Basic Karate TerminologyCounting ichi - one ni - two san - three shi (or yon) - four go - five roku - six shichi (or nana) - seven hachi - eight ku (or kyu) - nine ju (or jyu) - ten Body Parts & Targets jodan - upper level (usually refers to the head) chudan - middle level (usually refers to the solar plexus) gedan - lower level (usually refers to the groin) te - hand (as in karate, which means 'empty hand') ude - arm ashi - leg or foot kubi - neck tekubi - wrist (lit. 'hand-neck') ashikubi - ankle (lit. 'foot-neck') hiza - knee hiji - elbow koshi - hip(s) Kihon (Basic Techniques) shizentai - 'natural' standing position heisokudachi - feet together and knees usually bent heikodachi - feet apart & parallel zenkutsudachi - front stance kokutsudachi - back stance kibadachi - side stance tsuki - punch keri - kick uke - block harai (barai) - sweep chokuzuki - straight punch kizamizuki - jab gyakuzuki - reverse punch oizuki - lunge (stepping in) punch maegeri - front kick yokogeri - side kick ushirogeri - back kick mawashigeri - roundhouse kick keage - rising/snapping kick (often refers to side snap kick) kekomi - thrusting kick (often refers to the side thrust kick) ashibarai - foot/leg sweep ageuke - rising block sotouke - outside block uchiuke - inside block gedanbarai - down (sweeping) block shutouke - knife-hand block uraken(uchi) - back-fist (strike) empi(uchi) - elbow (strike) shomen - hips straight/facing front (also the area in the front of the dojo) hanmi - hips to the side ("half-face") gyakuhanmi - hips twisted to the reverse side (reverse half-face) Kumite (Sparring) kihon ippon kumite - basic one-step sparring kihon sanbon kumite - basic three-step sparring kihon gohon kumite - basic five-step sparring jyuu-ippon kumite - semi-free sparring jyuu kumite - free sparring Kata (Forms: predefined sets of movements) Taikyoku Shodan Heian Shodan Heian Nidan Heian Sandan Heian Yondan Heian Godan Tekki Shodan Tekki Nidan Tekki Sandan Jion Bassai Dai Kanku Dai Empi Jitte Hangetsu Jiin Gankaku Bassai Sho Kanku Sho Meikyo Chinte Nijushiho Gojushiho Sho Gojushiho Dai Sochin Wankan Unsu (other kata practiced less frequently) Other terms frequently used in the dojo dojo - training hall seiza - traditional (formal) sitting position rei - bow shomen - front of the dojo sensei - instructor sempai - senior kohai - junior osu - all-purpose martial arts greeting yoi - ready hajime(ru) - begin yame(ru) - stop/finish migi - right hidari - left mokuso - silent meditation makiwara - literally, 'rolled straw' - the traditional striking board of karate used to increase focus of punches & strikes. The board was covered with a straw pad at the striking area (usually cotton/canvas nowadays). kime - focus (lit. decisiveness, but more often used to describe physical commitment in the form of timing of muscular contraction) waza - technique dojo-kun - the creed (motto) of karate, repeated at the end of each class tokui kata - test/favorite (lit. specialty) kata owari - the end |
Karate Vocabulary |