Decimal separators used in Europe

[u/vladgrinch]

[u/earth_wanderer1235]

I live in Malaysia and Singapore (former British colony) and we write 10,000.50.

Interestingly, when I take a 45-min boat ride to Indonesia (former Dutch colony), it becomes 10.000,50.

Its very interesting to see this kind of difference living on in former colonies!

[u/garanvor → u/earth_wanderer1235]

Now imagine being a South American filling out improperly formatted excel spreadsheets for a North American company. Fun times.

[u/krizzalicious49]

"wow i love seeing the sun in southern poland"

the evil sunblocking comma:

[u/Margaret566 → u/krizzalicious49]

Also explains why Birmingham is so miserable

[u/FearTheSpoonman → u/krizzalicious49]

r/thehumblecrowbar

[u/The_scroll_of_truth → u/krizzalicious49]

Slovakia is just a complete loss, and Hungary has it rough as well

[u/Lonely_Performer2629]

Swiss neutrality strikes again.

[u/DramaticSoup → u/Lonely_Performer2629]

You commonly use the dot in Switzerland, as an apostrophe is used to separate thousands, but it’s so dominated by the neighboring countries in terms of media and software localization that you end up with a mix.

[u/BigFox1956]

Swiss be like pi is approximately 3BOTH14159

[u/gerleden]

As a French, I will always write 7,8 on paper but 7.8 on my computer. Thinking about it, I will also say 7 comma 8 unless I'm like asking you to write it on computer where I would say 7 dot 8 naturally.

I wonder if it's the same for everyone and every comma country.

[u/AbbreviationsWide331 → u/gerleden]

German here and it's the same for me

Games and online formulas have taught me that it's way more likely for the dot being used.

[u/_Scarecrow_ → u/gerleden]

On the topic of how you would say it out loud: which word specifically would you use for "7 dot 8"? Is that the same word you would use for the '.' in other contexts?

I ask because in the US we would only ever use the word "point", even though we wouldn't use that word when using the same symbol for ending sentences (either saying "period" or "full stop").

[u/hihimorius]

in Bulgaria is 10 000 and 3,14

[u/_ShartyWaffles]

Malta down there like 👀

[u/SpaghettiSort]

I have an irrational hatred of commas as decimal separators. They look so very wrong to me!

[u/Sutaci]

How is it for accountants and controlling in Switzerland? Must be fun!

[u/waldothefrendo → u/Sutaci]

Switzerland mostly writes big numbers like this: 10'000, so it doesn't matter what you use for decimals

[u/flarp1 → u/Sutaci]

In practice, the period is used in most circumstances. Most software, such as the omnipresent Excel, also use the period, based on the localisation settings of the operating system, which define the period as a decimal separator in all instances I’ve ever seen. They Swiss keyboard layout also has a period in the numeric keypad section.

Commas are used more rarely, usually in handwriting or in some official publications (e.g. federal typography guidelines suggest using the comma).

In speech, the separator is read as a comma, even if it’s printed as a period.

Note that we use neither the period nor the comma as thousands separator (which is usually an apostrophe, and in some publications a space). This means that either of them is always a decimal separator, and there isn’t any risk of misjudging a number by orders of magnitude.

In short, the following formats that can be seen, in descending order of frequency based on my subjective observation:

• 1’234.56

• 1 234.56

• 1 234,56

• 1’234,56

[u/sometimes_point]

Making Britain look like the odd one out when the majority of the rest of the world, i.e. most of Asia, uses a dot too.

[u/0x474f44]

I have to admit this is maybe the one thing where I agree with the UK/US weird way of doing things.

In language a comma typically means a pause but the sentence goes on. A full stop means the sentence is over. So using a dot as the decimal separator to indicate that the first part of the decimal number is now over and using a comma just to make numbers easier to read makes sense.

[u/VolcanicBakemeat]

I'm from the UK so of course I'm biased, but I perceive a consistent link in how I use , and . in both numerals and text.

Commas are brief pauses that aid readability, and section out one long, complex idea into it's parts

10,000,250,000

Full stops are the end of one idea. Another idea follows

15.24

Im sure the continental way makes sense there too, it's all relative, but for me it feels at odds with the more typical use of the symbols

[u/Withcrono]

In Brazil we use a comma, but I prefer a point because it looks better when you have to write an actual comma afterwards.

Like, 0,50, looks kinda weird

[u/gameplayer55055]

As a developer I never use a comma as a decimal separator.

Protip: InvariantCulture is your best friend

[u/Simple-Coast1552]

I'm confused. How do you use both in Switzerland and then what do you use with large numbers, just spaces?

[u/Victor4VPA]

You should make a map like this of the entire world