Braille Converter
Text to Grade 1 braille Unicode and back, with cell counts.
What it does
Braille reads by touch through six dot cells, and Grade 1 assigns one cell per letter with no contractions. The word hello embosses as ⠓⠑⠇⠇⠕ across five cells, while digits borrow the first ten letters behind a number sign. The tool above converts both directions in Unicode braille.
The default shows the letter logic at work. H takes dots 1-2-5, e takes 1-5, and the doubled l repeats dots 1-2-3, spelling the five cell result above. Numbers work the same way: 1 is number sign plus a, rendered ⠼⠁ with no space between.
Two authorities anchor the tables. The Library of Congress braille guide numbers dots 1-2-3 down the left with 4-5-6 right, building a through j up top, k through t with dot 3 added, and the rest with dots 3 and 6. The APH learning unit prints the matching Unicode chart with the number sign rule.
Grade 1 is the starting ramp, not full literary braille. Real books contract common words, mark capitals with dot 6, and punctuate richly, all outside this converter. Screen readers and embossers handle those layers; this page teaches the raw alphabet mapping.
How to use
- Pick text to braille or braille to text.
- Type letters, digits, and spaces to encode.
- Paste braille Unicode cells to decode.
- Read the result first.
- Read cells to size embossed lines.
Formula
- cell
- Six dot positions 1-2-3 left, 4-5-6 right.
- ⠼
- Number sign before digit runs.
- U+2800
- Unicode braille block base.
Uncontracted Grade 1 only. Contractions, capitals, and punctuation need full braille codes outside this page.
Worked example
Example: hello
Default: encode, hello.
- Letters: h dots 125, e 15, l 123, l 123, o 135.
- Cells: ⠓ ⠑ ⠇ ⠇ ⠕ joined as ⠓⠑⠇⠇⠕.
- Count: 5 cells from 5 characters.
- Digits demo: abc xyz 123 needs 12 cells.
- Tool shows ⠓⠑⠇⠇⠕, 5 cells, 5 chars.
Reference table
| Braille | Dots | |
|---|---|---|
| a / 1 | ⠁ / ⠼⠁ | 1 |
| b / 2 | ⠃ / ⠼⠃ | 12 |
| c / 3 | ⠉ / ⠼⠉ | 14 |
| d / 4 | ⠙ / ⠼⠙ | 145 |
| e / 5 | ⠑ / ⠼⠑ | 15 |
Limits
- Grade 1 literary only.
- Letters, digits, spaces; punctuation rejected.
- Case ignored, output lowercase.
- Unicode braille needs a supporting font.
Common mistakes
- Typing capitals and expecting dot 6 marks.
- Pasting punctuation into the encoder.
- Reading contracted books with Grade 1.
- Splitting number signs from digits.
- Assuming screen dots emboss by themselves.
Try it yourself
Quick checks. Answers sit tucked under each question.
Encode abc xyz 123?
⠁⠃⠉⠀⠭⠽⠵⠀⠼⠃⠉⠙, 12 cells, 11 chars.
Decode ⠓⠑⠇⠇⠕?
hello, 5 cells, 5 chars.
Encode Hi!?
Rejected: letters, digits, spaces only.
Questions
hello in braille?
⠓⠑⠇⠇⠕.
How are digits written?
Number sign ⠼ plus a through j.
What is Grade 1?
Uncontracted letter for letter braille.
Why no capitals?
Dot 6 marking sits outside this pass.
Which standard?
UEB Grade 1 alphabet mapping.
Do I need a special font?
Most systems render U+2800 already.