Japanese Dictionary
A
age-empi |
elbow blow upwards |
age-uke |
block defence from bottom to top |
ai |
focussing |
aka |
red; fighter with the red belt (in competition) |
ashi-barai |
foot sweeper |
ashi-geri |
kick of the foreleg |
ashi-sabaki | movement of the feet |
B
budo |
the whole of all martial arts |
budoka |
person practising a martial art |
bunkai |
practising the kata with partners |
bushido |
"way of the warrior" (code of honour of the samurai) |
C
chudan |
intermediate grade (region of the body: breast, belly) |
D
dachi |
position, Stance |
dai |
large |
dan |
master degree |
deshi |
pupil |
do |
way |
dojo |
school; place where "the way" is practised |
dojo-kun |
dojo rules |
E
empi-uchi |
elbow blow |
empi-uke | elbow defence |
encho | extension |
encho-sen | extension of the duration of fight (in competition) |
F
fudo-dachi |
position of power directed forward |
fudokan |
"house of stable foundations" |
fumi-kiri |
cutting kick |
fumi-komi |
stamping kick |
G
gasshuku |
course, seminar ("meeting of all training pupils") |
gedan |
lower grade (region of the body: legs, genitals) |
gedan-barai |
block defence from top to bottom |
geri |
kick |
geri waza |
the whole of the leg techniques |
go |
five |
goshin |
self-defence |
gyaku-tsuki |
mutual fist punch |
H
hachi |
eight |
hachiji-dachi |
open position of readiness |
hai |
Yes! OK! |
haito-uchi |
blow with the inside edge of the hand |
hajime |
Start! |
han |
half |
hangetsu-dachi |
half-moon position (knees inclined inwards) |
happo kumité |
fight against several attackers from various directions |
hara |
belly; centre of the body |
heiko |
balance |
heisoku-dachi |
closed foot position |
hidari |
left |
hiza-geri |
knee kick |
hyaku |
one hundred |
hyoshi |
rhythm |
I
ichi |
one |
ie |
no |
ippon |
whole point, one point (in competition) |
J
jiyu ippon kumité |
single attack from free fighting position |
jiyu kumité |
free fight |
jodan |
upper grade (region of the body: head, neck) |
ju |
ten |
juji-uke |
cross-hand block defence |
jutsu |
art, skill |
K
kage-tsuki |
hook fist punch |
kai-ashi |
step forward |
kakato geri |
heel kick (from top to bottom) |
kakiwake uke |
wedge block |
kamae |
readiness |
kara |
empty |
karate-do |
way of the empty hand |
karate-gi |
karate dress |
karatéka |
person practising karate-do |
kata |
form, defined movement (there are approximately 50 various traditional katas in the style shotokan) |
keage |
kick executing a quick circular swinging movement forward and backward |
kekomi |
pushing kick |
ken |
fist; sword |
ki |
energy |
kiai |
fight-cry (by fully tensing the belly muscles); focussing the energy on one single point |
kiba-dachi |
stable sideward-directed foot position (rider position) |
kihon |
basic lessons, basic techniques |
kihon ippon kumité |
single attack from the position according to the basic lessons |
kihon kumité |
fight according to the basic lessons |
kime |
focussing the whole physical energy on one single point while performing a karate technique |
kizami-tsuki |
fist punch of the front fist |
ko waza |
the whole of the hand-to-hand techniques |
kokoro |
heart, soul, feeling; inner attitude |
kokutsu-dachi |
backward-directed foot position |
kokyu |
breathing |
kosa-dachi |
crosswise position |
koshi-kaiten |
rotation of the hip |
koshi-sabaki |
movement of the hip |
ku |
nine |
kuatsu |
revival technique |
kumade |
bear paw (hand technique) |
kumité |
partner training, fight training (there are very different kinds of kumité) |
kuzushi waza |
the whole of the techniques to break the balance |
kyu |
pupil degree; bow |
M
maai |
distance |
mae-empi |
elbow blow forward |
mae-geri |
kick forward |
makiwara |
blowing board (a stable, flexible slat of wood wound round with straw) |
mawashi-empi |
semi-circular elbow blow |
mawashi-geri |
semi-circular kick with the instep or the ball of the foot |
mawashi-tsuki |
curved fist punch |
mawate |
turn |
metsuke |
look |
migi |
right |
mikazuki-geri |
semi-circular kick with the sole of the foot out of the straight hip |
mokusu |
phase of concentration |
musubi-dachi |
closed position of readiness |
N
nagashi-uke |
sweeping defence with the hand open |
nekoashi-dachi |
cat-foot position |
ni |
two |
nihon-tsuki |
double-fist punch |
nukité |
cutting movement with the fingers |
O
obi |
belt |
oi-tsuki |
equilateral fist punch |
osaekomi waza |
holds |
oss / osu | phonetic translation of the greeting in the dojo; literally: "To suffer and to bear." |
oyo kumité | fight against several attackers |
R
randori |
free training fight |
rei |
greeting (sign of respect) |
ren-geri |
multiple kick |
renmei |
union, association |
renoji-dachi |
L position |
ren-tsuki | multiple fist punch |
renzoku waza | the whole of the combination techniques |
roku | six |
S
sabaki |
movement in space; ducking flowingly; stabilizing, turning circular movement of the body maintaining the balance and / or the centre of gravity |
samurai |
member of the Japanese warrior class |
san |
three |
sanbon-tsuki |
triple fist punch |
satori |
enlightenment in the martial arts |
sei-ken |
forefist (fist knuckle) |
seiza |
heel seat (phase of concentration at the beginning and at the end of the training) |
sen |
initiative |
sensei |
teacher, master |
shi |
four |
shiai |
tournament, competition |
shiatsu |
Japanese finger-pressure therapy |
shichi |
seven |
shihan |
Grand Master |
shiko-dachi |
moving sideward-directed foot position |
shime waza |
the whole of the strangling techniques |
shin |
spirit |
shintai |
movement of the body |
shiro |
white; fighter with the white belt (in competition) |
shitei |
teacher-pupil relation |
shito |
fight for life and death |
sho |
beginning; small |
shogun |
military commander of the feudal Japan; governor of the emperor |
shotokan |
style of karate |
shuto-uchi |
blow with the outside edge of the hand |
shuto-uke |
block of the edge of the hand with the outside edge of the hand |
sochin-dachi |
position of energy (very deep position) |
sonkei |
respect |
soto | outside |
soto-ude-uke |
block defence from outside to inside |
suri-ashi | gliding movement (beginning with the forefoot) |
T
tai |
body; state of waiting |
tai-sabaki |
movement of the body in space; in a narrow sense "rotary motion" |
tameshiwari |
breaking test (boards, tiles, etc.) |
tate |
vertical |
tate-tsuki |
vertical fist punch |
te |
hand |
te waza |
the whole of the hand and arm techniques |
teisho-uchi |
blow with the ball of the thumb |
tettsui |
hammer-fist blow |
tobi |
jump |
tori |
attacker |
tsugi-ashi |
gliding movement (beginning with the hind foot) |
tsuki |
fist punch |
tsuki waza | the whole of the punching techniques |
U
uchi |
blowing technique; inside |
uchi-ude-uke |
block defence from inside to outside |
uchi waza |
the whole of the blowing techniques |
ude |
arm |
uke |
defender; defending technique |
ukemi |
fall, fall training |
uke waza |
the whole of the defending and block techniques |
ura-ken |
backhand fist blow |
uramawashi-geri |
reverse semi-circular kick |
ura-tsuki |
reverse fist punch |
ushiro-empi |
elbow blow backward |
ushiro-geri |
kick backward |
ushiro-mawashi-geri |
semi-circular kick turned over the back |
ushiro-uramawashi-geri |
reverse semi-circular kick turned over the back |
W
waza |
technique |
wazaari |
half point (in competition) |
Y
yakusoku kumité |
arranged fight |
yama |
mountain |
yame |
Stop! |
yoi |
Attention! Be ready! |
yoko-empi |
elbow blow sideward |
yoko-geri |
kick sideward |
yon | four |
Z
zanshin |
attention, presence of mind |
zen |
absorption, experience of enlightenment |
zenkutsu-dachi |
forward-directed foot position |
Count to 10 in Japanese
English | Japanese | Say | Do |
one | ichi | itchy | Scratch your |
two | ni | knee | Knee |
three | san | Sun | Point to sky |
four | shi | she | Point to girl |
five | go | go | Walk |
six | roku | rock | Rock 'n' Roll |
seven | shichi | shi-chi | Double Sneeze |
eight | hachi | hat-chi | Put on hat |
nine | kyu | coo | Coo like a dove |
ten | ju | ju | Chew (or don Jewish cap) |