The K-Zone: A short glossary of karate terms

This page lists most of the Japanese terms that I have found to be used in various karate clubs in the UK. There are, of course, many more than this in use in the various karate styles. Different clubs place different levels of emphasis on the use of Japanese terms, but on the whole UK karate does not favour excessive jargon. Of the terms that I have included, some are used only rarely, so the more important ones are highlighted. See the notes at the end for pronunciation guide and general comments.

Stance and posture

dachi	stance (see also `gamae'; in some karate styles, notably wado-ryu, the word `gamae' is used more-or-less wherever a shotokan practictioner would say `dachi')
gamae	posture (subtly different from `stance', and tends to denote the position of the upper body. In shotokan `gamae' and phrases derived from it are rarely encountered, as the stances are so prescribed. `Gamae' is more commonly used than `dachi' in wado-ryu and similar styles)
hachiji-dachi	open-leg stance; heels shoulder-width apart, toes pointing outwards, arms relaxed, hands in fists
hanmi-gamae	half-facing posture
heiko-dachi	parallel-leg stance; feet shoulder-width apart and parallel arms relaxed, hands in fists
heisoku-dachi	formal attention stance: heels and big toes touching
kokutsu-dachi	back stance: legs about shoulder-width apart side-to-side, and two shoulder widths front-to-back. Most weight on back foot, back and front legs slightly bent. Front heel and big toe make a line with the back heel
mosubi-dachi	informal attention stance: heels touching, feet make a `V' shape
kiba-dachi	`horse riding' stance: feet two shoulder-widths apart and parallel, knees bent
neko-ashi-dachi	cat stance (literally `cat foot stance')
renoji-dachi	`L' stance. Front foor and rear foot make an `L' shape
shizentai	natural stance (e.g, attention stance)
teidi-dachi	`T' stance. Front foot and rear foot make a `T' shape
yoko-gamae	side-facing posture (normally used as an alternative to `kokutsu-dachi')
yoi	attention stance; rather informal way of saying `shizentai'
zenkutsu-dachi	Front stance: legs about shoulder-width apart side-to-side, and two shoulder widths front-to-back. Front leg bent so that knee is aproximately over toes of front foot.

Blocks and defences

age uke	rising block
gedan barai	downward block (more accurately `low-level sweep')
juuji uke	`X' block or cross block
(soto) ude uke	outside forearm block. UK clubs often abbreviate the Japanse to `ude uke', making it easy to confuse with `uchi ude uke'. A more helpful abbreviation is `soto uke', which retains the distinction between `soto' and `uchi'.
shuto (uke)	knife-hand block; also sometimes called (more in keeping with the Japanese) `sword hand block'.
uchi (ude) uke	inside forearm block. UK clubs often abbreviate to `uchi uke', as distinct from `soto uke' -- outside block. Be warned that some clubs abbreviate the inside block to `ude uke', which is easily confused with this move.
uke	block (strictly, `reception'. The Japanse term reinforces the idea that the defender should receive (catch, absorb) the attack rather than intercept it with brute force, which is what `block' implies). The word `uke' may be accompanied by a word that denotes the direction or style of the block (e.g., `uchi uke' -- inside block) or the target area that is being defended (e.g., `jodan uke' -- high-level block).

Hand and arm strikes

choku tsuki	straight punch
enpi uchi	elbow strike
gyaku tsuki	(it is considered `unsophisticated' in the UK to pronounce the `g') reverse punch. `Reverse' denotes the reversal of leads of the arm and the leg, that is, the punch is delivered from the side of the body which is not leading. It does not denote the rotation of the wrist. Unlike oi tsuki, it is not technically incorrect to speak of delivery gyaku tsuki while standing still.
kizami	jab
oi tsuki	step or lunge punch. Technically you can't deliver oi tsuki while stationary; the term does not describe the way the punch is thrown using the arm, but the fact that you are in pursuit (oi) of your opponent. If you are standing still then you're probably doing choku tsuki if you're punching with the leading arm.
tsuki	punch (perhaps a better translation of the word would be `thrust', but `punch' is a better translation of the action itself)
nukite uchi	spear-hand strike (`nukite' means `penetration')
tettsui	hammer fist strike, also called `mace hand' (mace as in a stick with a big weight on the end, not the tear gas spray)
uchi	strike (other than a simple punch, which is `tsuki'); also used in `uchi ude uke' -- inside forearm block.
uraken uchi	back-fist strike
ura tsuki	uppercut; more accurately `back punch', but often translated `close-up punch' or the like

Foot and leg strikes

geri	(sometimes pronounced `keri') kick
ashi barai	foot sweep
mae geri	front kick
mawashi geri	roundhouse kick
mikazuki geri	crescent kick, also called `hook kick' or `drop kick' (`mikazuki' is a new moon in Japanese)
ushiro geri	back kick (that is, a kick behind you)
yoko (geri) kokomi	side kick with `thrusting' action. Technically the word `keage' includes the symbol for `keru' (kick), so `yoko geri kokomi' would mean something like `side kick thrust kick'. Thus purists prefer `yoko kokomi', although the longer form seems more common in the UK
yoko (geri) keage	side kick with `snapping' action. As with `yoko kokomi', the use of the additional word `geri' in this phrase is considered illiterate by pedants, but it's not unusual

Anatomical and targetting

ashi	foot or lower leg
chuudan	mid-level (typically aimed at the solar plexus)
enpi	elbow
gedan	low level (anything below the belt)
hara	see `tanden'
jodan	upper level (typically aimed at the head)
haito	`ridge hand'; the edge of the hand with the thumb
hidari	left (as in left-hand). Normally used in descriptions of stances
migi	right (as in right-hand). Normally used in descriptions of stances
seiken	`forefist'. Since most hand strikes are with the forefist, the term is not used all that much
shotei	`palm heel'; the palm of the hand when the fingers are drawn back
sokuto	`knife foot'; foot position for side kicks. The term is also used in some clubs to mean the kick itself
shuto	`knife hand'; also used as abbreviation for `shuto uke' -- knife hand block
tanden	the mystic `centre of gravity' of the body; I favour the translation `belly'
uraken	`back fist'. Usually used in `uraken uchi' which is a blow delivered with the back of the fist rather than the knuckles and forefingers.

Training methods and practical matters

dan	graduate. `Dan grades' are black-belt grades
dojo	training hall (literally `place of the way')
gohon kumite	five-step sparring
ippon kumite	one-step sparring
jiyuu kumite	free sparring
kata	preset sequences of moves
kihon	fundamentals (the practice of stances, blows, blocks, etc)
gi	(also `dogi' or `do-gi' or `karate-gi') uniform
kime	focus (literally `decision' or `committment')
kumite	sparring
kyu	student. `Kyu grades' are pre-black-belt grades
kyoshi	teacher (neutral term, not deferential like `sensei')
obe	belt
sanbon kumite	three-step sparring
sempai	mentor, sponsor, or patron. The term is not all that common in the UK (although I understand it is in the US), but when it is used at all it is usually used wrongly to mean `senior'. For example, in some clubs it denotes the most senior student. In Japan, `sempai' is not a title, but a relationship between two people
sensei	teacher (more deferential form of `kyoshi')
shihan	honorific term meaning `expert'; loosely translated as `master'
shodan	first. When used in terms of grading or attainment it means the first black-belt grade. The term is also used generally to mean the first of a series, e.g., heian shodan -- the first shotokan kata.
shomen	founder, or front. Literally `sho-men', `first head'. Now only used in ritualistic formulations like `shomen no rei' -- `we bow to the founder', which could also be translated as `we bow to the front'.

Commands, greetings, etc

hajime	begin; usually used in the context of sparring. Since it tends to be yelled, it usually ends up pronounced `-jime'.
kiai	yell
kosa	switch feet
mawatte	turn around. Normally used to mean `face the opposite direction'
mokuso	meditate; not usually in the zen sense, but rather in the `compose yourself' sense
na-otte	recover (rarely used; most people say `yame' instead)
osu!	(usually mispronounced `oss' or `oos' in the UK) Difficult to translate accurately, the term is often used to mean `yes' or `OK' in UK karate clubs. A more accurate translation might be `Yo!' or `Wassup!' or even `Hey dude!' This small word is probably responsible for more divisiveness among practitioners than everything else put together. For some, it is a mystical symbol imbued with spiritual significance; for others it is a vulgarity that should be confined to the locker room.
rei	bow
seiza	sit down
yame	stop (sometimes interpreted as `relax'; a better word for relax is `yasume')
yasume	have a rest (rarely used; most people say `yame' instead)
yoh-i	(usually pronounced in the UK like a long-drawn-out `yoi') Come to attention; assume the yoi stance

Pronunciation

Although Japanese words can be transliterated into English symbols in a variety of different ways, certain standards are adopted by most Japanse writers. This section describes the most elementary of these standards.

On the whole, don't expect members of your club to pronounce Japanese words even close to the way that a Japanese person would. Most English people don't have the time to learn Japanese just so they can pronounce karate words properly, so they tend to get pronounced as English words would be. Thus `gyaku' often gets pronounced `gee-akoo' which is miles away from the `proper' pronunciation. In practice you will have to follow the pronunciation standards of your club if you want to be understood, even if you have to grit your teeth to do so.

Single vowels are usually pronounced short. So the letter `a' is like a short version of the `ar' in `cart'. `e' as in `ted', `u' as the `oo' in `foot' (not in `boot'). `o' as in `hot'. `i' as in `sip' but with a hint of `ee'.
Short vowels are often under-emphasized. When a word ends in a short vowel, the vowel is shortened still futher and cut off sharply. So `osu' is `os' with a very short, sharp `u' on the end. Most non-Japanese people can't pronounce this so, for example, `osu' comes out as `oss'. `tsuki' should be `ts(u)k(i)', that is, somewhere between `tsuki' and `tsk'.
When double vowels are written (as in, for example, `jiin'), they are simply sounded for longer, not pronounced as different sounds. Doubled consonants are usually sounded with a short pause between the letters (so `tettsui' is `tet-tsui', not `tetzui').
Apart from the doubled vowels, there are other long vowel sounds usually written as two different vowels. So: `ae' is pronounced like the `ay' in `day'; `ai' like the `y' in `style'.
Consonants are normally sounded as they would be in English. There are a few exceptions. The letter written `r' is pronounced a bit like a `d' in the middle of a word, and a bit like `l' at the begining (rhere is no real `r' sound in Japanese). The `ts' sound in `tsuki' is shortened to a `z' when not sounded alone. `g' in the middle of a word is often `ng', so `migi' -- right -- is pronounced `ming(i)' (where, strictly, the last `i' is shortened).
The letter `y' can be vowel-like as well as consonantal, as in English. To emphasise the consonantal pronunciation, some words are written with `gy' instead of `y'; the `g' is not pronounced, but merely indicates that `y' is not to take any vowel sound. Thus `gyaku' -- opposite, reverse -- is `yak(u)' not `ee-ak(u)'.

Notes

On the whole, the English translations of Japanese karate terms are not good translations of the words; they are good translations of the actions. So, if someone steps forward and throws a punch with the leading arm, and calls it `oi tsuki', you may be tempted to think that `oi' means `stepping forward' and `tsuki' means `punch'. In fact, `oi' is derived from the word for `chase', and `tsuki' is closer to what you do with a sword, not a fist (`stab' or `thrust' might be better translations). In other words, the conventional English terms used for karate techniques are not really translations of the convential Japanese terms.
The words in the lists above may be, and often are, combined into longer phrases; for example, it is common to combine the name of a blow with the name of a target area (`guaku tsuki chuudan'). In most karate clubs people will cheerfully mix English and Japanese words in the same phrase (`reverse punch chuudan').
In the West we have our own culture of the use of Japanese words in martial arts which is different from that found in Japan. For example, I understand that Japanese karate clubs tend to eschew the use of the word `osu', where it is very widespread in the UK. A Japanese karate instructor would never refer to himself as `sensei' or ask other people to (this would be considered impolite), while this is common in the West. Similarly, the Japanese bow infrequently during training, while we do it all the time. In other words, our karate terminology (and culture) is probably best described as `Anglo-Japanese'.