Karate Terminology
Beginning Commands
- Seiretsu: Line up by rank
- Seiza: Meditation position-kneeling
- Mokuso: Meditate/Gather Your Thoughts
- Shomen ni: Face towards the front
- Sensei ni: Face towards the teacher
- Rei: Bow
General Commands
- Yoi: Ready
- Hajime: Begin
- Yame: Stop
- Yasume: Relax (or ready position)
- Mawatte: Turn around
Directions
- Mae: Front
- Yoko: Side
- Ushiro: Back
- Mawashi: Round
- Jodan: Head high level
- Chudan: Mid-high level
- Gedan: Low level; Down
- Migi: Right
- Hidari: Left
- Gyaku: Reverse
- Age: Rising
- Uchi: Inner
- Soto: Outer
Descriptions of Techniques
- Waza: Technique
- Dachi: Stance
- Tsuki (Zuki): Punch
- Uchi: Strike
- Uke: Block
- Geri: Kick
Dachi Waza (Stances)
- Heisoku dachi: Feet Together Stance
- Zenkutsu dachi: Front Stance
- Kokutsu dachi: Back Stance
- Musubi dachi: Formal Attention Stance (feet in a ‘V”)
- Hachiji dachi: Open-legged Stance (Yoi)
- Kame: Fighting Stance
Tsuki Waza (Punches)
- Oi tsuki: Lunge punch
- Gyaku tsuki: Reverse punch
- Kizami tsuki: Jab
- Oi-gyaku tsuki: Lunging reverse punch
Uchi Waza (Strikes)
- Nukite: Spear-hand
- Uraken-uchi: back fist back of fist strike
- Enpi-uchi: elbow strike elbow strike
Uke Waza (Blocks)
- Age uke: Rising block
- Gedan barai: Down block
- Soto ude uke: Outside forearm block
- Uchi ude uke: Inside forearm block
- Shuto uke: Knife-hand block
- Morote uke: Augmented block
Geri Waza (Kicks)
- Mae geri: Front kick
- Mawashi geri: Roundhouse kick
- Yoko geri keage: Side snap kick
- Yoko geri kekomi: Side thrust kick
- Ushiro geri: Back thrust kick
- Fumikomi geri: Stomping kick (Heian 3, 5)
Counting
- Ichi: One
- Ni: Two
- San: Three
- Shi: Four
- Go: Five
- Roku: Six
- Shichi: Seven
- Hachi: Eight
- Ku: Nine
- Ju: Ten
General Terms
- Karate: Empty Hands
- Do: Way
- Karate Do: The Way of Karate
- Karateka: Practitioner of Karate
- Shotokan: “House of Shoto”; “Pine Sea”; pen name of Funakoshi.
- Dojo: School or training room
- Sensei: Teacher
- Sempai: Senior students
- Renshi: Entry Level Master
- Shihan: Master Instructor
- Kyu: Rank (Lower colored belts)
- Dan: Rank (Upper black belts)
- Gi: Uniform
- Obi: Belt
- Hai: Yes
- Iie: No
- Osu: “I understand and will try my best.”
- Kiai: Spirit shout/focus of spiritual energy
- Dozo: Please
- Domo Arigato Gozaimashita: “Thank-you very much”
- Onegai Shimasu: Said to one’s partner when initiating practice.
- Kime: Focus
- Kihon: Fundamentals/Basics
- Kata: Practice form
- Embusen: Floor pattern/lines of a kata
- Bunkai: Application (interpretation) of kata techniques
Kumite
- Kumite: Sparring/fighting
- Ippon kumite: One-step sparring
- Sanbon kumite: Three-step sparring
- Gohon kumite: Five-step sparring
- Yakusoku kumite: “Promise” premeditated sparring
- Jiyyu kumite: Free sparring
More Advanced Techniques (found in Kata)
- Awase Shuto Age Uke: Combined rising knife-hand block (Kanku-Dai)
- Empi uke (or Hiji uke): Elbow block (Heian 3)
- Haishu uke: Back-hand block (Heian 5)
- Haiwan Nagashi Uke: Sweeping back-arm block
- Juji uke: X block (Heian 4,5)
- Kakiwaki uke: Reverse wedge block (Heian 4)
- Kosa uke: Cross block (Uchi/gedan uke-Heian 3)
- Nagashi Uke: Sweeping block (Tekki, Jion)
- Osae uke: Pressing block (Heian 2, 3)
- Otoshi uke: Dropping or falling block (Heian 2, 3)
- Sokumen Awase Uke: Side combined block (Bassai-Dai)
- Sukui Uke: Scooping block (Bassai, Chinte)
- Tate shuto uke: Vertical knife-hand block (Heian 3)
- Te Nagashi Uke: Sweeping hand block (parry) (Heian 5)
- Tsukami Uke: Grasping block (Bassai-Dai, Jion)
