The 9 times table on your fingers

Fold one finger and read the answer off both hands.

The question

What is 7 × 9?

The trick

Hold up both hands. Fold down the finger at the position you are multiplying by. Fingers to the left are the tens, fingers to the right are the ones.

Worked example

1Hold up ten fingers and number them 1 to 10 from the left
2For 7 × 9, fold down the 7th finger
3Count fingers to its left: 6 — that is the tens
4Count fingers to its right: 3 — that is the ones
5Read it off: 63

So: 63

Remember it like this

Fold the finger you're multiplying by. Left hand side is tens, right hand side is ones — the folded finger is the wall between them.

In the exam

You can't use hands in a written exam, but the pattern still works on paper: the tens digit is one less than the multiplier, and both digits add to 9. For 8 × 9, tens = 7, so ones = 2 → 72.

Why it works

Every answer in the 9 times table has digits that add up to 9, and the tens digit is always one less than the number you multiplied. Your folded finger splits the ten fingers into exactly those two groups.

Explain this to my childGet the words to teach it, in your language

Try it yourself

0/4 correct

1
4 × 9
4 × 9
2
8 × 9
8 × 9
3
6 × 9
6 × 9
4
9 × 9
9 × 9