Karate is usually taught using the original Japanese terms. This page is a glossary where you find
a collection of generic terms that occur in a variety of contexts in Karate.
|
Age |
Rising |
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Ashi o kaete |
Change legs (stance) |
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Ashi tanden |
Leg conditioning |
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Atemi |
Art of striking vital points |
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Budo |
Martial way or Path (Tao in chinese) |
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Bushi |
Martial man, warrior |
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Bushido |
Way of the warrior (Code of conduct) |
|
Applications of kata |
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Chudan |
Middle area |
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Dojo |
Martial arts training place |
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Gasshuku |
Training camp |
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Gedan |
Lower area |
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Gi or Dogi |
Karate uniform |
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Go |
Hard, rigid |
|
Hard and soft style |
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Gyaku |
Reverse |
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Hara |
Central point of body |
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Hari kiri |
Ritual suicide |
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Hajime |
Begin |
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Hai |
Yes |
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Hidari |
Left |
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Hojo undo |
Supplementary exercises |
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Honbu dojo |
Main dojo |
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Ie |
No |
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Ju |
Soft, flexible |
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Junbi undo |
Warm up exercises |
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Junbi owarimasu |
End of warm up |
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Kakie |
Strength exercise |
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Kamaete |
On guard |
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Fighting stance |
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Karate |
Empty hand |
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Karate-do |
The way of karate |
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Karateka |
One who practises karate |
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A set of pre-arranged techniques |
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Ki |
Spirit,life energy (Chi in Chinese) |
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Ki ai |
Shout to focus energy |
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Kihon |
Basic techniques |
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Kime |
Focus |
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Kohai |
Junior student |
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Mai-ai |
Fighting distance |
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Mawatte |
Turn around |
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Migi |
Right |
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Meditation |
|
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Morote |
Double or both hands together |
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Muchimi |
Heavy sticky feeling |
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Obi |
Belt |
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Ritsurei |
Standing bow |
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Ryu |
School or tradition |
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Samurai |
Japanese warrior class of feudal era |
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Seiken |
Fist with focus on first two knuckles |
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Seiza |
Kneeling position |
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Sempai |
Lower dan grade, senior student |
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Instructor/Teacher |
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|
Master instructor |
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Shime |
Sanchin kata testing |
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Soto |
Outside (inside to outside) |
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Tanden |
Strength centre of body |
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Te |
Hand |
|
Te o kaete |
Change hands |
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Uchi |
Inside (outside to inside) |
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Ude Tanden |
Forearm conditioning |
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Yame |
Stop or fininsh |
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Yoi |
Ready position |
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Zanshin |
Awareness in defence or attack |
Karate is usually taught using the original Japanese terms, and that includes counting in Japanese.
The second syllable is slightly suppressed, so "Ichi" becomes phonetically more like "itch!" and
"Roku" sounds more like
"Rokk".
Traditionally, in Kihon (training of basic
techniques), students produce a Ki-Ai (Shout) at the 10th
repetition of a technique. In partner training such as Ippon Kumite (one-step sparring), the speed
and power of each technique is gradually increased, and the 5th repetition (in some Dojos the 3rd)
is accompanied by a Ki-Ai at the final technique of both attacker and defender.
|
Ichi |
One |
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Ni |
Two |
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San |
Three |
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Shi |
Four |
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Go |
Five |
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Roku |
Six |
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Shichi |
Seven |
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Hachi |
Eight |
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Ku |
Nine |
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Ju |
Ten |
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|
|
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Ni ju |
Twenty |
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San ju |
Thirty |
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Yon ju |
Fourty |
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Go ju |
Fifty |
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Roku ju |
Sixty |
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Nana ju |
Seventy |
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Hachi ju |
Eighty |
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Ku ju |
Ninety |
|
Hiyaku ju |
One hundred |
"Dachi" or "Tachi" means stance in Japanese, and describes primarily the position of the feet in
various Karate stances. Stances are very important in delivering power and also quick responses
in various situations and are thus emphasis in Kihon (basic training). Strong stances can give a
smaller person a significant advantage over a larger attacker.
|
Bensoku dachi |
Turning cross leg stance |
|
Fudo dachi |
Free stance |
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Hachiji dachi |
Natural stance (feet shoulder width apart toes slightly pointed out) |
|
Han zenkutsu dachi |
Half front stance (Short Zenkutsu dachi) |
|
Hachiji dachi |
Natural stance (feet shoulder width apart toes slightly pointed out) |
|
Heiko dachi |
Parallel stance (feet shoulder width apart) |
|
Heisoku dachi |
Closed foot stance (feet together) |
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Kiba dachi |
Horse riding stance (feet parallel) |
|
Kokutsu dachi |
Back stance |
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Musubi dachi |
Formal attention stance (feet together) |
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Neko ashi dachi |
Cat stance |
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Renoji dachi |
The letter L stance |
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Sanchin dachi |
Hourglass stance |
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Sesan dachi |
Side facing straddle stance |
|
Shiko dachi |
Straddle leg stance (horse stance feet at 45 degrees) |
|
Zenkutsu dachi |
Front stance |
The fighting postures (Kamae,
sometimes also "Kame") include the position of the arms and
legs as
well as the body angle and center of gravity. For example, Gedan No Kame is a lower level fighting
posture, with the legs in Shiko Dachi (thus the centre of gravity quite low), body angled at 45
(or even 90 degrees) and the arms ready to respond to lower and middle level attacks.
|
Gedan no kamae |
Lower level fighting posture |
|
Chudan no kamae |
Middle level fighting posture |
|
Hanmi no kamae |
Half forward facing fighting posture |
|
Jodan no kamae |
Upper level fighting posture |
|
Kame |
Fighting posture |
|
Morote no kamae |
Augmented hand fighting posture |
|
Shizen dachi no kamae |
Natural fighting posture |
Karate Foot Techniques - Japanese
Terms
"Ashi" means foot in Japanese, and "Geri" (sometimes also spelled "Keri") means kick.
|
Ashi barai |
Foot sweep |
|
Fumikomi geri |
Heel stamping kick |
|
Hiza geri |
Knee kick |
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Kansetsu geri |
Knee joint kick |
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Keri (Geri) |
Kick |
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Kakato geri |
Heel of foot kick |
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Kin geri |
Groin kick (Haisoku, instep) |
|
Mae geri (Keage) |
Front kick (snap) |
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Mae geri (Kekomi) |
Front kick (thrust) |
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Mae tobi geri |
Jumping front kick |
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Mawashi geri |
Round house kick |
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Nidan geri |
Double front snap kick (Back leg first) |
|
Ren geri |
Double front snap kick (Front leg first) |
|
Tsumasaki mae geri |
Front kick with tips of toes |
|
Ura yoko geri |
Spinning side kick |
|
Ushiro geri |
Back thrust kick |
|
Yoko geri (Keage) |
Side snap kick |
|
Yoko geri (Kekomi) |
Side thrust kick |
|
Yoko tobi geri |
Jumping side kick |
|
Haisoku |
Instep |
|
Hiza |
Knee |
|
Josokutei |
Ball of the foot |
|
Kakato |
Heel of the foot |
|
Sokuto |
Foot edge |
|
Tsumasaki |
Tip of the toes |
"Uke" means block in Japanese, and can be performed with hands, arms, legs and feet.
|
Ashi barai |
Blocking sweep |
|
Rising block (Upper block) |
|
|
Chudan suki uke |
Middle scooping block |
|
Chudan shotei yoko uke |
Middle level open hand block |
|
Chudan uke |
Inside circular block |
|
Chudan uchi uke |
Outside forearm block (Middle Block) |
|
Gedan barai |
Downward block (Lower block) |
|
Gedan uchi barai |
Downward block (Fom outside inward) |
|
Haisoku barai |
Instep block (Inside to outside) |
|
Hiji uke |
Elbow block |
|
Hiki uke |
Open hand pulling grasping block |
|
Hiza uchi uke |
Knee block (Blocking outside to inside) |
|
Hiza soto uke |
Knee block (Blocking inside to outside) |
|
Kake uke |
Open hand hooking block |
|
Ko uke |
Wrist block |
|
Kosa uke |
Cross block arms crossed at wrist |
|
Mawashi uke |
Round house block with two hands |
|
Morote uke |
Reinforced block |
|
Otoshi uke |
Blocking downward with palm heel |
|
Shotei gedan bari |
Open hand downward block |
|
Shotei otoshi uke |
Open hand dropping block |
|
Shotei uke |
Palm heel block |
|
Shuto uke |
Knife hand block |
|
Sokutei harai uke |
Block with sole of the foot (Outside to inside) |
|
Tora guchi |
Circular double block to gedan and jodan |
|
Uchi uke |
Inside forearm block |
|
Ura uke |
Back hand block |
"Te" means hand in Japanese, and Kara-Te is often reported to mean "empty hand". Zuki
(often also spelled tsuki) means
punch.
Often the same technique is referred to by different
names, for example, for the elbow strike
you may find the Japanese terms Empi Uchi, Hiji Uchi, or Hiji Ate that all usually mean the same thing!
|
Age zuki |
Rising punch |
|
|
Awase zuki |
U punch |
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Boshiken zuki |
Thumb fist |
|
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Choku zuki |
Straight punch |
|
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Chudan zuki |
Middle level punch |
|
|
Empi uchi |
||
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Furi zuki |
Circular punch |
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Gyaku zuki |
Reverse punch |
|
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Haishu |
Back hand |
|
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Haito uchi |
Sword ridge hand |
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Hasami zuki |
Scissors punch |
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Heiko zuki |
Parallel punch |
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Hiji uchi |
Elbow strike |
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Jodan zuki |
Upper level punch |
|
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Kagi zuki |
Hook punch |
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Kaiko ken zuki |
Crab shell fist, four knuckle strike |
|
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Kizami zuki |
Jab or leading punch |
|
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Kote uchi |
Forearm strike |
|
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Ko uchi |
Bent wrist strike |
|
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Kuma-de |
Bear hand |
|
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Mawashi zuki |
Round hook punch |
|
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Nagashi zuki |
Flowing punch |
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Nakadaka ippon ken zuki |
Middle finger knuckle punch |
|
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Nihon zuki |
Double punch |
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Nukite zuki |
Finger thrust |
|
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Oi zuki |
Lunge punch |
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Sanbon zuki |
Triple punch |
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Seiken zuki |
Fore fist strike |
|
|
Shotei uchi |
||
|
Shotei zuki |
Palm heel thrust |
|
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Shuto uchi |
Knife hand strike (Karate Chop) |
|
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Tateken zuki |
Vertical fist punch |
|
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Tsuki (zuki) |
Punch or thrust |
|
|
Tettsui uchi |
Hammer fist strike |
|
|
Uchi |
Strike |
|
|
Ura ken uchi |
Back fist strike |
|
|
Ura zuki |
Short punch (palm up) |
|
|
Yama zuki |
Mountain punch |
|
|
Washi de |
Eagle hand |
Striking - Japanese Terms
|
Mae |
To the front |
|
Yoko |
To the side |
|
Mawashi |
Round house (Around) |
|
Ushiro |
To the rear |
|
Jodan |
Upper level, from neck up, Head |
|
Chudan |
Middle area, neck to belt, Stomach |
|
Gedan |
Lower level, belt down, Groin |