Braille

Braille writes each letter as a pattern of raised dots in a cell two across and three down. The dots are numbered down the left column and then down the right:

1 4
2 5
3 6

So a is dot 1 alone, b is dots 1 and 2, and c is dots 1 and 4. The first ten letters use only the top two rows; k through t repeat them with dot 3 added; u through z repeat k through o with dot 6 added. w is the odd one out, because French had no w when Louis Braille drew this up in 1824.

Three cells change how the cells after them are read. A capital sign marks the next letter as a capital. A number sign starts a run of digits, which reuse the cells for a through j, so 1 and a are the same cell and only the number sign tells them apart. A letter sign ends a run of digits early, which is why 1a needs one and 1 a does not.

This is Grade 1 braille, letter for letter. Grade 2, which contracts common words and letter groups, is a much larger system and is not attempted here.

Note that braille writes both brackets with the same cell and leaves the rest to context, so ( and ) cannot both survive a round trip.

Examples: