In high school my teacher preferred that to distinguish it from the multiplication symbol. These days I write it as a times with a hook at the top-left to disti

In high school my teacher preferred that to distinguish it from the multiplication symbol. These days I write it as a times with a hook at the top-left to distinguish (a la most cursive styles, but disjointed), with the added bonus that I write uvwxyz all with the same top-left hook that helps visually group them together, matching their typical role in mathematical writing.