Let's break this down. We're going to add 5438 and 6181 together.

Step 1: We'll start by adding the digits 8 & 1 in column 1 and get 9.

Step 2: We'll start by adding the digits 3 & 8 in column 2 and get 11.
We'll write down the last digit 1 and carry the 1 to the next column.

Step 3: We'll start by adding the digits 4 & 1 in column 3 and get 6.

Step 4: We'll start by adding the digits 5 & 6 in column 4 and get 11.
We'll write down the last digit 1 and carry the 1 to the next column.

So, 5438 + 6181 = 11619.

