A Complete List of Karate Terms for Beginners

This is a comprehensive list of karate terms in Japanese for beginners that cover over 250 most frequently used terms and phrases for greeting, bowing, stances, techniques, counting, directions, body parts, vital terms, and more.

General terms
Counting
Direction words in Japanese
Body Parts Used in Karate in Japanese
Attacking levels
Common karate stances in alphabetical order
Blocking technique terms
Punching technique terms
Kicking and other foot technique terms
Kumite drills
Vital points

General terms

Karate (空手) means “empty hand”. Kara means “empty” and te means “hand”.

Karate-do (空手道) means “the way of the empty hand”.

Karateka (空手家) means “karate practitioner”.

Dojo (道場) means the “place of training”. If you want to break the term dojo down: do means “way” or “path” and jo means “place”.

Oosu. There is some dispute as to the origin and meaning of oosu but this term is used widely with many meanings in a Japanese karate dojo.

You may say oosu when bowing upon entering the dojo, when bowing to an instructor or to a partner, when you want to say thank you, when you want to show respect, or when you acknowledge that you’ve heard and understood instructions from your instructor.

Hai (はい) generally means “yes” but is very frequently used in traditional karate dojo to acknowledge that you’ve heard and understood your instructor. Oosu is never used in traditional Okinawan dojos and hai is used instead.

Sensei (先生) means the one who comes before, teacher, instructor, master.

Senpai (先輩) means senior student.

Dojo kun (土壌くん) martial arts ethics, martial arts code.

Rei (れい) means respect or bow.

Onegaishimas (お願いします) means “please”. In traditional karate styles like Goju Ryu, you are expected to say onegaishimasu which is roughly translated as “please teach me” when entering a dojo, bowing to the instructor at the opening ceremony, before using a training tool and before performing a kata.

Arigato (ありがとう) means thank you (informal)

Arigato gozaimashita (ありがとうございました) means thank you very much (past tense).

Gi (ぎ) means karate uniform.

Obi (おび) means belt.

Kamae means ready stance or posture.

Junbi undo (準備運動) means “preparatory exercise” or “warm-up”.

Kihon (きほん) means “basics” or “fundamental”.

Kata (型, かた) means “form”.

Kumite (組手) means “the meeting of hands” or sparring.

Kiotsuke (きおつけ) means “attention”.

Hajime (始め) means to start or to begin.

Yame (止め) means to stop, to cease.

Mou ichi do (もう一度) means one more time.

Zanshin (残心) means the state of being aware and ready.

Mokuso (もくそ) means meditation.

Mushin (むしん) a state of no mind.

Muchimi (もちみ) refers to a flexible, relaxing, and fluid way of generating power.

Chinkuchi (チンクチ) refers to the discharge of explosive power in karate techniques similar to the fa jin (發勁) concept in Chinese martial arts.

Kime (決め) is derived from the verb “kimeru” which means “to decide” and is often translated as to focus the energy or power of a technique.

Seiza (正座) means to sit correctly, a kneeling position assumed at the opening and closing ceremonies.

Otagai-ni rei (お互いにれい) means to bow to each other.

Mawatte (回って) means to turn around.

Ma-ai (間合い) refers to the distance between opponents in combat.

Shomen means the front (of the dojo).

Shomen ni rei means to bow to the front.

Makiwara: ((巻藁) a padded striking post.

Sayonara (さよなら) means goodbye.

Tai sabaki (体捌き) means body movement, body shifting.

Ashi sabaki (足捌き) means footwork.

Te sabaki (手捌き) means handwork.

Tsuri ashi (すり足) means sliding footwork.

Counting

Ichi (一): one

Ni (二): two

San (三): three

Shi/yon (四): four

Go (五): five

Roku (六): six

Shichi/nana (七): seven

Hachi (八): eight

Ku (九): nine

Ju (十): ten

For numbers 11 to 100, you simply combine the numbers from 1 to 10. For example, the number 11 is made up of 10 and 1 and it is ju ichi in Japanese.

Ju ichi (十一): eleven

Ju ni (十二): twelve

Ni ju (二十): twenty

San ju (三十): thirty

Hyaku (百): 100

You rarely ever need to count to a hundred in karate.

Direction words in Japanese

Mae: Front

Ushiro: Back

Hidari: Left

Migi: Right

Soto: Outside

Yoko: Side

Naka: Inside

Mannaka: Middle

Aida: Between

Shita: Under

Ue: On

Hantai: Reverse or change (direction)

Body Parts Used in Karate in Japanese

Fukubu (ふくぶ): abdomen

Ashikubi (足首; あしくび): ankle

Ude (うで ): arm

Hiji (ひじ): elbow

Ashi (あし): foot, leg

Te (て): hand

Atama (頭; あたま): head

Hiza (膝; ひざ): knee

Nodo (喉; のど): throat

Tekubi (てくび ): wrist

Kakato (かかと): heel

Attacking levels

Jodan (上段): “upper level” (face and neck area)

Chudan (中段): “middle level” (from around the solar plexus to the stomach)

Gedan (下段): “lower level” (groin area)

Common karate stances in alphabetical order

These karate stances are listed in alphabetical order for easy reference.

Bensoku dachi: Turning cross-leg stance
Chinto dachi: A stance only used in Chinto kata
Fudo dachi (sochin dachi): Immovable stance or rooted stance
Gankaku dachi (or sagi ashi dachi): Crane or heron stance
Gyaku neko ashi dachi: Reverse cat stance
Gyaku zuki dachi: Reverse punch stance
Gyaku zuki tsukkomi dachi: Reverse lunge stance
Hachiji dachi: Natural or open leg stance, feet shoulder-width apart pointing outward
Hachinoji dachi: Ready stance
Han zenkutsu dachi: Half front stance
Hangetsu dachi: Half moon stance
Hanmi neko ashi dachi: Half turned cat stance
Heiko dachi: Feet parallel, shoulder-width stance
Heisoku dachi: Feet are closed together, heels touching
Jun zuki dachi: Front punch or jab stance
Jun zuki tsukkomi dachi: Front lunge punch stance
Kake ashi dachi: Crossed leg stance
Kiba dachi: Horse riding stance
Kokutsu dachi: Back stance
Kosa dachi: Crossed leg or scissor stance
Moro ashi dachi: One foot forward stance
Moto dachi: Foundational Stance
Musubi dachi: Formal attention stance or V-shape stance, heels together, feet pointing outwards forming an angle of about 60 degrees
Naihanchi dachi: Modified horse stance. One shin-length plus one to one and a half fist between the heels, feet pointing inwards, knees slightly bent
Neko ashi dachi: Cat foot stance
No tsukomi dachi: Forward lunging stance
Renoji dachi: Letter “Re” stance or the L stance. Heels are on the same line, one foot pointing outward at 45 degree angle and one foot pointing straight forward
Sagi ashi dachi: Heron leg stance
Sanchin dachi: Hourglass stance
Sesan dachi: side facing straddle stance
Shiko dachi: square stance
Shizentai dachi (yoi daichi): Natural ready stance. One foot space between the heels, feet pointing outward about 30 degree angle
Shomen neko ashi dachi: Forward-facing cat stance
Soto hachiji dachi: Outside figure 8 stance
Tachi dachi: Standing stance
Tate seisan dachi: Vertical seisan stance
Teiji stance: T-shaped stance
Tsuru ashi dachi: Crane leg stance
Uchi hachiji dachi: Inside figure 8 stance
Yoko seisan dachi: Side seisan stance
Zenkutsu dachi: Front stance

Blocking technique terms

Waza means techniques.

Uke means receiving.

Uke waza means “receiving technique“, however, they are often referred to in English as “blocking technique“.

Chudan yoko uke: middle-level side block
Gedan barai: downward sweeping block
Hiki uke: pulling block
Hiji uke: elbow block
Jodan age uke: high-level/head level rising block
Ko uke: wrist block
Shotei barai: palm heel sweep
Shotei uke: palm heel block
Shuto uke: knife hand block
Soto ude uke: block from outside inwards with the bottom of the wrist
Sukui uke: scooping block
Sune uke: shin block
Teisho uke: palm heal block
Tora guchi: tiger mouth block
Uchi ude uke: block from inside to outside

Punching technique terms

Tsuki is derived from the verb tsuku and means ‘thrusting’.

Tsuki waza are thrusting or punching techniques.

Age tsuki: rising punch (uppercut)
Choku tsuki: straight punch
Chudan tsuki: punch to the chest
Furi tsuki: circular punch (hook)
Gedan tsuki: punch to the groin
Gyaku tsuki: reverse punch
Haito uchi: ridge hand strike
Heiken uchi: fore knuckle fist strike
Hijiate: elbow strike
Jodan tsuki: punch to the face
Kage tsuki: hook punch
Kizami tsuki: jab punch, leading hand punch
Koken: wrist strike
Mawashi tsuki: roundhouse punch
Morote tsuki: double punch
Nukite uchi: spear hand strike
Oi tsuki: lunge punch
Sanbon tsuki: three punch combination
Seiken tsuki: forefist punch (standard punch)
Shuto uchi: knife-edge hand strike
Sokuto uchi: knife-edge foot strike
Tate-tsuki: vertical punch
Teisho uchi: palm heel strike (sometimes called shotei uchi)
Tetsui uchi: hammer fist strike
Ura tsuki: half punch used at close range
Uraken uchi: back fist strike
Yama tsuki: over the mountain double punch

Kicking and other foot technique terms

Keri means kick.

Keri waza means kicking techniques.

If there is another word in front of ‘keri‘, the pronunciation changes to ‘geri‘ therefore the kicking techniques are often called ‘geri‘ as seen below.