Tally mark

Tally marks are a sort of variation on writing numbers in the unary numeral system. They are a form of numeral used for counting.

In the United States, tally marks are written as groups of five lines. The first four lines are vertical, and the fifth line runs diagonally across the first four.

Japanese tally marks use the five strokes of 正.

Notched sticks, known as "tally sticks" also were used for this purpose. The burning of discarded tally sticks resulted in the Burning of Parliament.

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