Cookies off the plate
There are 4 cookies on the plate, then you eat 1. You don't need to recount from zero — you take one away and see 3 are left. That 'take away' is what the − sign means.
Subtraction means taking away
When we subtract, we start with a group and take some away, then count how many are left. The − sign means 'take away' or 'minus'.
🍪🍪🍪🍪 take away 🍪 → 4 − 1 = 3
Simulation · Number-line explorer
3 + (-5) = -2
Start at the first number and step left to subtract — watch where you land.
Addition undoes subtraction
If 5 − 2 = 3, then 3 + 2 = 5. Adding back what you took away brings you home.