A Lakh Is One Hundred Thousand
A lakh is a unit in the South Asian numbering system. The system groups digits differently from Western convention.
A lakh is one hundred thousand, used across South Asia. The system it belongs to groups digits differently: after the first three, commas fall every two digits rather than every three, so one hundred thousand is written 1,00,000 and ten million, a *crore*, is 1,00,00,000. Indian newspapers and accounts use this throughout. The word came from Sanskrit *laksha*, meaning a mark or a hundred thousand, and entered English through Hindi.
- One hundred thousand. *Five lakh.*
- Crore — ten million. *A crore.*
- Written 1,00,000. *The grouping.*
- Sanskrit — *laksha*. *The root.*
- South Asia. *Where it is used.*
Word forms
| Form | Word | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Noun | lakh | A lakh. |
| Plural | lakh | Five lakh. |
| Plural | lakhs | Lakhs. |
| Related | crore | A crore. |
| Sanskrit | laksha | A hundred thousand. |
- The house cost forty lakh.Money.
- A crore is a hundred lakh.Scale.
- It is written 1,00,000.Notation.
The Indian numbering system
- Thousand — 1,000
- Lakh — 1,00,000, a hundred thousand
- Crore — 1,00,00,000, ten million
- Arab — a hundred crore, one billion
- Commas fall every two digits after the first three
Hindi *lakh*, from Sanskrit *laksha*, a mark or one hundred thousand.
How much is a lakh?
One hundred thousand. A hundred lakh make a crore, which is ten million.
Why is it written 1,00,000?
The Indian system groups digits in pairs after the first three, rather than in threes throughout.