Counting
| Japanese | English |
|---|---|
| (一) Ichi | One |
| (二) Ni | Two |
| (三) San | Three |
| (四) Shi | Four |
| (五) Go | Five |
| (六) Roku | Six |
| (七) Shichi | Seven |
| (八) Hachi | Eight |
| (九) Kyu | Nine |
| (十) Ju | Ten |
General Terms
| Japanese | English |
|---|---|
| Sensei (sen-say) | Teacher/Instructor |
| Yoi | Ready i.e. Standing in musubi dachi position. |
| Kamae (kah-may) | On guard i.e. take up your position ready to fight as in free sparring, or assume a set position as in moving basics. |
| Hajime (hah-zhim-ay) | Begin (or continue) at your own speed or count |
| Yame (yah-may) | Stop When the instructor calls “YAME”, all students must immediately cease their activity and stand in readiness. This is to ensure safe conduct and prevent injury. |
| Hidari | Left (hand side) |
| Migi | Right (hand side) |
| Jodan (joh-dan) | Upper area: from the collar up, the face. |
| Chudan (chew-dan) | Centre area: from the collar to the belt, stomach. |
| Gedan (geh-dan) | Lower area: belt level and below |
| Ashi o Kaete (ah-shee oh kah-eh-teh) | Change leg (stance) |
| Mo Ichi Do (moh-ee-chee-do) | One last time |
| Mawatte (mah-wha-tay) | Turn round or “about face” |
Stances
| Japanese | English |
|---|---|
| Dachi/tachi (ta-chee) | Stance |
| Musubi Dachi | Formal attention stance (heels together, feet at about 45 degree angle) A standing bow must always done in this stance |
| Heisoku(hay-soku) Dachi | Closed Foot Stance (feet together) |
| Heiko Dachi | Parallel Feet Stance (feet shoulder width apart) |
| Zenkutsu Dachi | Front Stance |
| Han Zenkutsu Dachi | Half Front Stance |
| Kokutsu Dachi | Back stance |
| Neko Ashi Dachi | Cat Foot Stance |
| Shiko (she-ko) Dachi | Straddle Leg (Sumo) Stance |
| Sanchin Dachi | Hourglass Stance |
| Renoji (ray-no-jee) Dachi | Stance like the japanese character ‘re’ (レ) |
| Hachiji Dachi | Natural Stance (feet shoulder width apart, toes slightly pointed out, shaped like the japanese character for ‘8’ (八） |
Kicking techniques (keri waza)
| Japanese | English |
|---|---|
| Keri / Geri (geh-rhee) | Kick |
| Mae (mah-eh) Geri | Front Kick |
| Yoko Geri | Side thrust kick |
| Hiza Geri | Knee strike |
| Mawashi Geri | Round house kick |
| Ushiro Geri | Back thrust kick |
| Kansetsu Geri | Joint Kick |
| Ashi Barai | Foot sweep |
Hand Techniques (te waza)
| Japanese | English |
|---|---|
| Tsuki / Zuki (zoo-key) | Punch/thrust |
| Choku Zuki | Straight punch |
| Gyaku Zuki | Reverse Punch |
| Mawashi Zuki | Round hook punch |
| Ura Zuki | Short punch (palm up) |
| Oi Zuki | Lunge punch |
| Age (ah-geh) zuki | Rising punch |
| Kizami Zuki | Jab punch |
| Shotei (show-tay) zuki | Palm heel thrust |
| Uchi (oo-chee) | Strike |
| Uraken uchi | Back fist strike |
| Empi / Hiji Uchi | Elbow strike |
| Shuto Uchi | Knife Hand strike (Karate Chop!) |
| Tetsui Uchi | “Hammer fist” strike |
| Ko Uchi | Bent wrist strike |
Blocking Techniques (uke waza)
| Japanese | English |
|---|---|
| Uke (oo-kay) | Block/Parry (literally “receive”) |
| Age (ah-geh) Uke | Rising block |
| Chudan (choo-dan) Uke | Inside circular block |
| Gedan (geh-dan) Barai | Downward block |
| Ko Uke | Wrist block |
| Hiki Uke | Pulling block |
| Ura Uke | Back hand block |
Kyu Grades
| Belt Colour | Grade | Japanese |
|---|---|---|
| White | 10th kyu | 十級 jukyu |
| Yellow | 9th kyu | 九級 kukyu |
| Orange | 8th kyu | 八級 hachikyu |
| Green | 7th kyu | 七級 nanakyu |
| Blue | 6th kyu | 六級 rokkyu* |
| Purple | 5th kyu | 五級 gokyu |
| Purple + 1 Stripe | 4th kyu | 四級 yonkyu |
| Brown | 3rd kyu | 三級 sankyu |
| Brown + 1 black stripe | 2nd kyu | 二級 nikyu |
| Brown + 2 black stripes | 1st kyu | 一級 ikkyu* |
* In Japanese, when pronouncing certain counters, their sounds are changed for smoother flow. For example, you say ikkyu instead of ichi kyu and rokkyu instead of roku kyu.
Dan Grades (Black belts)
| Belt colour | Grade | Japanese |
|---|---|---|
| Black | 1st Dan | 初段 shodan (literally “beginning rank”) |
| Black | 2nd dan | 二段 nidan |
| Black | 3rd dan | 三段 sandan |
| Black | 4th dan | 四段 yondan |
| Black | 5th dan | 五段 godan |
| Black | 6th dan | 六段 rokudan |
| Black | 7th dan | 七段 nanadan |
| Black | 8th dan | 八段 hachidan |
The Japanese term yudansha (有段者) is used to describe a group or individual who holds a Dan rank.
The term breaks down to “Yu” (have), “Dan” (grade), and “Sha” (person)
