L0 · 零
Foundations
orientation, reading numbers, first movements
Lessons
Study first
- Parts of the Soroban
Learn the physical structure of the soroban before solving with it.
Open lesson → - Reading a Single Digit
Read one soroban rod accurately before moving to larger numbers.
Open lesson → - Place Value on Two Rods
Move from single digits to two-digit numbers by respecting rod position.
Open lesson → - Reading Two-Rod Numbers
Learn to read two-rod values as structured place value before arithmetic begins.
Open lesson →
Exercises
Practice next
- Identify the bead groups
The first step in reading a soroban is understanding the value of the two bead groups on a rod.
Open exercise → - Name the beam and active position
Value depends on contact with the beam, not just on bead position somewhere on the rod.
Open exercise → - Read the digit seven
Read the upper bead first, then add the active lower beads.
Open exercise → - Read the digit zero
On the soroban, an inactive rod shows zero when neither the upper nor lower beads touch the beam.
Open exercise → - Read the number twenty-four
Two active lower beads on the tens rod mean 20, and four active lower beads on the ones rod mean 4.
Open exercise → - Set the number thirty-one
Place value matters more than the total number of moved beads.
Open exercise → - Read forty-two
This strengthens two-rod reading before arithmetic starts adding pressure.
Open exercise → - Set fifty
This helps learners see that zeros still matter because they preserve place value.
Open exercise → - Bead reading race
This is a race-style exercise: the goal is not panic, but faster clean reading of a two-rod number.
Open exercise →