5 Simple Tricks to Learn Your 9 Times Table

Published: July 25, 2025 | Category: Learning Strategies | Author: ChartTableTricks Team

The 9 times table often seems daunting at first, but it's actually one of the easiest to master once you know a few clever tricks. Forget endless rote memorization and get ready to impress yourself with these simple methods!

Trick 1: The Finger Trick

This is a classic for a reason – it's incredibly effective and requires nothing but your hands!

Hold both hands out in front of you, palms facing you. Imagine your fingers are numbered 1 through 10 from left to right.
To multiply 9 by any number, simply fold down the finger corresponding to that number.
Count the fingers to the left of the folded finger – these are your tens.
Count the fingers to the right of the folded finger – these are your ones.

Example: To find $9 \times 3$:

Fold down your third finger from the left.
You have 2 fingers to the left (tens place).
You have 7 fingers to the right (ones place).
Result: $27$. It works every time!

Trick 2: The "Sum to 9" Rule

This trick is about the digits in the product of any number multiplied by 9.

For any product of 9 (from $9 \times 1$ to $9 \times 10$), if you add the digits of the answer together, the sum will always be 9!

$9 \times 1 = 09 \rightarrow 0 + 9 = 9$
$9 \times 2 = 18 \rightarrow 1 + 8 = 9$
$9 \times 3 = 27 \rightarrow 2 + 7 = 9$
$9 \times 4 = 36 \rightarrow 3 + 6 = 9$
...and so on, all the way to...
$9 \times 10 = 90 \rightarrow 9 + 0 = 9$

This trick helps you double-check your answers and builds confidence.

Trick 3: The "Decrementing Tens, Incrementing Ones" Pattern

Observe the pattern in the answers when you list the 9 times table:

$9 \times 1 = \underline{0} \underline{9}$
$9 \times 2 = \underline{1} \underline{8}$
$9 \times 3 = \underline{2} \underline{7}$
$9 \times 4 = \underline{3} \underline{6}$
$9 \times 5 = \underline{4} \underline{5}$
$9 \times 6 = \underline{5} \underline{4}$
$9 \times 7 = \underline{6} \underline{3}$
$9 \times 8 = \underline{7} \underline{2}$
$9 \times 9 = \underline{8} \underline{1}$
$9 \times 10 = \underline{9} \underline{0}$

Notice how the tens digit increases by one each time (0, 1, 2, 3...) and the ones digit decreases by one each time (9, 8, 7, 6...). This consistent pattern makes the sequence easy to remember once you get started.

Trick 4: One Less Than the Multiplier for the Tens Digit

This is a quick way to find the tens digit of the answer.

For any number you multiply by 9 (let's call it $N$), the tens digit of the answer will always be $N-1$.

For $9 \times 7$: $N=7$. So, the tens digit is $7-1 = 6$.
For $9 \times 4$: $N=4$. So, the tens digit is $4-1 = 3$.

Once you have the tens digit, you can use the "Sum to 9" rule (Trick 2) to find the ones digit (e.g., if the tens digit is 6, the ones digit must be 3 to sum to 9, so $9 \times 7 = 63$).

Trick 5: Use a Known Fact and Subtract 9

If you know a multiplication fact close to the one you need, you can use subtraction.

If you know $9 \times 5 = 45$, and you need $9 \times 4$: $9 \times 4 = (9 \times 5) - 9 = 45 - 9 = 36$.
If you know $9 \times 10 = 90$, and you need $9 \times 9$: $9 \times 9 = (9 \times 10) - 9 = 90 - 9 = 81$.

This method reinforces understanding of the relationship between multiplication facts.

Practice Makes Perfect!

These tricks are fantastic tools, but consistent practice is key to mastery. Use our Interactive Charts to test these tricks, or download our Printable Worksheets for more practice.

Happy multiplying!