Glossary
Age uke– Rising block
Age-uke gyaku ashi– Upper block
Age-zuki– Rising punch
Aikido– Way of Harmony, the harmonic ki
Aiuchi– Simultaneous points by both opponents
Ashibo-kake-uke– Leg hooking block
Ashikubi-kake-uke– Ankle hooking block
Ate-waza– Smashing techniques
Awase-zuki– U-punch
Bogyo– Defense, protection
Budo– The martial arts (collective name)
Bunkai– Analysis, breakdown; training of the application of different sequences of the kata with partners.
Bushi– Warrior
Bushido– Way of the Warrior, code of the Samurai
Cha-obi– Brown belt
Choku-zuki– Straight punch
Chudan– Middle level (chest area)
Chushin– Center
Dan– Step, rank
Dan-zuki– Consecutive punching
Deai– Direct counter against an attack
Deai-osae-uke– Pressing block stepping in
Deshi– Student
Do– The way, the path, or the approach
Dohai– One’s equal
Dojo– Training gym
Dozo– Please
Empi– Elbow
Empi-uchi– Elbow strike
Enbusen– The line of martial art exercise, performance line of the kata
En-sho- Round heel
Fudo-dachi– Rooted stance, another name for sochin
Fumikiri– Cutting kick
Fumikomi– Stamping kick
Gai-wan– Outer arm
Gaman– Patience, endurance
Gedan– Lower level (below the belt)
Gedan-barai– Downward sweeping block
Gi- Jacket
Go no sen– Seizing the initiative later
Go– Five
Gohon kumite– Five-step sparring
Goshin– Self-defense
Gyaku-ashi– Reverse foot
Gyaku kaiten– Reverse rotation
Gyaku-zuki– Reverse punch
Hachi– Eight
Hachiji-dachi– Open-leg stance
Hai– Yes, okay
Haishu– Back-hand
Haishu-uchi– Back-hand strike
Haishu-uke– Back-hand block
Haisoku– Instep
Haito– Ridge-hand
Haito-uchi– Ridge-hand strike
Hai-wan– Back-arm
Haiwan-nagashi-uke– Back-arm sweeping block
Hajime– The beginning or start; command to commence the movement
Hangetsu-dachi– Half-moon stance
Hangetsu-kata– Half-moon formal exercise
Hanmi– Half-front-facing position
Happo kumite– Sparring in eight directions, against several opponents
Hara– Abdomen
Hasami zuki– Scissors punch
Heiko-dachi– Parallel stance
Heiko-zuki– Parallel punch
Heisoku-dachi– Informal attention stance
Hidari– Left
Hidari-shizen-tai– Left natural position
Hidari-teiji-dachi– Left t-stance
Hiji– Elbow
Hiji-ate– Elbow strike
Hiji-suri-uke– Elbow sliding block
Hiji-uchi– Elbow strike
Hiki te– Pulling hand
Hikiwake– Draw
Hiku ashi– Pulling leg
Hiraken– Fore-knuckle fist
Hiraken-zuki- Fore-knuckle-fist straight punch
Hiza– Knee
Hizagashira– Knee cap
Hombu– Headquarters
Hyoshi– Rhythm
Iaido– Way of Drawing the Sword (Iai nuki do)
Ichi– One
Ineko-ashi-dachi- Cat stance
Ippon-ken– One-knuckle fist
Ippon-ken zuki– One-knuckle-fist straight punch
Ippon kumite– One-step sparring
Ippon– Point
Iro-obi– Color belt
Jiku ashi– Pivot leg, supporting leg
Jisei– Self-control
Jissen– Real fight
Jiyu ippon kumite– Semi-free sparring
Jiyu kumite– Free-style sparring
Jodan– Upper level (face area)
Jodan-age-uke– Upward rising block
Jo-sokutei- Raised sole
Ju– Ten
Judo– Soft, Gentle Way
Juji-uke– X-block
Jun kaiten– Regular rotation
Kado– Way of Flowers
Kaeshi-ippon kumite– Returning one step sparring; the defender counter attacks with a whole step and forces the original attacker into the defending position.
Kaette– Turn, assume opposite direction
Kagi-zuki– Hook punch
Kaimoku– Open your eyes
Kaisho- Open hand
Kaiten– Rotation
Kakato– Heel
Kake-shuto-uke– Hooking knife-hand block
Kake-uke– Hooking block
Kakiwake-uke– Reverse wedge block
Kakuto– Bent-wrist
Kakuto-uke– Bent-wrist block
Kamae– Stance
Kamaete– Command to move into ready position for action, either for defense or attack, assume the stance or position named.
Kanku- “Viewing the sky” kata form
Karate– Empty-hand fighting
Karate-Do– Way of the empty hand
Karate gi– Karate uniform; white uniforms are generally worn to symbolize “purity and cleanliness” of the mind and body.
Karateka– Person that practices the art of Karate-Do
Kata– Form; formal exercises of karate
Keage- Snap kick
Kebanashi– Kick off, snap kick
Keito- Chicken-head wrist
Keito-uke– Chicken-head-wrist block
Kekomi– Thrust kick
Kendo– Way of the Sword
Kentsui– Fist-hammer
Kentsui-uchi– Fist-hammer strike
Keri– Kick
Keri-waza– Kicking techniques
Kesa-geri– Diagonal kick
Kiai– Command to let out a sound at the movement of Kime to aid in the tensioning of body muscles and focusing the mind for a more effective technique.
Kiba-dachi– Straddle-leg stance
Kihaku– Spirit, soul
Kihon kumite– Basic sparring training; attack/defense techniques, and target areas are predetermined.
Kihon– Basic training
Kime– Refers to psycho-physiological focusing of technique to achieve maximum effectiveness; decision, finish, focus.
Kime waza– Decisive technique; technique that would lead one to win
Kiritsu– Stand up, rise
Kisei– Rising energy
Kiso– Fundamental
Kizami-zuki– Jab
Kobudo– Nomenclature for martial arts using weapons
Kogeki– Attack
Kohai– A junior in a school or organization
Kokutsu-Dachi– Back stance
Kokyu– Breathing, respiration
Ko-shi- Ball of the foot
Ku– Nine
Kumade– Bear hand
Kumite- Sparring
Kumite no keiko– Practice in sparring; to engage ones hands (skills) with an opponent.
Kuro-obi– Black belt
Kyogi kumite– Sportive sparring
Kyu– Rank, class, grade
Kyudo– Way of the Bow
Ma– Space, room
Ma-ai– Distancing
Mae– Front, forward
Mae-ashi-geri– Front leg kick
Mae-empi-uchi– Forward elbow strike
Mae-geri– Front kick
Mae-geri-keage– Front snap kick
Mae-geri-kekomi– Front thrust kick
Mae-hiji-ate- Forward elbow strike
Mae-tobi-geri– Jumping front kick
Maeude-deai-osae- Forearm pressing block
Maeude-hineri-uke– Forearm twist block
Makiwara– Karate punching board
Mawashi-geri– Roundhouse kick
Mawatte– Turn
Me no tsukekata– Focusing of the eyes
Midori-obi– Green belt
Migi– Right
Mikazuki-geri– Crescent kick
Mo ichido– One more time
Modotte– Command for returning to the starting position
Mokuso– Meditation, quiet contemplation
Morote-sukui-uke– Two-handed scooping block
Morote-tsukami-uke– Two-handed grasping block
Morote-uke– Augmented forearm block
Morote-zuki– Double-fist punch
Musubi-dachi– Informal attention stance, feet turned out
Nagashi-uke- Sweeping block
Nagashi-zuki– Flowing punch
Nagewaza– Throwing techniques
Nai-wan– Inner arm
Nakadaka-ippon-ken– Middle-finger one-knuckle fist
Nakadaka-ken– Middle-finger knuckle fist
Naore– Recover to natural stance
Naotte– A command to relax from alert ready position
Neko-ashi-dachi- Cat stance
Ni– Two
Nidan-geri– Double jump kick
Nihon-nukite– Two-finger spear-hand
Nintai– Patience, perseverance
Nukite– Spear-hand
Obi– A sash or belt to tie the Karate gi
Oi-zuki– Stepping punch
Okinawa-te– Hand of Okinawa
Okuri-ippon kumite– Sparring with two attacks in a row; the first one is announced but the second attack is chosen based on
the opponent an the distance.
Onegaishimasu– If you would be so kind
Osae-uke- Pressing block
Osu– Yes, exclamation of spirit
Otagai ni rei– Salutation to each other
Otoshi-empi-uchi– Downward elbow strike
Otoshi-uke– Dropping block
Otoshi-hiji-ate– Downward elbow strike
Oyo kumite– Application sparring
Rei– Command used for “bow”; to express mutual respect
Reinoji-dachi- L-stance
Renzoku-geri– Combination kick
Renzoku-zuki– Continuous punching attacks
Renzuki- Alternate punching
Roko– Six
Sabaki– Handle, deal with; step aside
Sado– Way of Tea, tea ceremony
Saho– Etiquette
Samurai– Literally: to serve; military class in feudal Japan
San– Three
Sanbon kumite– Three-step sparring
Sanchin-dachi– Hour-glass stance
Sanren-zuki– Three consecutive punches
Seika tanden– Center of the abdomen
Seiken– Fore-fist
Seiken-choku-zuki- Fore-fist straight punch
Seiretsu– Line up
Seiryuto- Ox-jaw hand
Seiryuto-uke– Ox-jaw block
Sempai– Refers to a senior student
Sempai ni rei– Bow to a senior student
Sen no sen– Seizing the initiative earlier
Sensei – Instructor
Sensei ni rei– Bow to the chief instructor
Sentei kata– Selected kata
Shi– Four
Shiai kumite– Sparring performed in the sense of Budo, as in jiyu ippon and jiyu kumite.
Shiai– Tournament, match
Shichi– Seven
Shihan– Master
Shiho-wari– Breaking boards on four sides to test power
Shiko-dachi– Square stance
Shimpan– Referee
Shinza ni rei– Salutation to the altar of the gods to honor the ancestors of the art.
Shiro-obi– White belt, refers to a beginner
Shitei kata– Designated kata
Shittsui– Knee-hammer
Shizen-tai– Natural stance
Shodo– Way of Writing, calligraphy
Shomen– Usually the front wall of the Dojo
Shomen ni rei– Bow to the front
Shubo- Arm stick
Shuto– Knife-hand
Shuto-uchi– Knife-hand strike
Shuto-uke– Knife-hand block
Shu-wan– Palm arm
Sochin-dachi– Diagonal straddle-leg stance
Sokumen-awase-uke– Side two-hand block
Sokutei-mawashi-uke– Circular sole block
Sokutei-osae-uke– Pressing block with sole
Sokuto- Foot edge
Sokuto-keage– Snap kick with foot edge
Sokuto-osae-uke– Pressing block with foot edge
Sore-made– End of match
Soto-uke– Block from outside inward with bottom of wrist
Suki- Opening
Sukui-uke– Scooping block
Sun dome– To stop a technique about 3cm in front of the target
Sun– Unit of a measurement 3.03cm
Sutemi waza– Literally: “The-body-throw-away-technique”, technique by falling.
Tachikata– Standing forms
Tai sabaki– Stepping aside with the whole body (and counter)
Tameshi-wari– Test of technique’s power
Tanden– Navel
Tanren kumite– Drill sparring, as in gohon and sanbon kumite
Tate-empi-uchi- Upward elbow strike
Tate-hiji-ate– Upward elbow strike
Tate-shuto-uke– Vertical knife-hand block
Tate-zuki– Vertical fist punch
Te– Hand
Teiji-dachi– T-stance
Teisho– Palm-heel
Teisho-awase-uke– Combined palm-heel block
Teisho-uchi– Palm-heel strike
Teisho uke– Palm-heel block
Teisho-zuki– Palm-heel punch
Tekubi-kake-uke– Wrist-hook block
Te-nagashi-uke– Hand sweeping block
Tenkan– Turn, turning
Te-osae-uke– Hand pressing block
Tettsui uchi– Bottom-fist strike
Tettsui uke– Hammer block
Tobi-keri– Jump kick
Tobi-yoko-geri– Jumping side kick
Tode/ Karate– China-hand
Tokui kata– Favorite kata
Torite– Escape methods
Tsukami-uke– Grasping block
Tsuki– Punching
Tsuki te– Punching hand
Tsuki-waza– Punching techniques
Tsumasaki– Tips of toes
Uchi komi– Drive, pound in; a form of training where one partner is the unmoving target and the other partner may attack with any technique.
Uchi– Striking
Uchi-hachiji-dachi– Inverted open-leg stance
Uchi-uke– Block from inside outward
Uchi-waza- Striking techniques
Ude– Forearm
Ude-uke– Forearm block
Uke– Block
Ukemi– Rolls
Uraken– Back-fist
Ura-zuki– Close punch
Uraken-uchi– Back-fist strike
Ushiro– Back, rear
Ushiro-ashi-geri– Rear-leg kick
Ushiro-empi-uchi– Back elbow strike
Ushiro-geri– Back kick
Ushiro-hiji-ate– Back elbow strike
Wan– Arm
Wanto– Arm sword
Washide– Eagle-hand
Waza – Techniques
Waza ari awasete ippon– Two half-points
Waza ari– Half-point
Yakusoku kumite– Appointment sparring
Yama-zuki– Wide U-punch
Yame– Command to stop
Yasume– At ease
Yoi– Prepare, attention, get ready
Yoko– Side
Yoko-empi-uchi– Side elbow strike
Yoko-geri– Side kick
Yoko-geri-keage– Side snap kick
Yoko-geri-kekomi– Side thrust kick
Yoko-hiji-ate– Side elbow strike
Yoko-kekomi– Side thrust kick
Yoko-mawashi-empi-uchi– Side-round elbow strike
Yoko-mawashi-hiji-ate– Side-round elbow strike
Yoko-tobi-geri– Jumping side kick
Yomi– Perceptiveness
Yuki– Courage
Zanshin– Remaining spirit, continuing alertness
Zengo undo– Forward and backward
Zenkutsu-dachi– Forward stance