Soroban unit 8: Anzan, the mental soroban
Picture the soroban and move its beads in your mind: flashed numbers, flash sums, faster flashes and listening sums.
What anzan is
Anzan (Japanese for mental calculation) is soroban arithmetic done on a soroban you picture. Experienced users see the beads and move them in their imagination exactly as their fingers would on a real frame, which is how they add long columns of numbers without writing anything down.
The picture has to be built from real practice. This unit flashes numbers for you to read back, gives sums on the beads, then the same sums flashed one number at a time with the soroban covered, then faster flashes, and finally listening sums, where the numbers are spoken and nothing is shown. Listening sums need the sound on; with the sound off, the numbers are shown instead.
How to train
Keep the picture still and clear, and let each number change it once. Many learners move their fingers slightly in the air as they calculate; that is normal and helps. Accuracy comes before speed: when a flash is too fast, slow it down in the flash anzan test and build up again.
Where to go next
The Test page has flash anzan with your own digits, count and speed, and a timed mental math test. Wildwood Number Duel on the Games page is a quick game of mental sums.