Karate hails from Okinawa and Japan, so the formal terminology has both Japanese and English versions. The writing of Japanese using the Roman alphabet is referred to as Romaji. Sometimes the same word is spelled in different ways, this can just be different romanizations, or it can be because the Japanese words sound slightly different depending on whether you use the word at the start, or middle/end of a phrase. For example front kick is mae geri, but kick is keri [1].
General Vocabulary
In approximate order that you might encounter them…
| Romaji | English | Pronunciation | Japanese |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dojo | Training Hall | doh-joh | 道場 |
| Gi | Uniform | gee (hard G like golf) | ギ |
| Sensei | Teacher | sen-say | 先生 |
| Sempai | Senior student/assistant teacher | sem-pie | 先輩 |
| Hai | Yes | high | はい |
| Seiza | Kneel | say-zah | |
| Mokusou | “quiet meditation”/eyes closed | moh-koo-soo | |
| Rei | Bow | ray | 礼 |
| Yoi | Ready | yoh-ee | |
| Kamae | Move (to position) | kah-may | |
| Hajime | Start | hah-jee-may | 初め |
| Yame | Stop | yah-may | やめ |
| Kiai | Shout (of spirit) | kee-eye | 気合い |
| Kihon | Basic techniques | kee-hon | 基本 |
| Kata | Formal pattern/form | kah-tah | 型 |
| Kumite | Sparring | koo-mee-tay | 組手 |
| Jodan | Upper/head level | joh-dan | 上段 |
| Chudan | Middle/stomach level | choo-dan | 中段 |
| Gedan | Lower level | geh-dan | 下段 |
| Mae | Front | may | 前 |
| Ushiro | Back | oo-shee-row | 後ろ |
| Hikite | Pulling hand | hee-kee-tay | |
| Mawate | Turn (with position) | mah-wah-tay | |
| Waza | Technique | wah-zah | |
| Kancho | Founder | kan-choh | |
| Shihan | Master teacher | shee-han | |
| Otagai | Each other (followed by ni rei to bow to each other) | oh-tah-gigh | おたがい |
| Embusen | Kata pattern/path | em-boo-sen | 演武線 |
| Shomen | Front | show-men | 正面 |
| Hanmi | “half body”/side | hahn-mi | 半身 |
Numbers (counting)
When counting in class we can abbreviate the numbers to their first syllable.
Four and seven have alternate words for when you are using the number on its own, or at the end of a count; e.g., if you are only counting to 4, you would end with yon, but if you are counting through to a later number, you would count through san, shi, go etc.
| Number | Romaji | Pronunciation |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | ichi | itch |
| 2 | ni | nee |
| 3 | san | sun |
| 4 | shi/yon | shee/yon |
| 5 | go | goh |
| 6 | roku | rock (or rook) |
| 7 | shichi/nana | shitch/nah-nah |
| 8 | hachi | hutch |
| 9 | ku (kyuu) | kyoo |
| 10 | juu | joo |
Strikes
The general term for a strike is uchi, specifically a punch is tsuki, but when you specify the type of punch (put a word before it), the pronounciation is more like zuki.
| Romaji | English | Pronunciation |
|---|---|---|
| Tsuki | Punch; thrust/pierce/stab | tsoo-kee |
| Uchi | Strike | oo-chee |
| Jodan zuki | Head level punch | joh-dan zoo-kee |
| Chudan zuki | Stomach level punch | choo-dan zoo-kee |
| Shita zuki | Short punch | shee-tah zoo-kee |
| Hijiate | Rising elbow strike | hee-jee-ah-tay |
| Mawashi empi | Round elbow strike | mah-wah-shee em-pee |
| Ura uchi | Front backfist strike | oo-rah oo-chee |
| Yoko ura uchi | Side backfist strike | yoh-koh oo-rah oo-chee |
| Uraken | Backfist (another term for) | oo-rah-ken |
| Haito uchi | Ridge-hand strike | high-toh oo-chee |
| Shuto uchi | Knife-hand strike | shoo-toh oo-chee |
| Oi zuki | Lunge (front-hand) punch) | oy zoo-kee |
| Gyaku zuki | Reverse (back-hand) punch | gee-ah-koo zoo-kee |
| Kizami zuki | Jab punch (front-hand from guard, or block) | kee-zum-ah zoo-kee |
| Tetsui uchi | Hammer fist strike | tet-soo-ee oo-chee |
| Teisho uchi | Palm-heel strike | tay-show oo-chee |
| Nukite | Spear hand thrust | noo-kee-tay |
| Ippon ken | One knuckle strike | eep-on ken |
| Tate zuki | Uppercut | tah-tay zoo-kee |
Blocks
We usually translate the term uke to mean block, but it literally means receive. Blocks should generally receive and redirect an attacker’s energy.
| Romaji | English | Pronunciation | Usage |
|---|---|---|---|
| Uke | Block/receive | oo-kay | |
| Jodan age uke | Rising head level block | joh-dan ah-gay oo-kay | |
| Uchi uke | Inside hooking block | oo-chee oo-kay | |
| Soto uke | Outside hooking block | soh-toh oo-kay | |
| Gedan barai | Downward block | geh-dan bar-eye | |
| Gedan uke | Lower sweeping block | geh-dan oo-kay | |
| Shuto uke | Knife-hand block | shoo-toh oo-kay | |
| Chuge uke | Double block | choo-geh oo-kay | |
| Kake uke | Hooking block (open hand) | kah-kay oo-kay | |
| Mawashi uke | Round block (double open hand) | mah-wah-shee oo-kay | |
| Morote uke | Reinforced block | moh-roh-tay oo-kay | Bassai-dai, Seiunchin |
| Shotei uke | Palm heel block | show-tay oo-kay | Bassai-dai, Empi, Kanku-dai |
| Juji uke | X block | joo-jee oo-kay | Sanseru, Kururunfa |
| Keito Uke | Chicken Head Wrist Block | kay-toh oo-kay | Sanseru (final move) |
| Oliver uke | Side double block | oh-lee-ver oo-kay | |
| Hariatoshi uke | 3 point lower/circular block | hah-ree-a-toe-shee oo-kay | Seiunchin, Sepai |
| Hari uke | Archer block | hah-ree oo-kay | Seiunchin |
Stances
The word for stance, dachi, has two syllables, but when speaking of a particular stance in class we tend to shorten the second syllable, to the point that it’s not really audible.
| Romaji | English | Pronunciation | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dachi | Stance | dutch-ee | |
| Heiko dachi | Ready stance | hay-koh dutch | |
| Zenkutsu dachi | Long forward stance | zen-koot-soo dutch | |
| Han zenkutsu dachi | Short fighting stance | hun sen-koot-soo dutch | |
| Kiba dachi | Horseriding stance | kee-bah dutch | |
| Shiko dachi | Sumo stance | shee-koh dutch | |
| Sanchin dachi | Hourglass/three-pointed/pigeon-toed stance | sun-chin dutch | |
| Neko ashi dachi | Cat stance | neck-oh ush-ee dutch | |
| Kokutsu dachi | Back-leaning stance | koh-koot-soo dutch | |
| Kosa dachi | Reverse cat stance | koh-sah dutch | Foot may be beside, or hooked behind other foot |
| Heiko sanchin dachi | Parallel stance | hay-koh sun-chin dutch | One foot is in front of the other, as in sanchin dachi, but is parallel (not turned in) |
| Musubi dachi | V-stance (heels together) | moo-soo-bee dutch | What we do when we bow |
| Heisoku dachi | Feet together | hay-soh-koo dutch | As in Bassai-dai, Empi |
| Sagi ashi dachi | Heron stance | sah-gee ush-ee dutch | Foot is beside supporting knee (as in Saifa) |
| Tsuru ashi dachi | Crane stance | tsoo-roo ush-ee dutch | Foot tucks behind supporting knee (as in Empi) |
| Hangetsu dachi | Half moon stance | hun-get-soo dutch | As in kata Hangetsu |
| Renoji sachi | L-stance | ren-oh-jee dutch | In Kankudai |
Kicks
When speaking of a kick on its own, the Japanese is keri, but when the word kick is after another word, the sound is more like geri [1].
| Romaji | English | Pronunciation |
|---|---|---|
| Keri | Kick | keh-ree |
| Mae geri | Front kick | may geh-ree |
| Mawashi geri | Round kick | mah-wah-shee geh-ree |
| Yoko geri | Side kick | yoh-koh geh-ree |
| Ushiro geri | Back kick | oo-shee-roh geh-ree |
| Kin geri | Groin kick with instep | keen geh-ree |
| Mikazuki geri | Crescent kick | mee-kah-zoo-kee geh-ree |
| Ura mawashi geri | Hook kick | oo-rah mah-wah-shee geh-ree |
| Kansetsu geri | Side kick to knee joint | kun-set-soo geh-ree |
Footwork
| Romaji | English | Pronunciation | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ashi | Foot | ah-shee | |
| Ashi sabaki | Footwork | ah-shee sah-bah-kee | |
| Suri ashi | Sliding step | soo-ree ah-shee | Gliding between stances (maintain height and balance) |
| Ashi barai | Foot sweep | ah-shee bar-eye | |
| Oi ashi | Lunging feet | oi-ee ah-shee | Front foot moves forward and back |
| Yori ashi | Sliding feet | yor-ee ah-shee | Front foot moves then back foot follows |
| Sugi ashi | Shuffling feet | soo-gee ah-shee | Back foot moves up then front foot lunges |
| Ayumi ashi | Walking feet | ah-yoo-mee ah-shee | Back foot steps through |
Principles
| Romaji | English | Pronunciation | Japanese |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kime | “decision”/focus | kee-may | 決め |
| Push-pull | |||
| Goju | Hard-soft | goh-joo | 剛柔 |
| Zanshin | “remaining mind”/awareness | zun-chin | 残心 |
| Zentai ryoku | Full body power | zen-tie roh-koo | 全体力 |
| Gamaku | “center”/hip movement | gum-ah-koo | |
| Senjutsu | Tactics/battle strategy | sen-joot-soo | |
| Kuzushi | “destroy”/controlling opponent’s balance | koo-zoo-shee | 崩し |
| Ikimi | Floating (light and swift) | ick-ee-mee | |
| Itsoku | Stability (grounded) | it-soh-koo |
Further Reading
- 10 Japanese Words Everyone Misunderstands in Karate
- 4 Powerful Mindsets of Traditional Karate
- What is Kime in Karate?
- Stances (includes cute pictures!)
- Of Tsuki and Tachi
Footnotes
- Geri without a prefix means diarrhoea, so don’t get that one wrong with a Japanese speaker 😜
