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Anatomi RupiahID· Language

Diraba — felt

Kode tuna netra — the blind code

Rupiah notes carry marks designed to be read without sight. Almost no sighted person in Indonesia knows they are there.

Pairs of raised lines at the left and right edges, letting a denomination be identified by touch.

The code is relief, not image. It sits in the same place on every denomination, so a finger knows where to go before it knows the answer.

  1. The position is fixed: the left and right edges, near the outer side of the sheet.
  2. The number of pairs increases as the denomination falls, so counting with a finger is itself the answer.
  3. The lines are raised rather than merely printed. That places the feature on the diraba channel — and it is why a screen cannot convey it.

Download diagram (SVG)

What to observe

  • Run a fingertip along the left or right edge of the note. The lines are short, slanted, and feel rough.
  • The number of pairs marks the denomination: Rp100,000 has one pair, Rp50,000 two, Rp20,000 three, and one pair more with each step down to Rp1,000 with seven.
  • The notes also differ in length by 5 mm per denomination, so the size of the sheet helps distinguish them too.

Sweep the light

A screen cannot convey touch, but it can show the other consequence of raised printing: ink standing above the surface catches light from a low angle and shadows the far side. Move the light around.

20°

The surface here is a run of plain ridges, not the engraving on any note. It shows how relief catches light — it is not a substitute for feeling it. For that, still take out a note.

Number of line pairs

Raised line pairs per denomination
DenominationEmissionLine pairsLength
Rp100.000TE 20221151 mm
Rp100.000TE 20161151 mm
Rp50.000TE 20222146 mm
Rp50.000TE 20162149 mm
Rp20.000TE 20223141 mm
Rp20.000TE 20163147 mm
Rp10.000TE 20224136 mm
Rp5.000TE 20225131 mm
Rp2.000TE 20226126 mm
Rp1.000TE 20227121 mm

See also the 3D steps.

Sources