This is the second post in a series of posts on karate terms which covers all direction and body part words in Japanese that you will probably ever need in your karate training.
Content
- Direction words in Japanese
- Video to help pronounce direction words in Japanese
- Body part words in Japanese
- Video to help pronounce body part words in Japanese
Direction words in Japanese
Some of those words will help you remember the names of techniques in Japanese easier.
For example, ‘mae‘ means front and ‘geri‘ means kick so ‘mae geri‘ means front kick; ‘ushiro‘ means back so ‘ushiro geri‘ means back kick.
Some other words like migi, hidari, naka or hantai may be less commonly used in some Western dojos but some dojos do. If your your instructor doesn’t use them, they still can be useful if you ever have the chance to train in Japan.
| Japanese | English |
|---|---|
| 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) |
Video to help pronounce direction words in Japanese
Below is a video to help you with learning some of those direction words.
Body part words in Japanese
Although you probably don’t need to memorize all of these if you are in a Western dojo, here are 60 Japanese body part words if you would like a bit of brain challenge.[1]
| Japanese | English |
|---|---|
| kao | Face |
| kami | Hair |
| kami no ke | Hair |
| atama | Head |
| mimi | Ear |
| mimitabu | Earlobe |
| hoo/hoho | Cheek |
| hoppeta | Cheek |
| hitai | Forehead |
| odeko | Forehead |
| mayu | Eyebrow |
| me | Eye |
| mabuta | Eyelids |
| matsuge | Eyelashes |
| hana | Nose |
| bikou | Nostril |
| kuchi | Mouth |
| kuchibiru | Lips |
| ha | Teeth |
| haguki | Gum / Tooth Ridge |
| shita | Tongue |
| ago | Chin / Jaw |
| karada | Body |
| kubi | Neck |
| nodo | Throat |
| kata | Shoulder |
| ude | Arm |
| waki no shita | Armpit |
| hiji | Elbow |
| te | Hand |
| tekubi | Wrist |
| kobushi | Fist |
| yubi | Finger |
| oya yubi | Thumb |
| hitosashi yubi | Index Finger |
| naka yubi | Middle Finger |
| kusuri yubi | Ring Finger |
| ko yubi | Little Finger |
| tsume | Fingernail / Toenail |
| mune | Breast / Chest |
| onaka | Stomach |
| hara | Stomach |
| heso | Belly Button |
| koshi | Waist / Hips |
| futomomo | Thigh |
| fukurahagi | Calf |
| hiza | Knee |
| hizagashira | Kneecap |
| ashi | Foot / Leg |
| ashikubi | Ankle |
| kakato | Heel |
| tsumasaki | Toe / Tiptoe |
| senaka | Back (of Body) |
| oshiri | Buttocks |
| hada | Skin |
| hone | Bone |
| kinniku | Muscle |
| hai | Lung (organ) |
| shinzou | Heart (organ |
| i | Stomach (organ) |
Video to help pronounce body part words in Japanese
Below is a video to help you with learning those body part words.
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