Soroban
/soʊˈroʊbɑːn/noun
A Japanese abacus consisting of a frame with columns of movable beads used for calculation.
Did you know?The soroban descends from the Chinese suanpan, whose bead positions encode place value; expert users can perform calculations mentally by visualizing the beads moving.
Etymological Timeline
Ancient China
Chinese
算
“To calculate, count, or reckon; the character became associated with computation.”
Ancient China
Chinese
算盤
“A calculation board or counting board; later pronounced suànpán.”
13th–16th Century
Chinese
算盤 (suànpán)
“The Chinese abacus, literally a board for calculation.”
16th Century
Japanese
そろばん / 算盤 (soroban)
“An abacus, adopted in Japan from the Chinese counting-board tradition.”
Modern English
English
soroban
“The Japanese abacus, especially the streamlined form traditionally used for rapid calculation.”