“そろばん” in English is “abacus.”
The most common abacus in Japan is the one in the picture below. Many Japanese children will learn to use an abacus during elementary school. Learning to use an abacus can help you do math quickly without using a calculator. People who are really good at using an abacus can even use an imaginary one in their head.
On the other hand, many children in America use an abacus that looks like the one below. Elementary school children use it to help them do simple math. It can also be used to count multiple things at the same time.
