ASCII character set

Octal

000 nul 020 dle 040 sp 060 0 100 @ 120 P 140 ` 160 p 001 soh 021 dc1 041 ! 061 1 101 A 121 Q 141 a 161 q 002 stx 022 dc2 042 " 062 2 102 B 122 R 142 b 162 r 003 etx 023 dc3 043 # 063 3 103 C 123 S 143 c 163 s 004 eot 024 dc4 044 $ 064 4 104 D 124 T 144 d 164 t 005 enq 025 nak 045 % 065 5 105 E 125 U 145 e 165 u 006 ack 026 syn 046 & 066 6 106 F 126 V 146 f 166 v 007 bel 027 etb 047 ' 067 7 107 G 127 W 147 g 167 w 010 bs 030 can 050 ( 070 8 110 H 130 X 150 h 170 x 011 ht 031 em 051 ) 071 9 111 I 131 Y 151 i 171 y 012 nl 032 sub 052 * 072 : 112 J 132 Z 152 j 172 z 013 vt 033 esc 053 + 073 ; 113 K 133 [ 153 k 173 { 014 np 034 fs 054 , 074 < 114 L 134 \ 154 l 174 | 015 cr 035 gs 055 - 075 = 115 M 135 ] 155 m 175 } 016 so 036 rs 056 . 076 > 116 N 136 ^ 156 n 176 ~ 017 si 037 us 057 / 077 ? 117 O 137 _ 157 o 177 del

Hexadecimal

00 nul 10 dle 20 sp 30 0 40 @ 50 P 60 ` 70 p 01 soh 11 dc1 21 ! 31 1 41 A 51 Q 61 a 71 q 02 stx 12 dc2 22 " 32 2 42 B 52 R 62 b 72 r 03 etx 13 dc3 23 # 33 3 43 C 53 S 63 c 73 s 04 eot 14 dc4 24 $ 34 4 44 D 54 T 64 d 74 t 05 enq 15 nak 25 % 35 5 45 E 55 U 65 e 75 u 06 ack 16 syn 26 & 36 6 46 F 56 V 66 f 76 v 07 bel 17 etb 27 ' 37 7 47 G 57 W 67 g 77 w 08 bs 18 can 28 ( 38 8 48 H 58 X 68 h 78 x 09 ht 19 em 29 ) 39 9 49 I 59 Y 69 i 79 y 0a nl 1a sub 2a * 3a : 4a J 5a Z 6a j 7a z 0b vt 1b esc 2b + 3b ; 4b K 5b [ 6b k 7b { 0c np 1c fs 2c , 3c < 4c L 5c \ 6c l 7c | 0d cr 1d gs 2d - 3d = 4d M 5d ] 6d m 7d } 0e so 1e rs 2e . 3e > 4e N 5e ^ 6e n 7e ~ 0f si 1f us 2f / 3f ? 4f O 5f _ 6f o 7f del

Decimal

0 nul 16 dle 32 sp 48 0 64 @ 80 P 96 ` 112 p 1 soh 17 dc1 33 ! 49 1 65 A 81 Q 97 a 113 q 2 stx 18 dc2 34 " 50 2 66 B 82 R 98 b 114 r 3 etx 19 dc3 35 # 51 3 67 C 83 S 99 c 115 s 4 eot 20 dc4 36 $ 52 4 68 D 84 T 100 d 116 t 5 enq 21 nak 37 % 53 5 69 E 85 U 101 e 117 u 6 ack 22 syn 38 & 54 6 70 F 86 V 102 f 118 v 7 bel 23 etb 39 ' 55 7 71 G 87 W 103 g 119 w 8 bs 24 can 40 ( 56 8 72 H 88 X 104 h 120 x 9 ht 25 em 41 ) 57 9 73 I 89 Y 105 i 121 y 10 nl 26 sub 42 * 58 : 74 J 90 Z 106 j 122 z 11 vt 27 esc 43 + 59 ; 75 K 91 [ 107 k 123 { 12 np 28 fs 44 , 60 < 76 L 92 \ 108 l 124 | 13 cr 29 gs 45 - 61 = 77 M 93 ] 109 m 125 } 14 so 30 rs 46 . 62 > 78 N 94 ^ 110 n 126 ~ 15 si 31 us 47 / 63 ? 79 O 95 _ 111 o 127 del

Meaning of "ASCII"

ASCII is an acronym for American Standard Code for Information Interchange. But it turns out that "Ascii" is a word with a much older, and interesting history.

In an 1818 edition of Johnson's dictionary:

ASCII n.s. [it has no singular] [from the greek.] "Those people, who (at certain times of the year) have no shadow at noon: such are the inhabitants of the torrid zone; because they have the sun, twice a year, vertical to them.

Johnson credits the source to Dict. Here's what he says in the preface about that:

Many words yet stand supported only by ..........the contracted Dict. for Dictionaries subjoined; of these I am not always certain that they are read in any book but the works of lexicographers. Of such I have omitted many, because I have never read them; and many I have inserted, because they may perhaps exist, though they have escaped my notice: they are, however, to be yet considered as resting only upon the credit of former dictionaries. Others, which I considered as useful, or know to be proper, though could not at present support them by authorities, I have suffered to stand upon my own attestation, claiming the same privilege with my predecessors, of being sometimes credited without proof.

Looking up the word Ascians in the Oxford English Dictionary online (missing out on some of the Greek letters):

Ascians ('æ'I{nz), sb. pl. [f. med.L. Ascii ('æ'IaI), also used in Eng. (a. Gr. aÌ´skioi, f. aÌ priv. + skia´ shadow) + -an.] Inhabitants of the torrid zone, who twice a year have the sun directly overhead at noon, and then cast no shadows.
1635 Carpenter Geog. Delin. i. x. 226 These men haue the Sunne twice euery yeere in their Zenith, and then they make no shaddowes at all, and therefore they are called Ascij, or without shaddowes. 1709 Mandey Syst. Math. (1729) 584 Ascii, are those which have no Meridian Shadow. 1847 Craig, Ascians.

Sources: reference librarian (Johnson's 1818 dictionary), on-line Oxford dictionary.

David Kotz <dfk@cs.dartmouth.edu>

Last modified: Tue Jul 2 01:09:46 1996