Learn
Pick your numbers and watch each method run on them, step by step.
First number
×Second number
=Answer322
Crossing lines
Draw lines for each digit, cross them, and count the crossings.
Commonly called the Japanese method — that is a nickname, not a claim about Japan.
Draw one line per unit: groups going one way for 14, the other way for 23.
1/12
- Good at
- You can see the whole multiplication without knowing a single times table.
- Falls apart
- Digits of 7, 8 or 9 turn it into a thicket you cannot count reliably.
- Why it works
- Each band of crossings is the digit products for one place value, counted instead of multiplied.
Math Mania — how the world multiplies
Every method below runs on 14 × 23 and lands on 322. Tap one to watch it drawn.
East Asia — lines and rods
India — vertically and crosswise
Europe — columns, grids and rods
Russia and Egypt — doubling
On your hands
All 10 methods are checked against thousands of number pairs, including carries and zeros inside numbers.