With this karate dictionary, we would like to offer to all karatékas and interested persons an online book of reference translating and explaining principles of the karate terminology. Owing to the very extensive general vocabulary of the martial art karate, this dictionary may represent a limited part of the special terms only and, thus, does not lay claim to completeness. The spelling of the Japanese special terms corresponds to international standards. All terms are written in Latin transcription considering the pronunciation and are arranged in alphabetical order. |
| A B C D E F G H I J K M N O R S T U W Y Z |
|
age-empi |
elbow blow upwards |
|
age-uke |
block defence from bottom to top |
|
ai |
focussing |
|
aka |
red; fighter with the red belt (in competition) |
|
arigato |
thank you |
|
ashi-barai |
foot sweeper |
|
ashi-geri |
kick of the foreleg |
| ashi-sabaki | movement of the feet |
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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) |
|
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chudan |
intermediate grade (region of the body: breast, belly) |
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dachi |
position |
|
dai |
large |
|
dan |
master degree |
|
deshi |
pupil |
|
do |
way |
|
dojo |
school; place where "the way" is practised |
|
dojo-kun |
dojo rules |
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empi-uchi |
elbow blow |
| empi-uke | elbow defence |
| encho | extension |
| encho-sen | extension of the duration of fight (in competition) |
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fudo-dachi |
position of power directed forward |
|
fudokan |
"house of stable foundations" |
|
fumi-kiri |
cutting kick |
|
fumi-komi |
stamping kick |
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|
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 |
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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 |
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|
ichi |
one |
|
ie |
no |
|
ikken hissatsu |
killing with one punch |
|
ippon |
whole point, one point (in competition) |
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|
jissen |
real (serious) fight |
|
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 |
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kage-tsuki |
hook fist punch |
|
kai-ashi |
step forward |
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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 |
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kosa-dachi |
crosswise position |
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koshi-kaiten |
rotation of the hip |
|
koshi-sabaki |
movement of the hip |
|
ku |
nine |
|
kuatsu |
revival technique |
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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 |
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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 |
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|
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 |
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|
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 |
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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 |
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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) |
|
sempai |
advanced pupil |
|
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 |
|
sun dome |
stopping the techniques 3 cm in front of the target |
| suri-ashi | gliding movement (beginning with the forefoot) |
|
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|
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 |
|
todome waza |
final blow |
|
tori |
attacker |
|
tsugi-ashi |
gliding movement (beginning with the hind foot) |
|
tsuki |
fist punch |
| tsuki waza | the whole of the punching techniques |
|
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|
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 |
|
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|
waza |
technique |
|
wazaari |
half point (in competition) |
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|
yakusoku kumité |
arranged fight |
|
yama |
mountain |
|
yame |
Stop! |
|
yoi |
Attention! Be ready! |
|
yoko-empi |
elbow blow sideward |
|
yoko-geri |
kick sideward |
| yon | four |
|
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|
zanshin |
attention, presence of mind |
|
zen |
absorption, experience of enlightenment |
|
zenkutsu-dachi |
forward-directed foot position |
| zhu | ten |
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