AGE  rising

AGE TSUKI  rising punch

AGE UCHI  upward strike

AGE UKE to intercept an attack with a rising arm

AGO  chin/jaw

AGO OSHI  to push an opponent's chin upward to destroy his balance or to put his body out of alignment.

AITE  opponent

AIUCHI  simultaneous scoring technique. No point awarded to either contestant. Referee brings fists together in front of the chest.

AKA  red

AKA (SHIRO) IPPON  red (White) Scores Ippon. The Referee obliquely raises his arm on the side of the winner (as in ...NO KACHI).

AKA (SHIRO) NO KACHI   red (White) Wins! The Referee obliquely raises his arm on the side of the winner.

AKA OBI    red belt

AKIRESU KEN   Achilles tendon

AKUSHO  a handshake

ANATOSHI  trapping

ANTEI   balance

ANZA   informalsitting position with the legs crossed in front and the body resting on the buttocks

AOYAGI   green willow (name of a kata)

ARASHI  storm

ARIGATO GOZAIMASHITA  thank you for what you have done.

ARIGATO GOZAIMASU  thank you for what you are doing.

ASHI  foot

ASHI BARAI  foot sweep

ASHI FUMIKAE  changing the leg

ASHI KUBI  angle

ASHI KUBI HISHIGI   ankle crush

ASHI NOKOU  instep

ASHI NOURA  sole of foot

ASHI SABAKI   footwork

ASHI URA    sole of the foot

ASHI WAZA  name given to all leg and foot techniques

ASHI YUBI  toes

ATAMA  head

ATE   strike or smash

ATEMI  strike, blow aimed at weak point

ATEMI JUTSU  art of vital point striking

ATEMI WAZA   striking techniques that are normally used in conjunction with grappling and throwing techniques

ATENAI YONI  warning without penalty. This may be imposed for attended minor infractions or for the first instance of a minor infraction. The referee raises one hand in a fist with the other hand covering it at chest level and shows it to the offender.

ATOSHI BARAKU   a little more time left. An audible signal will be given by the timekeeper 30 seconds before the actual end of the bout.

AWASE TSUKI   U-punch

AWASSE  slow

AWASSE KUMITE  slow sparring

AYUMI ASHI  stepping

BARAI  sweep. The same word as harai. It comes from harau, meaning to sweep.

BASSAI  to breach a fortress (name of a kata)

BIKOTSU (BITEIKOTSU)  coccyx

BIRYOU  bridge of nose

BO  staff. A long stick used as a weapon (approximately 6 feet or 1.8 metres long).

BOGYO ROKU KYODO  six defense actions. A basic drill of the Japan Karate-Do Ryobu-Kai. Uses the old names of techniques such as AGE TE, HARAI TE (or gedan barai), SOTO YOKO TE, UCHI YOKO TE, SHUTO TE, and SUKUI TE.

BOJUTSU (BOJITSU)  long staff techniques

BOKKEN  a wooden sword.

BOSHIKEN TSUKI  thumb fist

BU NO CHIKARA  martial strength

BUBUSHI (BUBISHI)  an Okinawan manual passed down in some karate lineages. It contains various items of information considered important to a martial artist such as vital point drawings and medicines. It is known as the Wubeizhi in Chinese. It contains material from the Fujian white crane (Fuken-sho hakutsuruken) and Luohan quan (Rakanken) which originated in the Fuzhou area of China.

BUDO  Martial way. The Japanese character for

BU (martial) is derived from characters meaning, STOP and a weapon like a Halberd. In conjunction, then, BU may have the connotation To stop the halberd. In Karate, there is an assumption that the best way to prevent violent conflict is to emphasize the cultivation of individual character. The way (DO) of Karate is thus equivalent to the way of BU, taken in this sense of preventing or avoiding violence so far as possible.

BUJUTSU (BUJITSU)  martial arts

BUKI  weapons

BUNKAI  a study of the techniques and applications in KATA.

BUSHIDO  way of the warrior
 

CHAKUZA  act of kneeling and settling into seiza

CHI MAI  short distance

CHIKAMA  a fighting distance that is close enough to strike without needing to step to bridge the gap to the opponent.

CHIKARA  power

CHIMU  liver (Okinawan)

CHINTO  fighting to the east (name of a kata)

CHIPURU  head (Okinawan)

CHOKU  straight (name of kata)

CHOKU TSUKI  straight punch

CHUDAN  mid-section

CHUDAN TSUKI  punch to the mid-section of the opponent's body

CHUDAN UKE  to receive a mid-section attack

DACHI  stance

DACHI KATA  stances

DAI SENSEI  senior instructor

DAIGAKU  university

DAN  level

DANI  level, Rank or Degree. (Black Belt rank. Ranks under Black Belt are called KYU ranks.)

DE GEIKO  advanced training. It is used to mean travelling around training in other styles and other schools.

DESHI  student

DO  way/path. The Japanese character for DO is the same as the Chinese character for Tao (as in Taoism). In Karate, the connotation is that of a way of attaining enlightenment or a way of improving one's character through traditional training.

DOGI  uniform

DOJI  simultaneously

DOJO  literally, 'place of the way'. Also, Place of Enlightenment. The place where we practice Karate. Traditional etiquette prescribes bowing in the direction of the designated front of the dojo (SHOMEN) whenever entering or leaving the dojo.

DOJO KUN  the maxims of a school. They vary from style to style and art to art.

DOKKO  pressure point in hollow behind jawbone and below ears

DOKUSAN  private interview

DOMO  thanks. (casual form)

DOMO ARIGATO GOZAIMASHITA  Japanese for thank you very much. At the end of each class, it is proper to bow and thank the instructor and those with whom you've trained

.
DORI (TORI)  take, grab, grasp. To control.

DOSA  drill, exercise.
 

EKKU  a wooden oar used by the Okinawans which was improvised as a weapon.

EMBUSEN   line of action or movement. It is used as meaning the floor pattern of a given kata.

EMPI  elbow (sometimes HIJI) One of the Black Belt level KATA, translated as The Flight of a Sparrow.

EMPI UCHI  elbow strike (also called HIJI-ATE)

ENCHO-SEN  extension. After a draw, the match goes into overtime. Referee reopens match with command SHOBU HAJIME.

ENSHU  drill or exercise.

ERI   lapel

ERI DORI  grabbing the collar. They are techniques using control of the lapel or collar to control or strangle an opponent.

ERI KUBI  nape or back of neck
 

FUDO DACHI  rooted stance

FUJIBUN  not enough power

FUKU  heart (Okinawan)

FUKUBU  abdomen

FUKUSHIN SHUGO  judges conference

FUMI KIRI GERI  sickle or crescent kick.

FUMI KOMI  stomping action.

FUMI KOMI GERI  stomp kick, usually applied to the knee, shin, or instep of an opponent.

FUMIKAE ASHI  switching

FURI  swing, shake, or flail.

FURI TSUKI  circular punch

FURISUTE UKE  deflect an attack by swinging the arm

FUTOKORO chest
 

GAESHI  reversal/throw

GAKKA  lesson. Learn a lesson

GAMMEN  back fist

GAMMEN UCHI  back fist snap strike

GAN  eye

GANKA  vital point located between fifth and sixth rib

GANMEN  face/front of head

GANMEN SHUTO  knife hand to face

GANRIKI  "eye power"

GARAMI NAGE  front-arm wrap throw

GARI  reap

GASSHUKUA  special training camp

GATAME  arm bar

GAWA  side

GEDAN  lower section

GEDAN BARAI  downward sweep with the arm

GEDAN JUJI UKE  crossing arms to receive a lower attack

GEDAN TSUKI  punch to the lower section of the opponent's body

GEDAN UKE  receiving a lower level attack

GEDAN WA UKE  union lower block

GENKI  original spirit. health

GERI  kick

GI (DO GI) (KEIKO GI) (KARATE GI)  training costume

GIRI  a Japanese concept which means a "self-imposed sense of duty" or "a social obligation".
GO  hardness or external force, five

GO NO SEN  the tactic where one allows the opponent to attack first so to open up a target for a counter attack.
GODAN  fifth level

GOHON  five finger strike

GOJU RYU  hard-soft style

GOJUSHIHO  fifty four steps (name of a kata)

GOKYU  fifth class

GOMEN NASAI  excuse me (casual form)

GOSHI  hip throw

GUAI SHOKU  vital point on back side of fist

GURUMA  wheel-like throw

GYAKU  reverse, opposite, or mirror image.

GYAKU JUJI JIME  reverse cross choke

GYAKU MAWASHI GERI  reverse round-house kick

GYAKU TSUKI  reverse punch
 

HACHI  eight

HACHI DAN  eighth level

HACHI KYU  eighth class

HACHIJI DACHI  naturalstance, feet positioned about one shoulder width apart, with feet pointed slightly outward.

HACHIMACHI  towel used as headband

HADA  skin

HADAKE  naked

HADAKE JIME  naked choke

HAFFA  white swan (name of a kata)

HAI  lung / yes (I understand)

HAI YAME  please stop.

HAISHU UCHI  strike with the back of the hand

HAISHU UKE  block using the back of the hand

HAISOKU  instep

HAISOKU GERI  instep kick

HAITO  ridge-hand

HAITO UCHI  ridge-hand strike

HAJIME  begin (command given to start a given drill, kata, or kumite)

HAJIME SHASTE KUDASAI  permission to begin, please.

HAN  half

HAN ZENKUTSU DACHI  half size Zenkutsu dachi

HANA  nose

HANGEKI  counterattack

HANMI  half-face

HANSHI  Master. An honorary title given to the highest Black Belt of an organization, signifying their understanding of their art.

HANSOKU  foul. This is imposed following a very serious infraction. It results in the opponents score being raised to SANBON.

 

HANSOKU is also invoked when the number of

HANSOKU-CHUI and KEIKOKU imposed raise the opponents score to SANBON. The Referee points with his index finger to the face of the offender at a 45 degree angle and announces a victory for the opponent. HANSOKU CHUI Warning with an IPPON penalty. This is a penalty in which IPPON is added to the opponents score. HANSOKU-CHUI is usually imposed for infractions for which a KEIKOKU has previously been given in that bout. The Referee points with his index finger to the abdomen of the offender of the offender parallel to the floor.

HANTAI NI  in the opposite direction.

HANTEI   judgment. Referee calls for judgment by blowing his whistle and the Judges render their decision by flag signal.

HANTEI KACHI  winner by decision

HAPPO  eight direction

HAPPOREN or PAPPOREN  eight steps at a time (name of a kata)

HARA  stomach

HARAI  sweep

HARAI GOSHI  hip sweep

HARAI OTOSHI UKE  lower downward

sweeping block

 

HARAI TE  sweeping technique with the arm

HARAI WAZA  sweeping techniques

HASAMI TSUKI  scissor punch

HEIAN  peaceful mind (name of a kata)

HEIKI  arms

HEIKO DACHI  parallel foot stance

HEIKO TSUKI  parallel punch (a double, simultaneous punch)

HEISOKU  top of foot

HEISOKU DACHI  informal attention stance (feet together and pointed straight forward)

HENKA WAZA  techniques used after OYO WAZA is applied. HENKA WAZA is varied and many, dependent on the given condition.

HICHU  vital point located below throat on suprasternal notch

HIDARI  left

HIJI  elbow (also known as Empi)

HIJI ATE  elbow strike (also called EMPI UCHI

)
HIJI ATEMI  elbow strikes

HIJI UKE  blocking action using the elbow

HIKI ASHI  pulling leg

HIKI UKE  pulling grasping block

HIKI-TE  the retracting (pulling and twisting) arm during a technique. It gives the balance of power to the forward moving technique. It can also be used as a pulling technique after a grab, or a strike backward with the elbow.

HIKIWAKE  draw. Referee crosses arms over chest, then uncrosses and holds arms out from the body with the palms showing upwards.

HIRA  inside of hand

HIRA BASAMI  strike with inside of hand scissor like

HIRAKEN  half-fist

HIRAKEN TSUKI  four knuckle thrust (leopard punch)

HIRAKI ASHI  open-leg step (an advanced footwork technique applied when a diagonal movement would prove advantageous in avoiding an opponents attack and open opportunities for a counterattack. Hiraki means open. As the name implies, this footwork allows a person to step out of the way, opening the path of an advancing opponent, while maintaining correct guard posture of the body and feet)

HIRATE UCHI  slapping strike

HITOOCHI (OCHI)  push

HITOSASHI IPPON KEN  forefinger knuckle

HITTSUI  knee hammer

HIZA GERI  knee kick

HIZA UKE  blocking action using the knee

HOKEI  square form

HOMBU DOJO  term used to refer to the central dojo of an organization

HYOSHI  rhythm, timing