Glossary
Numbers
Ichi | One |
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Ni | Two |
San | Three |
Shi | Four |
Go | Five |
Roku | Six |
Shichi | Seven |
Hachi | Eight |
Ku | Nine |
Ju | Ten |
A training session´s opening ceremony
Shugo | Line up (phonetically ‘shho-go’) |
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Ki o tsuke | Stand to attention (phonetically ‘kee-ut-skay’) |
Seiza | Kneel (phonetically ‘say-zah’) |
Mokuso | Meditate (phonetically ‘mok-so’) |
Mokuso yame | Finish meditating |
Shomen ni | Face the front of the dojo (phonetically ‘sho-men nee’) |
Rei | Bow (phonetically ‘ray’) |
Sensei ni | Face your teacher |
Rei | Bow and say aloud Onegaishimasu meaning please teach me (phonetically ‘on-ee-guy-shim-ass’) |
Shomen ni | Face the front of the dojo |
Kiritsu | Stand up (phonetically ‘kee-ree-tsoo’) |
A training session´s closing ceremony
Shugo | Line up |
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Ki o tsuke | Stand to attention |
Seiza | Kneel |
Mokuso | Meditate |
Mokuso yame | Finish meditating |
Shomen ni | Face the front of the dojo |
Rei | Bow |
Sensei ni | Face your teacher |
Rei | Bow and say aloud Arigato Gozaimashita meaning thank you (phonetically ‘ary-gato goz-aye-mahsh-tah’) |
Otagai ni | Face your partner |
Rei | Bow and say aloud Arigato Gozaimashita |
Shomen ni | Face the front of the dojo |
Kiritsu | Stand up and bow. |
Leaving the dojo | At the end of a lesson, it is not necessary to wait and leave the dojo in order of rank. But if you do meet at the exit, it is just a matter of courtesy to allow the senior to go first. |
Japanese Grammar | You will sometimes hear people say ‘arigato gozaimashita’ (with a ‘tah’ at the end) or ‘arigato gozaimasu’ (without the ‘tah’). It is just a case of thanking someone in the future or past tense. ‘Arigato gozaimashita’ is used at the end of the lesson to thank the Sensei for the lesson just given. ‘Arigato gozaimasu’ would be used at the start of the lesson to thank the Sensei for the lesson they are about to give. |
Punches (tsuki or zuki)
Jodan tsuki | Punch to the face |
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Chudan tsuki | Punch to the chest |
Gedan tsuki | Punch to the groin |
Age tsuki | Rising punch |
Choku tsuki | Straight punch |
Furi tsuki | Circular punch |
Gyaku tsuki | Reverse punch |
Kizame tsuki | Jab Punch |
Oi tsuki | Lunge punch |
Seiken tsuki | Forefist punch |
Ura tsuki | Close range punch |
Blocks (Uke)
Jodan uke | Upper level block |
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Age uke | Rising block |
Chudan uke | Middle level block |
Gedan harai-uke | Lower level sweep |
Jodan uke | Upper level block |
Hiji uke | Elbow block |
Hiki uke | Pulling/grasping block |
Hiza uke | Knee block |
Ko uke | Wrist block |
Shotei barai | Palm heel sweep |
Shotei uke | Palm heel block |
Soto uke | Forearm block (block from outside moving inward to the centre line of the body) |
Sukui uke | Scooping block |
Tora guchi uke | Tiger mouth block (sometimes called Mawashi Uke meaning ‘round block’) |
Strikes (Uchi)
Uraken uchi | Back fist strike |
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Empi uchi | Elbow strike (hiji) |
Haito uchi | Ridge hand strike |
Hiraken uchi | Fore knuckle fist strike |
Ko uchi | Wrist strike |
Nukite uchi | Spear hand strike |
Shuto uchi | Knife-edge hand strike |
Sokuto uchi | Knife-edge foot strike |
Teisho uchi | Palm heel strike (sometimes called shotei uchi) |
Tetsui uchi | Bottom fist strike |
Kicking (Geri)
Mae geri | Front kick |
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Mawashi geri | Roundhouse kick |
Yoko geri | Side kick |
Ushiro geri | Back kick |
Hiza geri | Knee kick |
Kensetsu geri | Stamping kick, joint kick |
Mae ashi geri | Front leg kick |
Tobi geri | Jumping kick |
Stances (dachi)
Benzoku dachi | One foot crossed over diagonally in front of the other, prior to turning |
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Hachiji dachi | Natural stance |
Han zenkutsu dachi | Half forward stance |
Heiko dachi | Parallel stance |
Heisoku dachi | Formal attention stance, feet together |
Kokutsu dachi | Back stance |
Musubi dachi | Formal attention stance, feet turned out |
Neko ashi dachi | Cat stance |
Reinoji dachi | tick stance |
Sagiashi dachi | Crane leg stance |
Sanchin dachi | Hour glass stance |
Sesan dachi | Side facing straddle stance |
Shiko dachi | Box stance |
Zenkutsu dachi | Forward leg stance |
Sparring
Kumite | sparring |
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Ippon kumite | one step sparring (block and counter) |
San dan gi | Basic three step sparring |
Randori kumite | Slow and soft free style sparring with emphasis on technique |
Yakusoku kumite | Prearranged sparring |
Iri kumite | Hard, fast but controlled continuous free style sparring |
Go kumite | Full contact sparring |
Training Equipment
Chi ishi | Lever weighted stone |
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Ishi sashi | Stone padlocks |
Kongo ken | Iron ring |
Makiwara | Striking board |
Nigiri game | Gripping jars |
Tan | Barbells |
Karate uniform (Gi)
Obi | Belt |
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Uwagi | Top half of Gi |
Zubon | Bottom half of Gi |
Kyu Grade Belt Colours
10th Kyu | White Belt |
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9th Kyu | Yellow Belt |
8th Kyu | Orange Belt |
7th Kyu | Green Belt |
6th Kyu | Blue Belt |
5th Kyu | Purple Belt |
4th Kyu | Purple with White Stripe Belt |
3rd Kyu | Brown Belt |
2nd Kyu | Brown with black tag (or one white stripe) Belt |
1st Kyu | Brown with two tags (or two white stripes) Belt |
Grades
Shodan | 1st Dan |
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Nidan | 2nd Dan |
Sandan | 3rd Dan |
Yondan | 4th Dan |
Godan | 5th Dan |
Rokudan | 6th Dan |
Nanadan | 7th Dan |
Hachidan | 8th Dan |
Parts of the Body (Tai)
Ashinoyubi | Toes (Tsumasaki) |
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Danchin | Sternum |
Ganchu | Below the nipples |
Gansei | Eyeballs |
Hiza | Knee |
Jinchu | Region below the nose |
Kinteki | Testicles |
Kindama | Groin |
Kote | Wrist |
Miken | Bridge of nose |
Mimi | Ears |
Mikazuki | Jaw |
Nodo | Throat |
Onaka | Stomach |
Seiken | Fist |
Shuko | Back of hand |
Suige tsu | Solar-plexus |
Ude | Forearm |
Yubi | Fingers |
General Terms
Ashi barai | Foot sweep |
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Budo | Martial Way; Martial arts |
Bunkai | Study of kata applications and techniques |
Chudan | Middle level |
Dan | Level |
Do | Way; Path |
Dojo | Training place |
Dojo kun | Dojo rules |
Gasshuku | Special karate training camp |
Gedan | Lower level |
Geri | Kick |
Gi | Dojo uniform (Do-gi) |
Go | Hard, unyielding |
Go kumite | Hard sparring |
Goju-Ryu Karate Do | Hard/Soft style, empty handed way |
Hai | Yes |
Hajime | Begin |
Hara | Stomach |
Heishugata | ‘Closed Fist’ kata (Sanchin and Tensho) |
Hidari | Left |
Hiji | Elbow |
Hiza | Knee |
Hojo undo | Supplementary exercises |
Honbu dojo | Head dojo of an organisation |
Ippon kumite | One step (prearranged) sparring |
Jodan | Upper level |
Ju | Soft, flexible |
Junbi undo | Warm up exercises |
Kaishugata | ‘Open fist’ kata (Gekisai, Saifa, etc.) |
Kakie | Push hands |
Kamae | Combative posture |
Kamae te | Assume stance |
Kanji | Chinese characters |
Karate | Empty hand |
Karate-do | The way of Karate |
Kata | Forms |
Keage | Snap action |
Ken | Fist |
Kenkon | The symbol of the IOGKF – Literally ‘Heaven and Earth’ |
Ki o tsuke | Attention (phonetically ‘kee-ut-ski’) |
Kiai | Focusing shout |
Kihon | Basic techniques |
Kokomi | Thrust action |
Koshi | Ball of the foot (or Josokutei) |
Kumite | Sparring |
Mae | Front |
Mawatte | Turn around |
Migi | Right |
Mokuso | Silent contemplation, meditation |
Muchimi | Heavy, sticky action |
Obi | Training uniform belt |
Oyo bunkai | Study of techniques in kata (similar to Bunkai but including follow-up techniques not shown in kata) |
Otagai | Training partner |
Randori | Free sparring, relaxed sparring (sometimes called jiyu kumite) |
Rei | Bow |
Sandan gi | Three level sparring |
Seiken | Fore fist |
Seiza | Formal sitting position (kneeling on your haunches, feet crossed) |
Semete | Attacking partner |
Shime | Sanchin testing |
Shomen | The front |
Shugo | Line up |
Soto | Outwards |
Suri ashi | Sliding step |
Tai | Body |
Tai sabaki | Moving the body to avoid contact |
Tanden | The body´s power centre |
Te | Hand |
Tsuki | Punch |
Uchi | Strike |
Ude | Forearm |
Ude tanren | Forearm conditioning |
Uke | Block |
Uke harai | Blocking exercises |
Uraken | Back fist |
Ushiro | Back, rear |
Waza | Techniques |
Yakusoku kumite | Pre-arranged sparring |
Yame | Stop |
Yoi | Ready |
Yoko | Side |
Zanshin | Awareness |