You will learn about the basics of abacus.

This is made to be easily understood even for beginners like you.

After reading this article, you will be ready to embark on the journey to become a master in mental calculation and become the next abacus world champion.
 

I'm the author of this article and I'm a qualified abacus teacher, answering questions from around the world online abacus and various questions from online-soroban.com students.

Table of contents

 

 

1. How Do I Start Learning Abacus As Beginners?

Abacus is a useful tool that helps with mental calculation and brain function.

However, it is uncommon in countries like USA, Canada, and in European countries.

To make it more accessible for those that are interested to learn abacus, Online Soroban has managed to create a platform where you can learn this age old skill, all in the comfort of your own home.

Learning abacus not only improves your mental calculation, it also improves your brain function and your hand- eye coordination too.

 

1-1.What Is Abacus All About?

The abacus is a mathematical device.

Just like calculators, the abacus is used to help users calculate numbers and equations.
You might be thinking, ‘it’s not digital, how can it possibly calculate numbers for me?’

It may not be electronic, but it is a calculating frame that facilitates calculation in your brains.
In simpler terms, an abacus helps you visualize numbers while you are doing the mental calculation yourself.

 

1-2. Where Do I Find Abacus Learning Classes For Beginners?

Abacus helps with an individual’s brain development and cognitive thinking.

But because of its rarity in many different countries, we have brought the abacus to you!

Now, you can learn abacus for beginners online even if you’re living in Antarctica!

You can learn abacus online with just your mobile phone or laptop.

Our app can be found on Google PlayStore and on our website at online-Soroban.com

 

1-3. What Is The Next Step?

When you have successfully downloaded our app, you can try out our free trial before deciding if you want to join our abacus family.

There are countless games you can play and unlimited classes to attend once you have joined us.

Because it is online, you will be able to learn from the best teachers around.

The classes are created so that you can attend these classes in different time zones.

If you flew to the other side of the world and are experiencing time differences, you will still be able to access the abacus class if you have access to the internet.

You won’t have to worry about not being able to attend these classes as our online Teachers are available twenty-four hours to answer to any of your questions.

Should you miss any class, you will still be able to click back and attend the abacus class over and over again.

 

1-4.The Secret To Becoming The Next Mental Calculation World Champion

We have talked about how learning the abacus helps with mental calculation and overall brain function.

Do you know what group of people would have the same traits as you do?

The world champions of abacus.

They too, have learnt the same abacus as you were about to.

This program, called the ISHIDO-SHIKI, is an education system that has been around for a period of time.

It is a curriculum that teaches students the skills needed for mental calculation.

Besides hard skills like technical skills, students will also learn emotional intelligence like manners and creativity.

We believe that with skills like ISHIDO-SHIKI, we will be able to produce more abacus world champions.

All you need to do is take the first steps into abacus with Online Soroban.
 

 

 

2. Learning Abacus 101: Mental Calculation for The Brain

After knowing that the abacus is a calculating tool that helps our brain work like calculators, we can now proceed with some of the basics of the abacus.
As part of the ISHIDO-SHIKI, there are many ways to learn and understand the abacus.

Let us run through the basics of the abacus starting with the counting, the meaning of each row, and the meaning of each column.

 

2-1.Counting On The Abacus Row

The abacus comes in beads of rows and columns.

Each bead represent a number.

In the upper bar, the beads above the bar signifies five.

The four beads below signifies numbers one to four.

The first bead in the lower bar represent one, two, three, and four respectively.
To identify the number three, you have to move three beads up in the lower bar.

For number eight, you will have to move the upper bead down (which signifies five), and three bead up to signify three.

Three plus five equals to eight.

When you do this, you will be able to help your brain visualise the necessary steps needed to derive a number.

Your brain can make use of the visuals and the numbers seen to help you calculate even bigger numbers.

For abacus users who are used to the numbers, they will omit the abacus as they are able to move the beads on the abacus frame that they have memorised and used for so many times.

 

2-2.Values on The Abacus Column

On the abacus column, the numbers are counted as five, tens, hundreds, thousands, ten thousands, hundred thousands, millions, billions, and so on so forth.

In simpler terms, numbers on each columns are known to be fifties.

To get the number fifty, move the single bead on the upper column down.

Previously we moved the single number five.

By using that analogy, the upper single bead means fifty.

To get the number seventy-seven: on the single digit column, move the upper singular bead down and the first two lower deck beads up.

That is the number seven.

On the tens column, move the upper singular bead down, and move two beads up, representing seventy.

 

Overall  
The abacus is a basic tool that was invented before the calculator.

As the demand for calculators increase, there are lesser people using the abacus to understand the fundamentals of mathematics.
To make it easily access for people around the world to learn abacus, we brought abacus to your doorstep by making it possible to learn abacus for beginners online.

Take the leap of faith to see for yourself how quick and enjoyable learning mental calculation is. Before you know it, you’ll be even faster than the calculator!