Why is 正 used for tallying instead of 五?


I feel like it would make more sense to use 五 since it literally means 5.

I know that 正 has 5 strokes and 五 has 4, but you could still tally like so:
[![enter image description
here](https://i.stack.imgur.com/Vo5sY.jpg)](https://i.stack.imgur.com/Vo5sY.jpg)

I also know this question isn't just limited to Japanese, but since I'm
learning that and not the other languages that tally this way, I thought I'd
ask here.

Thank you!




You have effectively answered your own question---五 only has 4 strokes. What
you have drawn as stroke 3 and 4, only exists as one stroke in Chinese
calligraphy, and this applies to Japanese and Korean as well. It is the same
stroke as the second stroke of 口, for example, or the right-hand side of both
the left and right elements of 門. The horizontal line abuts the vertical line
on its right end, hence they are drawn with one brush stroke.

The general rule is left-to-right, top-to-bottom.




You have effectively answered your own question---五 only has 4 strokes. What
you have drawn as stroke 3 and 4, only exists as one stroke in Chinese
calligraphy, and this applies to Japanese and Korean as well. It is the same
stroke as the second stroke of 口, for example, or the right-hand side of both
the left and right elements of 門. The horizontal line abuts the vertical line
on its right end, hence they are drawn with one brush stroke.

The general rule is left-to-right, top-to-bottom.

