashmiri]]: {{lang|ks|{{uninastaliq|لَچھ}}}} ''lachh''
* [[Kashmiri language|Kashmiri]]: {{lang|ks|{{nastaliq|لَچھ}}}} ''lachh''
* In [[Khasi language|Khasi]]: ''lak''
* [[Khasi language|Khasi]]: {{Lang|kha|lak}}
* In [[Malayalam language|Malayalam]]: {{Lang|ml|ലക്ഷം}} ''laksham''
* [[Malayalam]]: {{Lang|ml|ലക്ഷം}} ''laksham''
* In [[Marathi language|Marathi]]: {{Lang|mr|लाख / लक्ष }} ''lākh/laksha''
* [[Marathi language|Marathi]]: {{Lang|mr|लाख/लक्ष}} ''lākh/laksha''
* In [[Meitei language|Meitei]]: ꯂꯥꯛ ''lāk''
* [[Meitei language|Meitei]]: ꯂꯥꯛ ''lāk''
* In [[Nepali language|Nepali]]: {{Lang|ne|लाख}} ''lākh''
* [[Nepali language|Nepali]]: {{Lang|ne|लाख}} ''lākh''
* In [[Odia language|Odia]]: {{lang|or|ଲକ୍ଷ}} ''lôkhyô''
* [[Odia language|Odia]]: {{lang|or|ଲକ୍ଷ}} ''låkhyå''
* In [[Punjabi language|Punjabi]]: ([[Shahmukhi]]: {{lang|pa|{{nastaliq|لکھ}}}}, [[Gurmukhi]]: {{lang|pa|ਲੱਖ}}) ''lakkh''
* [[Punjabi language|Punjabi]]: ([[Shahmukhi]]: {{lang|pa|{{nastaliq|لکھ}}}}, [[Gurmukhi]]: {{lang|pa|ਲੱਖ}}) ''lakkh''
* In [[Sinhala language|Sinhala]]: {{lang|si|ලක්ෂ}} {{transliteration|si|lakṣa}}
* [[Sanskrit]]: {{Lang|sa|लक्ष}} {{transliteration|sa|lakṣa}}
* In [[Tamil language|Tamil]]: {{Lang|ta|இலட்சம்}} ''latcham''
* [[Sinhala language|Sinhala]]: {{lang|si|ලක්ෂ}} {{transliteration|si|lakṣa}}
* In [[Telugu language|Telugu]]: {{Lang|te|లక్ష}} ''laksha''
* [[Tamil language|Tamil]]: {{Lang|ta|இலட்சம்}} ''latcham''
* In [[Urdu language|Urdu]]: {{lang|ur|{{nq|لاکھ}}}} ''lākh''
* [[Telugu language|Telugu]]: {{Lang|te|లక్ష}} ''laksha''


==See also==
==See also==
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==External links==
==External links==
{{wiktionary|lakh}}
* {{Cite web|last=IINRG|first=Ranchi|title=Government Organisation|url=http://ilri.ernet.in/|access-date=22 February 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180929175743/http://ilri.ernet.in/|archive-date=29 September 2018|url-status=dead}}
* {{Cite web|last=IINRG|first=Ranchi|title=Government Organisation|url=http://ilri.ernet.in/|access-date=22 February 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180929175743/http://ilri.ernet.in/|archive-date=29 September 2018|url-status=dead}}


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[[Category:Units of amount]]
[[Category:Units of amount]]
[[Category:Hindi words and phrases]]
[[Category:Hindi words and phrases]]
[[Category:Urdu-language words and phrases]]
[[Category:Urdu words and phrases]]
[[Category:Indian English idioms]]
[[Category:Indian English idioms]]
[[Category:Pakistani English idioms]]
[[Category:Pakistani English idioms]]

Latest revision as of 23:30, 19 March 2026


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 Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Myanmar, Nepal, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka. It is often used in Bangladeshi, Indian, Pakistani, and Sri Lankan English.

Usage[edit | edit source]

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"; "20 lakh rupees"; "lakhs of rupees". In the abbreviated form, usage such as "₹5L" or "₹5 lac" (for "5 lakh rupees") is common.[4] In this system of numeration, 100 lakh is called one crore[3] and is equal to 10 million.

Formal written publications in English in India tend to use lakh and crore for Indian currency and Western numbering for foreign currencies, such as dollars and pounds.[5]

Silver market[edit | edit source]

The term is also used in the pricing of silver on the international precious metals market, where one lakh equals 100,000 troy ounces (3,110 kilograms) of silver.[6][7]

Etymology and regional variants[edit | edit source]

The modern word lakh derives from Script error: The function "langx" does not exist., originally denoting "mark, target, stake in gambling", but also used as the numeral for "100,000" in Gupta-era Classical Sanskrit (Yājñavalkya Smṛti, Harivaṃśa).[8]

By language

See also[edit | edit source]

References[edit | edit source]

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 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. ↑ Template:OED1
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). "Lakh" . Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. 16 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. p. 94.
  4. ↑ Posamentier, Alfred S.; Poole, Peter (23 March 2020). Understanding Mathematics Through Problem Solving. World Scientific. ISBN 978-981-4663-69-4.
  5. ↑ Shapiro, Richard (16 August 2012). "The most distinctive counting system in English? Indian cardinal numbers". Oxford English Dictionary. Oxford English Dictionary. Retrieved 24 May 2020. – Shapiro is/was an OED employee. The article states: "The opinions and other information contained in the OED blog posts and comments do not necessarily reflect the opinions or positions of Oxford University Press."
  6. ↑ Gilkes, Paul (3 July 2017). "CME Group/Thomson Reuters step down from executing the London silver fix". Retrieved 5 July 2017.
  7. ↑ "Units of Measure". perthmint.com.au. Archived from the original on 24 September 2015. Retrieved 6 September 2015.
  8. ↑ 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. Retrieved 22 August 2010. lakṣh masculine "stake, prize" R̥igved, "mark, sign" Mahābhārat, "100,000" Yājñavalkya, "aim" Kālidās]{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link)

External links[edit | edit source]

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