The abacus, also called a counting frame, is a calculating tool used primarily in parts of Asia for performing arithmetic processes.

In Japanese, the abacus is called soroban, imported from China around 1600.[19] The 1/4 abacus appeared circa 1930, and it is preferred and still manufactured in Japan today even with the proliferation, practicality, and affordability of pocket electronic calculators. The use of the soroban is still taught in Japanese primary schools as a part of mathematics.

The abacus is an excellent substitute for rote memorization of multiplication tables. Abacus calculation relies on the manipulation of beads rather than use of traditional arithmetic.