Why Is It Called Roshambo?

The Name Everyone Uses but Nobody Can Explain

If you grew up on the West Coast of the United States, you probably called it "Roshambo" (also spelled Rochambeau or Ro-Sham-Bo) years before you ever heard the words "Rock Paper Scissors" strung together in that order. It's a perfectly good name. It has three syllables. It's fun to say. And nobody has any idea where it came from.

Historians have been arguing about this for decades, which is exactly the kind of thing historians would argue about. Here are the three leading theories, ranked by how satisfying they are versus how true they probably are.

Theory 1: The French General (Satisfying but Almost Certainly Wrong)

The most popular theory ties the name to Jean-Baptiste Donatien de Vimeur, comte de Rochambeau, the French general who helped George Washington win the American Revolution. Legend has it that Rochambeau and Washington settled some military disagreement with a hand game.

This is a wonderful story. It's got revolution, friendship, high stakes, and finger gestures. There's just one small problem: it definitely didn't happen. Rock Paper Scissors didn't arrive in the West from Japan until the early 1900s, which is more than a hundred years after Rochambeau died. The man was many things. A time traveler was not one of them.

Theory 2: Japanese Telephone (More Boring, More Likely)

A more linguistically plausible theory suggests "Roshambo" is just what happens when English speakers try to say Japanese words after hearing them exactly once. The Japanese game Jan-ken-pon has several regional chanting variations, some of which include sounds that, if you squint with your ears, could eventually mutate into "Ro-Sham-Bo" after passing through enough American schoolyards.

This is the theory that actual linguists tend to favor, which means it's probably closer to the truth and significantly less fun at parties.

Theory 3: Kids Just Made It Up

The third theory is that the name emerged spontaneously as schoolyard slang. "Ro-Sham-Bo" is three syllables that match the three-beat counting rhythm of the game, same as "One-Two-Three" or "Ready-Set-Go." The Rochambeau connection might have been stapled on after the fact by someone who wanted the name to sound historical.

Honestly? This one might be the most believable. Kids are remarkable at inventing language and terrible at documenting it.

Where Do People Actually Say "Roshambo"?

The name is dominant in:

• Western United States, especially California, Oregon, and Washington
• Parts of the American South
• Competitive RPS circles, where the WRPSA uses both names interchangeably because we're not about to start that argument

Most of the rest of the English-speaking world just calls it Rock Paper Scissors. Japan sticks with Jan-ken. France says Pierre-feuille-ciseaux. Everyone is playing the same game and nobody can agree on what to call it, which is honestly very on-brand for humanity.

The "Shoot" Question (While We're Here)

Another great regional debate: do you throw on "Scissors" or on "Shoot"? Some people say "Rock, Paper, Scissors, Shoot!" and reveal on "Shoot." Others reveal on "Scissors," the third beat. In professional WRPSA tournaments, the standard is the "prime": players pump their fists three times and reveal on the third pump, no "Shoot" required.

Regardless of what you call it or when you throw, the rules are the same everywhere. Learn more about the official competitive rules or explore the full history of Rock Paper Scissors. Just don't ask a room full of people whether it's "Roshambo" or "Rock Paper Scissors" unless you have time for a very long evening.