What Does Roshambo Mean & Why Do People Say It?

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Plus, learn how to play the game and its many variations

Co-authored by Aimee Payne, MFA

Last Updated: May 7, 2025 Fact Checked

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• Roshambo Meaning
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• Origin & History
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• How to Play
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• Strategy
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• Variations
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• Video

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Have you heard someone say, “I’ll Roshambo you for it,” and are wondering what they mean? If so, you’ve come to the right place. Roshambo is another name for the game Rock-Paper-Scissors, but there’s a lot of confusion around why people use another name. This article covers the meaning of Roshambo, possible explanations for the origins, and history of the game. Plus, we’ll tell you how to play and give you some strategies for winning.

What does Roshambo mean?

Roshambo is another name for the game Rock-Paper-Scissors. It’s a term that’s most commonly used on the West Coast of the U.S. Some believe it refers to Jean-Baptiste Donatien de Vimeur, comte de Rochambeau (pronounced “roshambo”), a figure from the American Revolutionary War.

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Section 1 of 5:

Roshambo Meaning

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1. 
   Roshambo is another name for the game Rock-Paper-Scissors. Roshambo or Rock-Paper-Scissors is commonly used as an alternative to flipping a coin to determine who goes first in another game or to resolve minor disputes. It’s also a good, easy game to play when you’re bored and need to kill a little time.

   • The name “Roshambo” is most commonly used on the West Coast of the U.S.
   • Some people say that Roshambo is the name of a contest where people take turns kicking each other in the genitals. The last person standing gets the prize.
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Section 2 of 5:

Roshambo Origin & History

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   The “Roshambo” game most likely comes from Asian cultures. Shoudhling, meaning “hand command,” was originally mentioned by the Chinese writer Xie Zhaoshi from the Ming Dynasty as a game played during the Han Dynasty. In the 17th century, a Chinese drinking game called Mushi-Ken, meaning “Frog, Slug, Snake” became popular in Japan.

   • Some people believe that Roshambo is the name of a Japanese game with “ro,” “sham,” and “bo,” being the words for each hand symbol.
   • However, the Japanese name for the game is Janken or Jan-ken-pon. This game features a rock, paper, and scissors, and was created in the late 19th century in Japan.
   • By the early 20th century, the game started to become popular outside of Asia.
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   Others believe it refers to a French general from the late 18th century. Jean-Baptiste Donatien de Vimeur, comte de Rochambeau was a French military officer who commanded the French forces at the Siege of Yorktown in the American Revolutionary War. The story goes that Rochambeau played the game during the war.

   • However, there’s no evidence the term was used in the U.S. as early as the Revolutionary War.
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   The earliest known use of the term Roshambo for the game was in 1936. The first known use of Roshambo for Rock-Paper-Scissors was in a book published in Oakland in 1936 called The Handbook for Recreation Leaders. In the book, the name is spelled “ro-sham-beau.”

   • Some believe the game turned up in California because East Asian immigrants to San Francisco invented it in the 1930s.
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Section 3 of 5:

How to Play Roshambo

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   Say “Roshambo” and make a rock, paper, or scissors with your hand. Hold both hands in front of you at about your stomach height. Start with one hand in the shape of a fist. As you say “Roshambo,” tap your fist on your opposite palm with each syllable. When you reach “bo,” form your hand into a rock, a piece of paper, or scissors.

   • Make a closed fist to throw a rock.
   • Hold your hand flat with your fingers together to throw paper.
   • Make a sideways peace sign with your index and middle fingers to throw scissors.
   • Some players say, “Ro-sham-bo shoot!” and throw their item on “shoot” instead of “bo.”
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   Rock beats scissors, scissors beats paper, and paper beats rock. After the players have thrown their item, check to see who has won. Each of the 3 items loses against an item, wins against another item, and ties with itself. If 2 people pick the same item, it’s a tie and they should start again. The player who picks the strongest item wins!

   • Paper “covers” rock but is “cut” by scissors.
   • Rock “crushes” scissors but is “covered” by paper.
   • Scissors “cut” paper but are “crushed” by rock.
   • For more than 2 players, continue playing until there’s only 1 player left.
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   Play a “best of 3” or “best of 5” to make it a competition. A round of Roshambo or Rock-Paper-Scissors is extremely quick and easy to play. One way to extend the game and make it more fun is to play 3 or 5 rounds. Whoever wins the most rounds wins the game!
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Section 4 of 5:

Roshambo Strategy

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1. 1
   Keep your hand in a fist until the last second. A smart player keeps an eye on what you’re doing with your hand right before you choose your item and make the hand sign. For example, if you tuck your thumb inside your fist as you tap your palm and then move it to the outside whenever you throw rock, they’ll be able to quickly throw paper to beat you.

   • Keep an eye out for your opponents’ tells or hints at what they want to pick.
   • Some people might make a certain face every time they throw paper or move their wrist in a specific way whenever they throw scissors.
   • These hints can be different for every person, so watch them closely to see if you notice anything.
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   Find the pattern to what your opponents choose. According to some statistics, people usually throw scissors in the first round and rock in the second. Some people like to throw rock more often than paper or scissors. If you notice that, make sure you throw paper more often to increase your chances of winning.

   • However, be ready to change things up if they notice your strategy or you may end up losing.
   • Choose your item at random until you notice a pattern in your opponents’ choices.
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   Use the item that beats the winning item from the previous round. If you lose the first round, choose an item in the second round that beats the item your opponent just played. If you win the first round, don’t play the same item. Instead, play the item that beats the one you just won with.

   • Researchers found that a player is more likely to choose an item that they won with in the previous round. So, choosing an item that beats the winning one is a good bet.
   • This is called the “win-stay, lose-shift” strategy.
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Section 5 of 5:

Variations of Roshambo

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1. 1
   Roshambo is played with different rules or items in other countries. There are even professional leagues and tournaments in the U.S. Each of the different countries may have different rules or items used to play the game we call Roshambo or Rock-Paper-Scissors.

   • Mushi-Ken: This ancient Chinese was played by making a frog by sticking up a thumb, a slug by extending a little finger, or a snake by extending an index finger.
   • Muk-jji-ppa: 2 players play Roshambo with the winner becoming the attacker and the loser the defender. They continue to play quick rounds of Roshambo. If the attacker wins a round, they continue to attack. If the defender wins a round, they become the attacker, and so on. During each round, the attacker shouts which item they intend to throw to try to trick the defender into choosing the same one so the attacker wins the game.
   • Jak-en-poy: People play this game in the Philippines. It’s played the same way as Roshambo, but the players sing, “Jack-en-poy! Hali-hali-hoy! Sino'ng matalo, siya'ng unggoy!” The player who has won the most rounds by the end of the song wins the game.
   • Suten: This Indonesian version uses elephant (a slightly raised thumb), human (raised index finger), and ant (raised pinky finger). The elephant beats the human, the human beats the ant, and the ant beats the elephant.
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   Some people play variations with more than 4 items. Roshambo and Rock-Paper-Scissors are most commonly played with 3 items, but it can be played with any number of items. However, each time you add an item, the game becomes more complex. Here are a few common variations:

   • Pierre, papier, ciseaux, puits: This is a French game that translates as “stone, paper, scissors, well.” Players make the same 3 items as Roshambo and add a well, which is made by creating a circle with their thumb and finger. With 4 items, the game is unbalanced because the well and paper beat 2 items each (well beats stone and scissors & paper beats stone and well). However, the rock and the scissors can only beat one item each (rock beats scissors & scissors beats paper).
   • Rock, paper, scissors, Spock, lizard: In this game, scissors beat paper & lizard, paper beats rock & Spock, rock beats lizard & scissors, and lizard beats Spock & paper, and Spock beats scissors & rock. Make lizard by pressing your fingers together and making a mouth with your hand. Hold your index and middle finger together and your ring finger and pinky finger together with a space between them to make the Vulcan salute for Spock.
   • Rock, paper, scissors, fire, water, grass: This variation adds 3 new items. Fire beats grass, paper, and scissors. Grass beats rock, paper, and scissors. Water beats fire, paper, and scissors.
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