Dojo Etiquette

Shomen ni rei — Bow to the front
Sensei ni rei — Bow to the instructor
Otagai ni rei — Bow to each other
Seiza — Formal kneeling posture

Don’t worry about getting all of this right on day one. Watch, follow along, and ask questions. That’s what class is for.

The Basics

Dojo — Training space
Gi — Karate uniform
Obi — Belt
Karateka — Someone who practices karate
Sensei — Teacher or instructor
Senpai — Senior student
Rei — Bow
Hai — Yes / acknowledgment
Hajime — Begin
Yame — Stop
Osu / Oss — Greeting or acknowledgment commonly used in some karate schools

Kihon — Basics or fundamental techniques
Kata — A structured sequence of techniques
Kumite — Partner or sparring practice
Ippon Kumite — One-step sparring
Sanbon Kumite — Three-step sparring

Kyu — Color-belt rank
Dan — Black-belt rank

Directions & Targets

Jodan — Upper/head level
Chudan — Middle/torso level
Gedan — Lower level
Mae — Front
Migi — Right
Hidari — Left

Punches & Strikes

Tsuki / Zuki — Punch (technically ‘thrust’)
Oi-zuki — Step-in punch
Choku-zuki — Straight punch
Kizami-zuki — Lead-hand punch / jab
Gyaku-zuki — Reverse punch
Age-zuki — Rising punch

Uraken-uchi — Back-fist strike
Nukite — Spear-hand strike
Empi-uchi — Elbow strike
Shuto-uchi — Knife-hand strike
Haito-uchi — Ridge-hand strike
Tettsui-uchi — Hammer-fist strike

Kicks

Geri / Keri — Kick
Mae-geri — Front kick
Mawashi-geri — Roundhouse kick
Yoko-geri — Side kick
Yoko-keage — Side snap kick
Yoko-kekomi — Side thrust kick
Ushiro-geri — Back kick
Mikazuki-geri — Crescent kick

Receiving & Blocking

You’ll often see uke translated as “block,” but the Japanese verb ukeru means to receive. That gives us a broader way to think about these techniques: instead of simply stopping an attack, we can redirect, control, or respond to it.

Gedan-barai — Lower sweep
Age-uke — Rising receiving technique
Soto-uke — Outside receiving technique
Uchi-uke — Inside receiving technique
Shuto-uke — Knife-hand receiving technique
Morote-uke — Two-handed/both hands receiving technique
Juji-uke — Cross-hand receiving technique

Stances

Dachi / Tachi — Stance

Musubi-dachi — Heels together, toes turned outward; commonly used when bowing
Shizentai — Natural position
Heisoku-dachi — Feet together
Zenkutsu-dachi — Front stance
Kokutsu-dachi — Back stance
Kiba-dachi — Horse stance
Shiko-dachi — Square stance with the toes turned outward
Fudo-dachi — Rooted/immovable stance
Kosa-dachi — Crossed-leg stance
Renoji-dachi — L-shaped stance
Tsuru-ashi-dachi — Crane stance
Sanchin-dachi — Hourglass stance
Hangetsu-dachi — Half-moon stance
Neko-ashi-dachi — Cat stance

Counting in Japanese

You’ll hear Japanese counting frequently during class:

Ichi(ee-chee) — 1
Ni(nee) — 2
San(sahn) — 3
Shi / Yon(shee / yohn) — 4
Go(goh) — 5
Roku(roh-koo) — 6
Shichi / Nana(shee-chee / nah-nah) — 7
Hachi(hah-chee) — 8
Ku / Kyu(koo / kyoo) — 9
Ju(joo) — 10

Once you know those, bigger numbers start making sense:

Ju-ichi — 11
Ni-ju — 20
Ni-ju-ichi — 21
Hyaku — 100

More Karate Vocabulary

As your training progresses, you may hear these terms too:

Kiai — Focused expression of energy, often accompanied by a sharp exhalation or shout
Zanshin — Continued awareness and readiness after a technique
Shiai — Match or competition

Atemi-waza — Striking techniques
Kansetsu-waza — Joint techniques or locks
Nage-waza — Throwing techniques

Bunkai — Analysis of the movements within a kata
Oyo — Application or adaptation of kata movements
Embusen — The performance line or pattern of a kata

One Last Thing

You are not expected to memorize a Japanese dictionary to learn karate.

These words are tools that help us communicate and connect our training to karate’s history. You’ll learn them the same way you learn everything else at Grey Duck Karate: a little at a time, through practice.