Commonly Used Japanese Terminology in the WKA

• Dojo: school, training place
• Karate: "empty hand"
• Karate-do: the way of empty hand
• Sensei: Teacher
• Sempai: senior (higher rank or position)
• Kohai: junior (lower rank or position)
• Dohai: peer, equal (same rank or position)
• Obi: belt
• Gi: karate uniform
• Seiretsu: Line up
• Kiotsuke : Attention
• Rei: bow
• Mokuso: Mediation, reflection
• Mokuso Yame: Stop the meditation, reflection
• Kokki Ni Mukkatte, Rei : Respect to the flag
• Sensei, onegaishimasu, rei: Teacher, please train us, bow
• Yame: Stop
• Naotte: at ease
• Mawatte: Turn around
• Yoi: preparation, ready
• Kime: focus
• Kihon: fundamentals, basics
• Yasume: rest, at ease
• Seiza: kneel down
• Kiai: yell, expression of breath control
• Karate-ka: Karate student, practitioner
• Keiko: practice
• Otagai- ni-Rei: To each other, bow
• Ossu: an expression of respect, "push patience"
• Hajime: Begin
• Sun-Dome: arresting a technique
• Tai-Sabaki: switching a stance
• Tekubi: wrist
• Ude: arm
• Uke Gae: changing blocks
• Uraken: Back fist
• Uraken uchi: back fist strike
• Ura Zuki: close punch
• Yori Ashi: sliding of the feet
• Zanshin: final finish
• Ashi: foot or leg
• Choku Zuki: Straight punch
• Chudan : middle level
• Chudan Barai: Mid level block
• Chudan uchi: mid level strike
• Chudan Zuki: mid level Punch
• Dan: black belt ranking ("man")
• Enpi/ or sometimes "Empi": elbow
• Enpi Mae Uchi: Elbow strike to the front
• Enpi Uchi: Elbow strike
• Gedan: Lower degree, level
• Hidari: Left
• Hidari Naname-Mae: Technique executed toward the forward left direction
• Hidari ashi mae: Left foot forward
• Hitai: Forehead
• Hiza Age-Ate: Rising Knee Strike
• Ikken Hissatsu: To kill with one blow
• Jiku Ashi: pivot Leg
• Jodan: upper level
• Jotai: upper Body
• Juji Uke: x block
• Kagi Zuki: Hook punch
• Kamae: Posture
• Ken: fist
• Kentsui: Hammer Fist
• Kiai: sharp yell with focus
• Koshi: hip, side
• Kumite: sparring
• Kyu: colored belt ranking
• Mae: front
• Migi: right
• Migi ashi mae: Right foot forward
• Mune: chest
• Nukite: spear hand
• Oi Zuki: lunge punch, moving straight punch
• Ren Zuki: alternate punching
• Shihon Nukite: four finger spear hand
• Sho: Palm
• Shomen:Front
• Shuto: Sword hand
• Shuto Mawashi Uchi: Roundhouse Sword Hand Strike
• Suigetsu: Solar Plexus, chest
• Tatte: stand up
• Ushiro: behind/back
• Kata: Form (a pre-arranged pattern of defensive and offensive techniques against multiple imaginary opponents)

Kazu: Counting

Counting/Kazu is usually done in increments of ten for exercises and drills:

• 1 Ichi: one
• 2 Ni: two
• 3 San: three
• 4 Shi (yon): four
• 5 Go: five
• 6 Roku: six
• 7 Shichi: seven
• 8 Hachi: eight
• 9 Kyu:nine
• 10 Jyu: ten
• 11 Jyu Ichi: eleven
• 20 Ni Jyu: twenty
• 21 Ni Jyu Ichi: twenty one
• 100 Hyaku: one hundred

• Shodan: first degree
• Shodan-ho: probationary status of first degree rank of black belt
• Nidan: Second degree
• Sandan: Third degree
• Yondan: Fourth degree
• Godan: Fifth degree
• Shiai Kumite: competition sparring or tournament sparring
• Jiyu Kumite (sometimes Jyu or Jiiyu): free sparring
• Ippon kumite: one step sparring
  
• Sanbon kumite: three step sparring

Kicks and leg techniques

• Ashikubi-kade-uke: Leg hooking block
• Geri or Keri: Kick
• Gyaku Mawashi Geri: Reverse roundhouse kick
• Mawashi shittsui-geri: Roundhouse knee kick
• Mae Geri: Front kick
• Mae Geri Kekomi: Front thrust kick
• Mae Geri Keage: Front snap kick
• Mae shittsui-geri: Front knee kick
• Mikazuki Geri: Crescent kick
• Mawashi Geri: Roundhouse kick
• Yoko Geri: Side Kick
• Yoko Kekomi: side thrust kick
• Yoko Keage: Side snap kick
• Ushiro-geri: Back kick
• Ushiro-geri kekomi: Back thrust kick
• Ushiro-geri keage:Back snap kick
• Ushiro Mawashi-geri: Back roundhouse kick
• Ura Geri: Back kick
• Mikazuki-geri: crescent kick
• Ashi barai: foot/leg sweep
• En-sho: Round heel
• Fumikiri Geri: Cutting kick
• Fumikomi Geri: Stamping kick
• Gedan-kekomi: Thrust kick to groin
• Kesa-geri: Diagonal kick
• Kebanashi: kick off, snap kick
• Nidan-geri: Double jump kick
• Renzoku-geri:Combination Kick
• Sokuto Keage: Snap kick with foot edge
• Shittsui: Knee-hammer
• Tobi-keri: Jump kick
• Tobi-yoko-geri: Jumping side kick
• Yoko-geri-kekomi: Side thrust kick
• Yoko-tobi-geri: jumping side kick
• Yoko-geri-keage: snapping side kick

Directional Kicks

• Zenpo geri: Front kicks
• Sokumen geri: Side kicks
• Kiho geri: Back kicks

Blocks

• Gedan Barai: Down block
• Age uke: Rising block
• Soto uke: outside block
• Uchi Uke: inside block
• Shuto Uke: knife hand block/technique
• Haito uke: Outward ridge hand block
• Hiji-suri-uke: Elbow sliding block
• Kakiwake uke: Reverse wedge block
• Kakuto-uke: Bent wrist block
• Keito-uke: Chicken-head-wrist block
• Kake-shuto-uke: Hooking block
• Maeude-hineri-uke: Forearm twist block
• Morote-zuki: Augmented forearm block.
• Morote-tsukami-uke: Two handed grasping block
• Morote-sukui-uke: Two handed scooping block
• Maeude-deai-osae: Forearm pressing block
• Nagashi-uke: sweeping block
• Otoshi-uke: Dropping Block
• Otoshi ude uke: Downward forearm block
• Otoshi teisho uke: Downward palm heel block
• Seiryu-uke: Ox-jaw block
• Sokumen-awase-uke: Two handed side block
• Sokutei-mawashi-uke: Circular sole Block
• Sokuto-osae-uke: Pressing block with foot edge
• Sukui-uke: Scooping block
• Teisho-awase-uke: Combined palm heel block
• Teisho-uke:Palm heel block
• Tekubi-kake-uke: Wrist hook block
• Tekubi-kake uke: Hooking wrist block
• Te-osae-uke: Hand pressing block
• Tsukami-uke: Grasping block
• Te-nagashi-uke: Hand sweeping block

Punches and hand techniques

• Choku -zuki: Straight punch
• Tsuki: punch
• Gyaku-zuki: Reverse Punch
• Neren -zuki: Double punch
• Oi zuki: Moving straight punch
• Morote zuki: U punch
• Kiazmi-zuki: Jab punch with lead
• Nukite-uchi: Spear hand
• Uraken-uchi: Back fist
• Haito Uchi: Ridge Hand Strike
• Hiji Ate: Elbow strike
• Shotei Uchi: Palm Heel Strike
• Kentsui or Tettsui Uchi: Hammer Strike
• Enpi-uchi: elbow strike
• Morote-zuki: Double fist punch
• Nagashi-zuki: Flowing punch
• Nakadaka-ippon-ken: Middle finger one-knuckle punch
• Nakadaka-ken: Middle finger knuckle fist
• Nihon-nukite: Two finger spear-hand
• Nukite: Spear-hand,straight thrust
• Otoshi-empi-uchi: Downward elbow strike
• Renzuki: Alternate punching
• Sanren-zuki: Three consecutive punches
• Seiyuto-uke: Ox jaw hand
• Tate-shuto-uke: Vertical knife-hand block
• Teisho/Shotei: Palm heel
• Teisho/Shotei-uchi: Palm heel strike
• Uraken: Back fist
• Uraken uchi: Back fist strike
• Ushiro-hiji-ate: Back elbow strike
• Washide: Eagle hand
• Yama-zuki: Wide U punch
• Yoko-enpi-uchi: Side elbow strike
• Yoko-mawashi-enpi-uchi: Side-round elbow strike

Please refer to additional terms in the Members Only section with regards to Kata names and terminology. Here you may also reference the requirements for promotion as well as the syllabus.

Related resources

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