JAPANESE KARATE TERMINOLOGY

COMB 404/405
Beginning, Intermediate & Advanced Shotokan Karate

Instructor
Eric Larson

CONTENTS

Stances

Hand Positions

Strikes

Kicks

Blocks

Directions

Body Parts

Misc. Terms

Postures

Counting

 

OTHER PAGES

Course Syllabus

Introductory Information

Promotion Requirements

Ten No Kata

Basic Combinations and Sparring Techniques

Self-Defense

Kata

Karate Uniforms

Japanese Karate Terminology

Suggested Books and Videos

Karate Main Page

COMB 404/405

Home

 STANCES

 TACHI-KATA (DACHI)

 Back

 Kokutsu-Dachi

 Cat

 Neko-Ashi-Dachi

 Crossed Feet

 Kosa-Dachi

 Feet Together

 Heisoku-Dachi

 Front

 Zenkutsu-Dachi

 Horse or Straddle-Leg

 Kiba-Dachi

 Immovable or Rooted

 Fudo-Dachi

 Informal Attention, Feet Together

 Heisoku-Dachi

 Informal Attention, Toes Out

 Musubi-Dachi

 L-Stance

 Renoji-Dachi

 Natural or Open-Leg

 Hachiji-Dachi (or) Hachinoji-

 T-Stance

 Choji-Dachi

 Toes In

 Sanchin-Dachi

top

 

HAND POSITIONS

 

TE-WAZA

 Back Fist

 Uraken

 Hammer Fist

 Shutsui (or) Kentsui

 Middle Finger (knuckle) Fist

 Ippon-Ken

 One Knuckle Fist

 Nakadaka Ippon-Ken

 Regular Fist

 Seiken

 Ridge Hand

 Haito

 Spear Hand

 Nukite

 Sword Hand

 Shuto

top

 

STRIKES / PUNCHES

 

UCHI / ZUKI

 Backfist Strike

 Uraken-Uchi

 Close Punch

 Ura-Zuki

 Double Punch

 Morote-Zuki

 Downward Swinging Strike

 Furioroshi-Uchi

 Elbow Strike

 Empi-Uchi

 Front Lunge Punch

 Oi-Zuki

 Hammer Fist Strike

 Kentsui-Uchi

 Hook Punch

 Kagi-Zuki

 Horizontal Strike

 Yoko Mawashi-Uchi

 Jab

 Kizami-Zuki

 Reverse Punch

 Gyaku-Zuki

 Ridge Hand Strike

 Haito-Uchi

 Rising Punch

 Age-Zuki

 Scissors Punch

 Hasami-Zuki

 Side Strike

 Yoko-Uchi

 Spear Hand Strike

 Nukite-Uchi

 Straight Punch

 Choku-Zuki

 Swinging Punch

 Tsuki-Age

 Vertical Punch

 Tate-Zuki

 Vertical Strike

 Mawashi-Uchi

 Wide U (Mountain) Punch

 Yama-Zuki

top

 

KICKS

 

GERI

 Back

 Ushiro-Geri

 Crescent

 Mikazuki-Geri

 Double

 Nidan-Geri

 Front

 Mae-Geri

 Hook

 Kagi-Geri

 Jump

 Tobi-Geri

 Knee Strike

 Hiza-Tsuchi (or) Hiza Age-Ate

 Low Side Stamping

 Fumikomi

 Returning Wave

 Name-Gaeshi

 Roundhouse

 Mawashi-Geri

 Side

 Yoko-Geri

 Snap Kick

 Keage

 Thrust Kick

 Kekomi

top

 

BLOCKS

 

UKE

 Augmented Forearm

 Morote-Uke

 Downward

 Gedan-Barai

 Grasping

 Tsukami-Uke

 Hooking

 Kake-Uke

 Inside Outward

 Uchi-Uke

 Outside Inward

 Soto-Uke

 Pressing

 Oshi- (or) Osae-Uke

 Reverse Wedge

 Kakiwake-Uke

 Rising Upper Level

 Jodan Age-Uke

 Scooping

 Sukui-Uke

 Strike-Block

 Tsuki-Uke

 Sweeping

 Nagashi-Uke

 Sword Hand

 Shuto-Uke

 X-Block

 Juji-Uke

top

 

DIRECTIONS

 

 Above

 Ue

 Back Direction

 Koho

 Back Side

 Ura

 Circling

 Mawarikomi

 Diagonally

 Naname

 Downward

 Otoshi

 Facing to the Back

 Ushiro Muki

 Front

 Mae (or) Shomen

 Front Direction

 Zenpo

 Half-Front Facing

 Hanmi

 High Level

 Jodan

 Left

 Hidari

 Left Direction

 Uho

 Low

 Hikui

 Low Level

 Gedan

 Middle Level

 Chudan

 Rear (to the...)

 Ushiro

 Reverse

 Gyaku

 Reversing Directions

 Koho Tenkan

 Right

 Migi

 Right Direction

 Saho

 Shifting the Body

 Tai-Sabaki

 Side

 Yoko

 Side

 Gawa (or) Sokumen

 Side of Chest (To the...)

 Waki

 Sliding the Feet

 Yori- (or) Suri-Ashi

 Turn

 Kaiten

 Twist, Turn

 Hineri

 Vertical

 Tate

top

 

BODY PARTS

 

 Arm

 Ude

 Center of Gravity/Power

 Tanden

 Chest

 Mune

 Elbow

 Empi (or) Hiji

 Face

 Kao

 Fist

 Ken

 Foot, Leg

 Ashi

 Forearm

 Maeude (or) Zenwan

 Forehead

 Hitai

 Hand

 Te

 Head

 Atama

 Heel

 Kakato

 Heel of Palm

 Teisho

 Hip, Side

 Koshi

 Instep

 Ashiko

 Jaw

 Ago

 Knee

 Hiza

 Open Hand or Palm

 Sho

 Outside Edge of Foot (Sword Foot)

 Sokuto

 Shoulder

 Kata

 Solar Plexus, Chest

 Suigetsu

 Temple

 Kasumi

 Upper Body

 Jotai

 Upper Side of Forearm

 Haiwan

 Wrist

 Tekubi

top

 

MISC. TERMS

 

 Alternate Punching

 Ren-Zuki

 Begin

 Hajime

 Bent

 Kussu

 Both

 Ryo

 Both Hands

 Morote

 Cross

 Kosa

 Distancing

 Maai

 Finish

 Kime

 Focused "Spirit" Shout

 Kiai

 Grasping

 Tsukami

 Large (Greater - as in Kanku-Dai)

 Dai

 Long (5 - 6') Staff

 Bo

 Parry

 Harau

 Performance Line

 Embusen

 Pivot Leg

 Jiku Ashi

 Rest

 Yasume

 Return to Ready Position

 Naore

 Short (4') Staff

 Jo

 Slightly

 Yaya

 Small (Lessor - as in Kanku-Sho)

 Sho

 Sparring

 Kumite

 Stand Up

 O-tate

 Stop

 Yame

 Stopping a Technique

 Sun-Dome

 Swing (to...)

 Furisute

 Sword (Japanese "Samurai")

 Katana (or) Ken (or) To

 Together

 Tomo Ni

 Training Hall (lit. "Way Place")

 Dojo

 Turn

 Mawate (or) Kaiten

 Two Finger

 Nihon

top

 

POSTURES

 

KAMAE

 Flowing Water Position

 Mizu-Nagare Kamae

 Going-to-the Ground Position

 Fuse no Shisei

 Mountain Posture

 Yama-Gamae

 Natural Position

 Shinzen-Tai

 Ready Position

 Yoi

 State of Readiness

 Zanshin

top

 

COUNTING

 

 One

 Ichi

 Two

 Ni

 Three

 San

 Four

 Shi

 Five

 Go

 Six

 Roku

 Seven

 Shichi

 Eight

 Hachi

 Nine

 Ku

 Ten

 Ju

 Twenty

 Ni-Ju

 Thirty

 San-Ju

 Forty

 Yon-Ju

 Fifty

 Go-Ju

 Sixty

 Roku-Ju

 Seventy

 Nana-Ju

 Eighty

 Hachi-Ju

 Ninety

 Kyu-Ju

 One Hundred

 Hyaku

 

top

Course Syllabus | Introductory Information | Promotion Requirements | Ten No Kata
Basic Combinations and Sparring Techniques | Self-Defense Techniques | Kata
Karate Uniforms | Japanese Terminology | Suggested Books
COMB 404/405 | Karate Club | About the Instructor | Links  | Karate Main Page | Home