Sangaku
/sɑːnˈɡɑːkuː/noun
A traditional Japanese mathematical problem, often presented on a wooden tablet and hung in a Buddhist temple or Shinto shrine.
Did you know?Many sangaku tablets were dedicated to temples and shrines, making advanced mathematics part of Japan’s religious and artistic landscape.
Etymological Timeline
Ancient China
Old Chinese
算
“To calculate, count, or reckon; the character later supplied the Sino-Japanese reading san.”
Ancient China
Middle Chinese
額
“A forehead, tablet, or inscribed plaque; this became the source of the Japanese reading gaku in the compound.”
8th–9th Century
Japanese
算額
“A calculation plaque or mathematical tablet; the Sino-Japanese compound was read sangaku.”
17th–19th Century
Japanese
算額
“Wooden tablets displaying mathematical problems and solutions, commonly dedicated at temples and shrines.”
20th Century
English
sangaku
“A Japanese tradition of geometry problems written on votive tablets.”