Glossary
Numbers
Ichi : One
Ni : Two
San : Three
Shi : Four
Go : Five
Roku : Six
Shichi : Seven
Hachi : Eight
Ku : Nine
Ju : Ten
A training session's opening ceremony:
Shugo : Line up (phonetically 'shho-go')
Ki o tsuke : Stand to attention (phonetically 'kee-ut-skay')
Seiza : Kneel (phonetically 'say-zah')
Mokuso : Meditate (phonetically 'mok-so')
Mokuso yame : Finish meditating
Shomen ni : Face the front of the dojo (phonetically 'sho-men nee')
Rei : Bow (phonetically 'ray')
Sensei ni : Face your teacher
Rei : Bow
Shomen ni: Face the front of the dojo
Kiritsu : Stand up (phonetically 'kee-ree-tsoo')
A training session's closing ceremony:
Shugo : Line up
Ki o tsuke : Stand to attention
Seiza : Kneel
Mokuso : Meditate
Mokuso yame : Finish meditating
Shomen ni : Face the front of the dojo
Rei : Bow
Sensei ni : Face your teacher
Rei : Bow and say aloud Arigato Gozaimashita ((phonetically 'ah-re-gah-toe go-zie-mahsh-tah')
Otagai ni : Face your partner
Rei : Bow and say aloud Arigato Gozaimashita
Shomen ni: Face the front of the dojo
Kiritsu : Stand up and leave the dojo in order of descending rank
Punches (zuki)
Jodan zuki: Punch to the face
Chudan zuki : Punch to the chest
Gedan zuki : Punch to the groin
Age zuki : Rising punch
Choku zuki : Straight punching from a parallel stance
Furi zuki : Circular punch
Gyaku zuki : Reverse punch
Kizame Zuki : Jab Punch
Oi zuki : Lunge punch
Seiken zuki : Forefist punch
Ura zuki : Close range punch
Blocks (Uke)
Jodan uke : Upper level block
Age uke : Rising block
Chudan uke : Middle level block
Gedan barai : Lower level sweep
Jodan uke : Upper level block
Hiji uke : Elbow block
Hiki uke : Pulling / grasping block
Hiza uke : Knee block
Ko uke : Wrist block
Shotei barai : Palm heel sweep
Shotei uke : Palm heel block
Soto uke : Forearm block (block from outside moving inward to the centre line of the body)
Sukui uke : Scooping block
Tora guchi uke: Tiger mouth block (sometimes called Mawashi Uke meaning 'round block')
Strikes (uchi)
Uraken uchi : Back fist strike
Empi ate : Elbow strike (sometimes called hiji ate)
Haito uchi : Ridge hand strike
Hiji atemi : Elbow strikes
Hiraken uchi: Fore knuckle fist strike
Hiza geri : Knee strike (sometimes called hiza Uchi)
Ko uchi : Wrist strike
Mawashi empi uchi : Round elbow strike
Nukite uchi : Spear hand strike
Shuto uchi : Knife-hand strike
Sokuto uchi : Foot edge strike
Teisho uchi : Palm heel strike (sometimes called shotei uchi)
Tetsui uchi : Bottom fist strike
Kicking (geri)
Mae geri : Front kick
Mawashi geri : Roundhouse kick
Yoko geri : Side kick
Ushiro geri : Back kick
Hiza geri : Knee kick
Kensetsu geri : Stamping kick, joint kick
Mae ashi geri : Front leg kick
Tobi geri : Jumping kick
Stances (dachi)
Hachiji dachi : Natural stance
Han zenkutsu dachi : Half forward stance
Heiko dachi : Parallel stance
Heisoku dachi : Formal attention stance, feet together
Kokutsu dachi : Back stance
Kosa dachi : Crouched stance
Musubi dachi : Formal attention stance, feet turned out
Neko ashi dachi : Cat stance
Reinoji dachi : L-stance (sometimes called haraisa dachi)
Sanchin dachi : Hour glass stance
Sesan dachi : Side facing straddle stance
Shiko dachi : Box stance
Zenkutsu dachi : Long stance
Training Equipment
Chi ishi : Lever weighted stone
Ishi sashi : Stone padlocks
Kongo ken : Iron ring
Makiwara : Striking board
Nigiri game : Gripping jars
Tan : Barbells
Grades
Shodan : 1st Dan black belt
Nidan : 2nd Dan
Sandan : 3rd Dan
Yondan : 4th Dan
Godan : 5th Dan
Rokudan : 6th Dan
Nanadan : 7th Dan
Hachidan : 8th Dan
General Terms
Ashi barai : Foot sweep
Budo : Martial Way; Martial arts
Bunkai : Study of kata applications and techniques
Chudan : Middle level
Dan : Level
Do : Way; Path
Dojo : Training place
Dojo kun : Dojo rules
Gasshuku : Special karate training camp
Gedan : Lower level
Geri : Kick
Gi : Jacket; training costume; tunic
Go : Hard, unyielding
Go kumite : Hard sparring
Goju-Ryu Karate Do : Hard / Soft style, empty handed way
Hai : Yes
Hajime : Begin
Hara : Stomach
Heishugata : "Closed Fist" kata (Sanchin and Tensho)
Hidari : Left
Hiji : Elbow
Hiza : Knee
Hojo undo : Supplementary exercises
Honbu dojo : Central dojo of an organization
Ippon kumite : One point sparring
Jodan : Upper level
Ju : Soft, flexible
Junbi undo : Warm up exercises
Kaishugata : "Open fist" kata (Gekisai, Saifa, etc.)
Kakie : Push hands
Kamae : Combative posture
Kamae te : Assume stance
Kanji : Chinese characters
Karate : Empty hand
Karate-do : The way of Karate
Kata : Forms
Keage : Snap action
Ken : Fist
Kenkon : The symbol of the I.O.G.K.F. Literally "Heaven and Earth"
Ki o tsuke : Attention (phonetically 'kee-ut-ski')
Kiai : Focusing shout
Kihon : Basic techniques
Kokomi : Thrust action
Koshi : Ball of the foot
Kumite : Sparring
Kyu : White to brown belt rank
Mae : Front
Mawatte : Turn around
Migi : Right
Mokuso : Silent contemplation, meditation
Muchimi : Heavy, sticky action
Obi : Training uniform belt
Oyo bunkai : Study of techniques in kata (similar to Bunkai but including follow-up techniques not shown in kata)
Otagai : Training partner
Randori : Free sparring, relaxed sparring (sometimes called jiyu kumite)
Rei : Bow
Sandan gi : Three level sparring
Seiken : Fore fist
Seiza : Formal sitting position (kneeling on your haunches, feet crossed)
Semete : Attacking partner
Shime : Sanchin testing
Shomen : The front
Shugo : Line up
Ski atte : Change hands
Suri ashi : Sliding step
Tai sabaki : Body evasion ability
Tanden : The body's power centre
Te : Hand
Ude : Forearm
Ude tanren : Forearm conditioning
Uke harai : Blocking exercises
Ushiro : Back, rear
Waza : Techniques
Yakusoku kumite : Pre-arranged sparring
Yame : Stop
Yoi : Ready
Yoko : Side
Zanshin : Awareness