Karate Terminology
An interactive guide to the Japanese terms used in Karate training, from basic commands to advanced concepts.
| 上段受け | Age-uke | Upper block (rising) |
| 下段払い | Gedan-barai | Lower sweeping block |
| 背手受け | Haishu-uke | Back-hand block |
| 平受け | Hira-uke | Flat/palm block |
| 鶴手受け | Kakete-uke | Hooking block |
| 掛け分け受け | Kakiwake-uke | Wedge/blocking apart |
| 諸手受け | Morote-uke | Augmented/assisted block |
| 流し受け | Nagashi-uke | Parrying block |
| 手刀受け | Shuto-uke | Knife-hand block |
| 外受け | Soto-uke | Outside block |
| 掬い受け | Sukui-uke | Scooping block |
| 立て受け | Tate-uke | Vertical forearm block |
| 手掌受け | Teisho-uke | Palm-heel block |
| 内受け | Uchi-uke | Inside block |
| 横受け | Yoko-uke | Side block |
| 母指球 | Chūsoku | Ball of foot |
| 猿臂 | Empi/Enpi | Elbow (region) |
| 顔面 | Ganmen | Face (target) |
| 背手 | Haishu | Back of hand |
| 足の甲 | Haisoku | Instep |
| 鶴手 | Haito | Ridge-hand |
| 肘 | Hiji | Elbow |
| 膝 | Hiza | Knee |
| 踵 | Kakato | Heel |
| 腰 | Koshi | Hips |
| 正拳 | Seiken | Forefist |
| 手刀 | Shuto | Knife-hand |
| 足底 | Sokutei | Sole of foot |
| 足刀 | Sokutō | Knife-edge of foot |
| 水月 | Suigetsu | Solar plexus (target) |
| 手掌 | Teisho | Palm-heel |
| 裏拳 | Uraken | Backfist |
| 左 | Hidari | Left |
| 前 | Mae | Front/forward |
| 右 | Migi | Right |
| 表 | Omote | Front (surface) |
| 外 | Soto | Outside |
| 内 | Uchi | Inside |
| 裏 | Ura | Rear/reverse |
| 後ろ | Ushiro | Back/behind |
| 横 | Yoko | Side |
| 歩み足 | Ayumi-ashi | Normal stepping |
| 回って | Mawatte | Turn around |
| 摺り足 | Suri-ashi | Gliding step |
| 転身 | Tenshin | Body shift/evasion |
| 継ぎ足 | Tsugi-ashi | Shuffle step (feet together step) |
| 寄り足 | Yori-ashi | Slide/approach step |
| 分解 | Bunkai | Application (of kata) |
| 段 | Dan | Black-belt grades |
| 道場 | Dojo | Training hall |
| 道衣 | Gi / Dōgi / Karategi | Uniform |
| 始め | Hajime | Begin |
| 上席 | Jōseki | Honor seat (senior side) |
| 構え | Kamae | Guard/ready posture |
| 形 | Kata | Forms |
| 基本 | Kihon | Basics |
| 気をつけ | Kiotsuke | Attention |
| 後輩 | Kōhai | Junior student |
| 組手 | Kumite | Sparring |
| 級 | Kyū | Student grades (coloured belts) |
| 黙想 | Mokuso | Meditation |
| 帯 | Obi | Belt |
| 押忍 | Osu | Acknowledgement/oss |
| お互いに礼 | Otagai-ni-rei | Bow to each other |
| 礼 | Rei | Bow |
| 正座 | Seiza | Kneeling posture |
| 先輩 | Sempai | Senior student |
| 先生に礼 | Sensei-ni-rei | Bow to teacher |
| 正面 | Shōmen | Front (of dojo) |
| 止め | Yame | Stop |
| 用意 | Yoi | Ready |
| 抜塞大 | Bassai Dai | Penetrate the Fortress (major) |
| 抜塞小 | Bassai Shō | Penetrate the Fortress (minor) |
| 鎮東 | Chinte | Rare Hand |
| 燕飛 | Empi | Flying Swallow |
| 岩鶴 | Gankaku | Crane on a Rock |
| 五十四歩大 | Gojūshiho Dai | Fifty-Four Steps (major) |
| 五十四歩小 | Gojūshiho Shō | Fifty-Four Steps (minor) |
| 半月 | Hangetsu | Half Moon |
| 平安五段 | Heian Godan | Peaceful Mind 5 |
| 平安二段 | Heian Nidan | Peaceful Mind 2 |
| 平安三段 | Heian Sandan | Peaceful Mind 3 |
| 平安初段 | Heian Shodan | Peaceful Mind 1 |
| 平安四段 | Heian Yondan | Peaceful Mind 4 |
| 慈陰 | Jiin | Temple Grounds |
| 慈恩 | Jion | Love and Goodness |
| 十手 | Jitte | Ten Hands |
| 観空大 | Kanku Dai | View the Sky (major) |
| 観空小 | Kanku Shō | View the Sky (minor) |
| 明鏡 | Meikyō | Bright Mirror |
| 二十四歩 | Nijūshiho | Twenty-Four Steps |
| 壯鎭 | Sōchin | Strong/Immovable |
| 鉄騎二段 | Tekki Nidan | Iron Horse 2 |
| 鉄騎三段 | Tekki Sandan | Iron Horse 3 |
| 鉄騎初段 | Tekki Shodan | Iron Horse 1 |
| 雲手 | Unsu | Cloud Hands |
| 王冠 | Wankan | King’s Crown |
| 踏み込み | Fumikomi | Stamping/stomp kick |
| 膝蹴り | Hiza-geri | Knee kick |
| 前蹴り | Mae-geri | Front kick (generic) |
| 前蹴り上げ | Mae-geri-keage | Front snap kick |
| 前蹴り込む | Mae-geri-kekomi | Front thrust kick |
| 回し蹴り | Mawashi-geri | Roundhouse kick |
| 三日月蹴り | Mikazuki-geri | Crescent kick |
| 二段蹴り | Nidan-geri | Double kick (jumping two-stage) |
| 外三日月蹴り | Soto-mikazuki-geri | Outside crescent |
| 内三日月蹴り | Uchi-mikazuki-geri | Inside crescent |
| 裏回し蹴り | Ura-mawashi-geri | Hook kick (inside out) |
| 後ろ蹴り | Ushiro-geri | Back kick |
| 後ろ回し蹴り | Ushiro-mawashi-geri | Spinning hook kick |
| 横蹴り上げ | Yoko-geri-keage | Side snap kick |
| 横蹴り込み | Yoko-geri-kekomi | Side thrust kick |
| 五 | Go | Five |
| 八 | Hachi | Eight |
| 一 | Ichi | One |
| 十 | Jū | Ten |
| 十五 | Jū-go | Fifteen |
| 十八 | Jū-hachi | Eighteen |
| 十一 | Jū-ichi | Eleven |
| 十九 | Jū-kyū | Nineteen |
| 十七 | Jū-nana | Seventeen |
| 十二 | Jū-ni | Twelve |
| 十六 | Jū-roku | Sixteen |
| 十三 | Jū-san | Thirteen |
| 十四 | Jū-yon | Fourteen |
| 九 | Kyū | Nine |
| 二 | Ni | Two |
| 二十 | Ni-jū | Twenty |
| 六 | Roku | Six |
| 三 | San | Three |
| 四 | Shi/Yon | Four |
| 七 | Shichi/Nana | Seven |
| 逆突き | Gyaku-zuki | Reverse punch (rear hand) |
| 一本拳突き | Ippon-ken-zuki | One-knuckle punch |
| 刻み突き | Kizami-zuki | Jab (lead hand) |
| 諸手突き | Morote-zuki | U-punch / double-fist punch |
| 追い突き | Oi-zuki | Lunge punch (lead leg/hand) |
| 二連突き | Ren-zuki | Double punch (alternating) |
| 縦突き | Tate-zuki | Vertical-fist punch |
| 裏拳突き | Uraken-zuki | Backfist strike |
| 不動立ち | Fudo-dachi | Immovable stance |
| 八字立ち | Hachiji-dachi | Natural stance (feet outward) |
| 半月立ち | Hangetsu-dachi | Half-moon stance |
| 平行立ち | Heiko-dachi | Parallel stance |
| 掛け足立ち | Kake-dachi | Hooked stance |
| 騎馬立ち | Kiba-dachi | Horse stance |
| 後屈立ち | Kokutsu-dachi | Back stance |
| 交差立ち | Kosa-dachi | Cross stance |
| 結び立ち | Musubi-dachi | Heels together, toes out |
| 猫足立ち | Neko-ashi-dachi | Cat stance |
| 捻り足立ち | Renoji-dachi | L-stance |
| 鷺足立ち | Sagi-ashi-dachi | Crane stance (one-legged) |
| 三戦立ち | Sanchin-dachi | Hourglass/Sanchin stance |
| 前屈立ち | Zenkutsu-dachi | Front stance (long) |
| 猿臂打ち | Empi-uchi | Elbow strike |
| 背手打ち | Haishu-uchi | Back-hand strike |
| 鶴手打ち | Haito-uchi | Ridge-hand strike |
| 肘当て | Hiji-ate | Elbow thrust |
| 四本拳 | Hiraken | Fore-knuckle strike |
| 熊手 | Kumade | Bear-paw (open-hand rake) |
| 貫手 | Nukite | Spear-hand thrust |
| 手刀打ち | Shuto-uchi | Knife-hand strike |
| 手掌打ち | Teisho-uchi | Palm-heel strike |
| 鉄槌打ち | Tetsui-uchi | Hammerfist strike |
| 足払い | Ashi-barai | Foot sweep |
| 出足払い | De-ashi-barai | Advancing foot sweep |
| 小内刈り | Ko-uchi-gari | Minor inner reap (sweep) |
| 中段 | Chudan | Middle level (torso) |
| 下段 | Gedan | Lower level (groin/legs) |
| 上段 | Jodan | Upper level (head) |