Live, not recorded
Real-time classes over video with a certified instructor watching and correcting your child's finger technique.
For UK families
Soroban classes in the UK, taught live online
The Japanese abacus, taught properly: live classes for children aged 6 to 12, a certified instructor, groups capped at 10, and a structured path from the first bead to fully mental arithmetic.
10 students max
Small groups so every child gets called on, checked, and encouraged in every single class.
The authentic method
The same Japanese soroban fundamentals taught in classrooms in Japan for generations, structured into 10 clear levels.
What makes the soroban different
The soroban is the Japanese abacus: four earth beads and one heaven bead per rod, a design refined over centuries for speed and clarity. It is the instrument behind anzan, the skill of calculating on a visualised abacus entirely in the head, and it is still taught in Japanese classrooms today. If you want the background first, our complete guide to the abacus and soroban covers it, and you can try one right now on our free virtual soroban.
Why live classes, not a self-study kit
Much of what ranks for soroban in the UK is self-study material: recorded courses, workbooks, or hobbyist clubs. Those can suit a motivated adult. For a child of 6 to 12, the difference between progressing and quietly giving up is almost always a teacher: someone watching the finger technique, catching a bad habit in week two rather than month six, and keeping the pace playful when a level gets hard. Our classes are live and interactive, and your child is one of at most ten students, never a face in a webinar crowd.
How the programme works
The programme is structured into 10 levels. Each level takes roughly 3 to 3.5 months, with two live one-hour classes per week. Early levels build correct bead technique and number sense; middle levels bring speed and the first mental calculation; upper levels develop full anzan, where the soroban exists only in your child's imagination and the answers still come out fast and right. Parents typically notice steadier focus and quicker mental maths within the first level. The mental arithmetic your child builds here is the same skill the KS2 SATs arithmetic paper and 11+ entrance papers reward.
Free lessons to start today
You do not need to wait for the demo to let your child try. Our free step-by-step soroban lessons teach reading numbers, addition, and subtraction with animations, and the virtual soroban runs in the browser with practice and quiz modes. If your child enjoys those, a live class will feel like a natural next step.
Built for UK family life
UK hours
GMT and BST slots after school and at weekends, matched to your child's weekly availability on the demo call.
GBP billing
Fees quoted and billed in pounds sterling on a clear monthly schedule. No conversion charges.
Toolkit posted to you
A real soroban and workbooks, shipped to your UK address as a one-off purchase.
Soroban questions, answered
What is the difference between a soroban and an abacus?
The soroban is the Japanese abacus: one bead worth 5 above the bar and four beads worth 1 below it on each rod. That streamlined design is what makes it fast, and it is the version used in Japanese classrooms and in competitive mental arithmetic. When people say abacus classes they usually mean one of several bead instruments; our classes teach the soroban specifically.
Are these live classes or a self-study course?
Live classes. Your child joins a small online group of up to 10 students over video, taught in real time by our certified instructor. Many soroban options in the UK are self-study courses or recorded videos; those can work for motivated adults, but children aged 6 to 12 progress far more reliably with a teacher watching their finger technique and correcting it in the moment.
What times do UK soroban classes run?
Classes run in GMT in winter and BST in summer, with after-school weekday and weekend slots. On the free demo call we go through your child's weekly availability, school hours, and activities, and match them to the batch that fits best. Once enrolled, the slot stays consistent week to week.
How are fees billed for UK families?
Tuition is quoted and billed in pounds sterling on a clear monthly schedule, so there are no currency conversion charges. The soroban toolkit (the instrument and workbooks) is a separate one-off purchase posted to your UK address. We share the exact fee on the free demo call.
How long until my child calculates mentally, without the beads?
The transition to anzan, calculating on a visualised soroban in the head, typically begins after about a year of regular practice. Our programme is structured into 10 levels of roughly 3 to 3.5 months each, with two one-hour classes per week, moving from physical beads to fully mental arithmetic.
What age can my child start soroban classes?
Ages 6 to 12. Most UK families start their child between Year 1 and Year 5. A later starter is not behind; they simply move through the early levels at a quicker pace.
Let your child try a real soroban class, free
A live 30 minute demo with our certified instructor. Your child tries the soroban, you get every question answered, and fees are quoted in GBP. No card details needed.
Book the free demo