There is a way (that I learned from a site surveyor in Tunisia, cannot say if used elsewhere in North Africa or in any other country) that is (IMHO) the most practical one.<p>You start with one as a vertical trait (top to bottom) I.<p>For two you go to the right (L).<p>For three you go up (U).<p>For four you go left (and you get a square).<p>For five you go diagonal from top left to bottom right (the final result is a crossed square).<p>It has the advantage that you never need to lift the pen from paper until you get to five and with a little of practice you don't even need to look at the sheet until you actually need to calculate the sum of more than one tally.