Karate Japanese

Bushi-Do Karate Academy

Founded in 1986 by
Shihan Jack Matthews
Cape Town, South Africa

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Karate Japanese

This list of terms includes almost all the Japanese words we use in the dojo and some that we don’t, in transliterated Japanese. They are divided into categories and then listed alphabetically in Japanese.

Each dojo in the West tends to develop their own pronunciation, often mutually unintelligible. Many of these terms have made it into our culture, and it is interesting to note that the Microsoft American English spell checker recognises about a quarter of them.

General

Counting

One	Ichi
Two	Ni
Three	San
Four	Shi
Five	Go
Six	Roku
Seven	Shichi
Eight	Hachi
Nine	Ku
Ten	Ju
Twenty	Niju
Thirty	Sanju
Forty	Yonju
Fifty	Goju
Sixty	Rokuju
Seventy	Nanaju
Eighty	Hachiju
Ninety	Kuju
One Hundred	Hyaku

Dans (Black Belt levels)

First Dan	Shodan
Second dan	Nidan
Third Dan	Sandan
Forth Dan	Yondan

Stances

Heisoku Dachi	Closed foot stance (feet together)
Musubi Dachi	Formal attention stance (heels together, feet at an angle)
Heiko Dachi	Parallel stance (feet shoulder width apart)
Migi Heiko Dachi	Right foot forward Heiko Dachi
Hachiji Dachi	Natural stance (feet shoulder width apart, toes pointed slightly out)
Uchi Hachiji Dachi	Natural stance with heels out and toes in
Shiko Dachi	Straddle leg stance
Naname Shiko Dachi	Diagonal straddle leg stance
Kiba Dachi	Horse riding stance
Sanchin Dachi	Hourglass stance
Zenkutsu Dachi	Front stance
Han Zenkutsu Dachi	Half front stance
Fudo Dachi	Free stance
Kokutsu Dachi	Back stance
Neko Ashi Dachi	Cat foot stance
Renoji Dachi	The letter "Re" stance (or "L" stance)
Sesan Dachi	Side facing straddle stance
Sagiashi Dachi	Heron stance
Bensoku Dachi.	Cross-legged stance (also known as female horse stance or Kosa Dachi)
Naihanchi Dachi	Kiba Dachi with the heels out and toes in

Blocks

Gedan Barai	Downward block
Uchi Uke.	Inside forearm block
Soto Uke	Outside forearm block
Chudan Uke	Inside circular block
Jodan Uke	Upward block
Age Uke	Rising block
Shuto Uke	Knife hand block
Shotei Uke	Palm heel block
Shotei Otoshi Uke	Open hand dropping block
Yoko Uke	Circular block
Hiki Uke	Pulling/grasping block
Ko Uke	Wrist block
Gedan Uchi Barai	Outside downward block (open hand)
Ura Uke	Back hand block
Hiji Uke	Elbow block
Mawashi Uke	Round house block
Morote Uke	Augmented block
Sukui Uke	Scooping block
Nagashi Uke	Sweeping block
Kosa Uke	Cross block
Hiza Uke.	Knee block
Sokutei Osae Uke	Pressing block with the sole of the foot
Sokutei Harai Uke	Sole of the foot block
Haisoku Barai	Instep block

Hand Techniques (strikes and punches)

Seiken Tsuki	Fore fist strike
Oi Tsuki	Lunge punch
Gyaku Tsuki	Reverse punch
Age Tsuki	Rising punch
Nihon Tsuki	Double punch
Sanbon Tsuki	Triple punch
Kagi Tsuki	Hook punch
Yama Tsuki	Mountain punch
Awase Tsuki	U-punch
Heiko Tsuki	Parallel punch
Hasami Tsuki	Scissors punch
Nagashi Tsuki	Flowing punch
Nakadaka Ken	Middle finger knuckle fist
Ko Uchi	Bent wrist strike
Kote Uchi	Forearm strike
Kama-De	Bear hand
Washi-De	Eagle hand
Empi	Elbow strike
Choku Tsuki	Straight punch
Ura Tsuki	Short punch (palm side up)
Uraken Uchi	Back fist strike
Shuto Uchi	Knife hand strike
Haito Uchi	Ridge hand strike
Hiji Uchi	Elbow strike
Tettsui Uchi	Bottom fist strike (or hammer fist strike)
Nukite Tsuki	Finger thrust
Shotei Uchi	Palm heel strike
Shotei Tsuki	Palm heel thrust
Keikoken Tsuki	One knuckle fist
Kaikoken Tsuki	Crab shell fist
Boshiken Tsuki	Thumb fist
Furi Tsuki	Circular punch
Mawashi Tsuki	Round hook punch
Tate Tsuki	Vertical punch
Kizami Tsuki	Leading punch, or jab

Foot Techniques

Mae Geri Keage	Front snap kick
Mae Geri Kekomi	Front thrust kick
Yoko Geri Keage	Side snap kick
Yoko Geri Kekomi	Side thrust kick
Mawashi Geri	Round house kick
Ushiro Mawashi Geri	Round house to the rear kick
Gyaku Mawashi Geri	Reverse round house kick
Ushiro Geri	Back thrust kick
Kanketsu Geri	Stamping kick, joint kick
Hiza Geri	Knee kick (also called Hiza Ate)
Nidan Geri	Double front snap kick (back leg first)
Ren Geri	Double front snap kick (front leg first)
Ashi Barai	Foot sweep
Mae Tobi Geri	Jumping front kick
Tobi Nidan Geri	Jumping double kick
Yoko Tobi Geri	Jumping side thrust kick
Kakato Geri	Heel kick
Fumikomi Geri	Stamping kick
Tsumasaki Geri	Kicking with the tips of the toes
Haisoku Geri	Kicking with the instep
Sokuto Geri	Kicking with the foot edge

Alphabetic

Age Tsuki	Rising punch
Age Uke	Rising block
Ashi Barai	Foot sweep
Awase Tsuki	U-punch
Bensoku Dachi.	Cross-legged stance (also female horse stance or Kosa Dachi)
Boshiken Tsuki	Thumb fist
Choku Tsuki	Straight punch
Chudan	Middle area
Chudan Uke	Inside circular block
Empi	Elbow strike
Fudo Dachi	Free stance
Fumikomi Geri	Stamping kick
Furi Tsuki	Circular punch
Gedan	Lower area
Gedan Barai	Downward block
Gedan Uchi Barai	Outside downward block (open hand)
Go	Five
Goju	Fifty
Gyaku Mawashi Geri	Reverse round house kick
Gyaku Tsuki	Reverse punch
Hachi	Eight
Hachiji Dachi	Natural stance (feet shoulder width apart, toes pointed slightly out)
Hachiju	Eighty
Haisoku Barai	Instep block
Haisoku Geri	Kicking with the instep
Haito Uchi	Ridge hand strike
Hajime	Begin
Han Zenkutsu Dachi	Half front stance
Hasami Tsuki	Scissors punch
Heiko Dachi	Parallel stance (feet shoulder width apart)
Heiko Tsuki	Parallel punch
Heisoku Dachi	Closed foot stance (feet together)
Hidari	Left
Hiji Uchi	Elbow strike
Hiji Uke	Elbow block
Hiki Uke	Pulling/grasping block
Hiza Geri	Knee kick (also called Hiza Ate)
Hiza Uke.	Knee block
Hyaku	One Hundred
Ichi	One
Jodan	Upper area
Jodan Uke	Upward block
Ju	Ten
Kagi Tsuki	Hook punch
Kaikoken Tsuki	Crab shell fist
Kakato Geri	Heel kick
Kama-De	Bear hand
Kamae	Ready and alert
Kanketsu Geri	Stamping kick, joint kick
Keikoken Tsuki	One knuckle fist
Kiba Dachi	Horse riding stance
Kime	Focus
Kizami Tsuki	Leading punch, or jab
Ko Uchi	Bent wrist strike
Ko Uke	Wrist block
Kokutsu Dachi	Back stance
Kosa Uke	Cross block
Kote Uchi	Forearm strike
Ku	Nine
Kuju	Ninety
Kumite.	Sparring
Mae Geri Keage	Front snap kick
Mae Geri Kekomi	Front thrust kick
Mae Tobi Geri	Jumping front kick
Mawashi Geri	Round house kick
Mawashi Tsuki	Round hook punch
Mawashi Uke	Round house block
Migi	Right
Migi Heiko Dachi	Right foot forward Heiko Dachi
Morote Uke	Augmented block
Musubi Dachi	Formal attention stance (heels together, feet at an angle)
Nagashi Tsuki	Flowing punch
Nagashi Uke	Sweeping block
Naihanchi Dachi	Kiba Dachi with the heels out and toes in
Nakadaka Ken	Middle finger knuckle fist
Nanaju	Seventy
Naname Shiko Dachi	Diagonal straddle leg stance
Neko Ashi Dachi	Cat foot stance
Ni	Two
Nidan	Second dan
Nidan Geri	Double front snap kick (back leg first)
Nihon Tsuki	Double punch
Niju	Twenty
Nukite Tsuki	Finger thrust
Oi Tsuki	Lunge punch
Randori	co-operative sparring
Rei	Bow
Ren Geri	Double front snap kick (front leg first)
Renoji Dachi	The letter "Re" stance (or "L" stance)
Roku	Six
Rokuju	Sixty
Sagiashi Dachi	Heron stance
San	Three
Sanbon Tsuki	Triple punch
Sanchin Dachi	Hourglass stance
Sandan	Third Dan
Sanju	Thirty
Seiken Tsuki	Fore fist strike
Sesan Dachi	Side facing straddle stance
Shi	Four
Shichi	Seven
Shiko Dachi	Straddle leg stance
Shodan	First Dan
Shotei Otoshi Uke	Open hand dropping block
Shotei Tsuki	Palm heel thrust
Shotei Uchi	Palm heel strike
Shotei Uke	Palm heel block
Shuto Uchi	Knife hand strike
Shuto Uke	Knife hand block
Sokutei Harai Uke	Sole of the foot block
Sokutei Osae Uke	Pressing block with the sole of the foot
Sokuto Geri	Kicking with the foot edge
Soto Uke	Outside forearm block
Sukui Uke	Scooping block
Tate Tsuki	Vertical punch
Tettsui Uchi	Bottom fist strike (or hammer fist strike)
Tobi Nidan Geri	Jumping double kick
Tsumasaki Geri	Kicking with the tips of the toes
Uchi Hachiji Dachi	Natural stance with heels out and toes in
Uchi Uke.	Inside forearm block
Ura Tsuki	Short punch (palm side up)
Ura Uke	Back hand block
Uraken Uchi	Back fist strike
Ushiro Geri	Back thrust kick
Ushiro Mawashi Geri	Round house to the rear kick
Washi-De	Eagle hand
Yama Tsuki	Mountain punch
Yame	Stop
Yoi	Ready
Yoko Geri Keage	Side snap kick
Yoko Geri Kekomi	Side thrust kick
Yoko Tobi Geri	Jumping side thrust kick
Yoko Uke	Circular block
Yondan	Forth Dan
Yonju	Forty
Zenkutsu Dachi	Front stance

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