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The 9 Times Table Finger Trick

⏱ 0:34📘 Grade 2 · The 9 times table

Hold up ten fingers and fold down the 3rd: 2 fingers on the left, 7 on the right, so 9 × 3 = 27. Works all the way from 9 × 1 to 9 × 9.

The videos are narrated in Mandarin Chinese with on-screen subtitles.

📚 What you will learn

  • Hold up both hands and number the fingers 1 to 10 from left to right.
  • To work out 9 × n, fold down finger number n.
  • Fingers on the left of the folded one give the tens; fingers on the right give the ones.
  • 9 × 3: 2 on the left, 7 on the right → 27. 9 × 7: 6 on the left, 3 on the right → 63.
  • Pattern: from 9 × 1 to 9 × 9 the tens go up by 1 and the ones go down by 1, and the two digits always add up to 9.

🎙️ What the video says (in Chinese)

  1. 9 的乘法口诀,总是记不住?教你一个手指魔法!
  2. 伸出两只手,10 根手指,从左往右数:1、2、3……10。
  3. 算 9 × 3,就把第 3 根手指弯下去。
  4. 左边有 2 根,是十位;右边有 7 根,是个位。所以,9 × 3 = 27!
  5. 再试试 9 × 7:弯下第 7 根,左边 6 根,右边 3 根,就是 63!
  6. 9 × 1 到 9 × 9,十位一个一个变多,个位一个一个变少,太神奇啦!

✏️ Try it yourself

  1. Use your fingers: what is 9 × 4?

    Show answer

    Fold the 4th finger: 3 on the left, 6 on the right → 36

  2. 9 × 8 = ? Check that the two digits add up to 9.

    Show answer

    72, and 7 + 2 = 9

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