Abacus is called “soroban” in Japanese and “swanpan” or “suanpan” in China and was imported to Japan from China, via Korea about 1600. Long ago before the Abacus was introduced in Japan the word “sanban” (“san-“ and “-ban” literally mean “calculation” and “board” respectively) already existed. So a new term for Abacus, “soroban,” was created to distinguish it from “sanban.” The Chinese character for “san” can be used in different ways – “sor” or “soun” – so “soro ban” was derived from “san ban.” Surprisingly, 58 different phonetic equivalents for “soroban” have been found.
Explore the wonderful history of and fascinating information about the Japanese Abacus in the pages we’ve provided:
Soroban Abacus Construction
How to Use a Soroban Abacus
Soroban Abacus History
Abacus v. Calculator
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