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An Anna (Hindustani आना ānā) was a currency unit formerly used in India, equal to 1/16 rupee. It was subdivided into 4 Paise or 12 Pies (thus there were 64 paise in a rupee and 192 pies). The term belonged to the Muslim monetary system. The Anna is not commonly used since India decimalised its currency in 1957.
Sometimes, 50 Paise is colloquially referred to as 8 Annas (Atthanni in Hindi, and Ettu Anna, pronounced "Ettna" in Tamil and Entu AaNe pronounced as "EntaNe" in Kannada) and 25 Paise as 4 Annas (Chawanni in Hindi, and Naal Anna, pronounced "Naalna" in Tamil, and Naalku Aane pronounced as "Naalkane" in Kannada).
There was a coin of one anna, and also half-annas of copper and two-anna pieces of silver. The term anna is frequently used to express a fraction of 1/16. Thus an Anglo-Indian speaks of two annas of dark blood (an octoroon), a four-anna (quarter) crop, an eight-anna (half) gallop.
See also
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