# roshambo etymology? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [May 24, 2000, 12:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/roshambo-etymology/20342 "2000-05-24T00:11:11Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 15\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![swabe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f19dbf/32.png) [@swabe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/swabe)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2000, 12:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/roshambo-etymology/20342/1 "2000-05-24T00:11:11Z")
two of my co-workers and i were vying for the last M&M during a meeting and decided to settle it by paper, rock, scissors when a fourth co-worker called it “roshambo”. i never heard it called that until i came to california. what’s the origin of roshambo? the same guy also said his dad called it “jun kin pun”. is this game related? i searched the web only to find game clubs, bad bands and references to the french general who helped force cornwallis’ surrender, but no explanation of “roshambo”. ---
**Author:** ![tomndebb](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/b9e5f3/32.png) [@tomndebb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tomndebb)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2000, 12:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/roshambo-etymology/20342/2 "2000-05-24T00:26:14Z")
[Roshambo FAQ](http://www.emf.net/~estephen/roshambo/faq.html#whatis) (Do you really have a search engine that will bring back Rochambeau for roshambo?) ---
**Author:** ![tomndebb](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/b9e5f3/32.png) [@tomndebb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tomndebb)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2000, 12:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/roshambo-etymology/20342/3 "2000-05-24T00:38:17Z")
Oh, here’s the Home page from which the previous FAQ depends: [Roshambo](http://www.emf.net/~estephen/roshambo/) Since most of the linked sites are humorous, I’d guess that either the Japanese have a similar game from which some Yanks borrowed the name to be cool, or someone created the name, simply to be cool. They are clearly refering to paper/scissors/rock on the site. Britannica does not have an entry for it (although a search in Britannical brings up a Gay bookstore–doubly frustrating as a search using the store’s engine does not recognize the word, so I have no idea why EB pointed to that site). ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2000, 1:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/roshambo-etymology/20342/4 "2000-05-24T01:23:15Z")
Hmmm… I seem to remember a very different version from “rock/scissors/paper” on _South Park_. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![tomndebb](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/b9e5f3/32.png) [@tomndebb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tomndebb)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2000, 1:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/roshambo-etymology/20342/5 "2000-05-24T01:26:43Z")
[The History of Roshambo](http://www.arts.arizona.edu/mar406/studentWork/Chessen/history.html) It hangs off this site: [Roshambo](http://www.arts.arizona.edu/mar406/studentWork/Chessen/) This site attributes the name (in a rather slapdash manner) to a corruption of French: [Roche Ambo ?](http://www.unrealities.com/robj/anistud.htm) ---
**Author:** ![capybara](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/capybara/32/202_2.png) [@capybara](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/capybara)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2000, 3:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/roshambo-etymology/20342/6 "2000-05-24T03:32:46Z")
When I grew up in Hawaii we called it Jun Ken Po (japanese, apparently, for rock scissors paper). But it was played a touch differently, which would always get the haole kids in trouble. ---
**Author:** ![LokiChi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e274bd/32.png) [@LokiChi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LokiChi)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2011, 10:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/roshambo-etymology/20342/7 "2011-01-21T22:49:26Z")
[QUOTE=;474270] Oh, here’s the Home page from which the previous FAQ depends: [Roshambo](http://www.emf.net/~estephen/roshambo/) Since most of the linked sites are humorous, I’d guess that either the Japanese have a similar game from which some Yanks borrowed the name to be cool, or someone created the name, simply to be cool. They are clearly refering to paper/scissors/rock on the site. Britannica does not have an entry for it (although a search in Britannical brings up a Gay bookstore–doubly frustrating as a search using the store’s engine does not recognize the word, so I have no idea why EB pointed to that site). [/QUOTE] As a note, the name is definitely not a ‘Yankee’ thing. I’m from Maine and never ever heard it called anything but Rock, Paper, Scissors until I came to California, just as the original poster stated. ---
**Author:** ![Chessic\_Sense](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/7c8e57/32.png) [@Chessic\_Sense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chessic_Sense)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2011, 11:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/roshambo-etymology/20342/8 "2011-01-21T23:11:36Z")
> [@tomndebb](#): > > paper/scissors/rock > [@Johnny\_L.A](#): > > rock/scissors/paper Folks, look. It’s “Rock/paper/scissors”. That’s the only correct order because that’s what I grew up with. Every other order makes you seem…lesser. ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2011, 11:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/roshambo-etymology/20342/9 "2011-01-21T23:16:34Z")
Rock, paper, BRAAAAAINSS… ---
**Author:** ![standingwave](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9de0a6/32.png) [@standingwave](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/standingwave)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2011, 11:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/roshambo-etymology/20342/10 "2011-01-21T23:41:10Z")
KRAMER & MICKEY: Rock, paper, scissors match. MICKEY: all right, rock beats paper. (Mickey smacks Kramer on the hand for losing) KRAMER: I thought paper covered rock? MICKEY: Nah, rock flies right through paper. KRAMER: What beats rock? MICKEY: (looks at his hand) Nothing beats rock. KRAMER: all right come on. KRAMER & MICKEY: Rock, paper, scissors match. KRAMER: Rock. MICKEY: Rock KRAMER & MICKEY: Rock, paper, scissors match. KRAMER: Rock. MICKEY: Rock. ---
**Author:** ![Kolga](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/e56c9b/32.png) [@Kolga](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kolga)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2011, 11:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/roshambo-etymology/20342/11 "2011-01-21T23:52:31Z")
Rock, paper, scissors, lizard, Spock. We started calling it roshambo in college after a friend from Korea said that’s what they called it. I think at some point the Jun Ken Po name was also introduced. ---
**Author:** ![somepumpkin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/7feea3/32.png) [@somepumpkin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/somepumpkin)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2011, 4:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/roshambo-etymology/20342/12 "2011-01-22T04:04:27Z")
\ I’ll ro-sham-bo you for it ! \ ---
**Author:** ![Rachellelogram](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rachellelogram/32/8689_2.png) [@Rachellelogram](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rachellelogram)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2011, 4:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/roshambo-etymology/20342/13 "2011-01-22T04:09:35Z")
I always thought it was spelled rochambeau, and was of French descent. This has no basis in anything other than automatic baseless preconceptions, though! ---
**Author:** ![Suburban\_Plankton](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/suburban_plankton/32/219_2.png) [@Suburban\_Plankton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Suburban_Plankton)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2011, 5:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/roshambo-etymology/20342/14 "2011-01-22T05:51:17Z")
> [@Chessic\_Sense](#): > > Folks, look. It’s “Rock/paper/scissors”. That’s the only correct order because that’s what I grew up with. Every other order makes you seem…lesser. You speak the truth. ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2011, 1:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/roshambo-etymology/20342/15 "2011-01-22T13:02:18Z")
> [@capybara](#): > > When I grew up in Hawaii we called it Jun Ken Po (japanese, apparently, for rock scissors paper). But it was played a touch differently, which would always get the haole kids in trouble. Capy, if you’re still around, was it played more like strip poker? I’ve encountered that version.