Basic Terminology

Numbers in Japanese

• 1 - ichi
• 2 - ni
• 3 - san
• 4 - shi/yon
• 5 - go
• 6 - roku
• 7 - shichi/nana
• 8 - hachi
• 9 - kyu/ku
• 10 - juu

Attacks

• shomen - vertical attack to head
• yokomen - diagonal attach to the head/neck
• tsuki - punch
• tori/dori - grab
  • katate dori - wrist grab
  • kata tori - shoulder grab

Body parts

• men – head
• kubi – neck
• kata – shoulder
• koshi – hips
• ashi – leg or foot
• mune – chest
• te – hand
• wrist – kote/kubite
• hiji – elbow

Common terminology

• uke – atacker
• ushiro – backward, behind
• tai sabaki – body movement  
• rei - bow
• sumi otoshi – corner throw
• kaeshi waza - counter techniques
• tori – defender
• irimi nage – entering throw
• kata - form or pattern
• hip throw – koshi nage
• irimi - entering movement
• kamiza or shomen - the "center" of the dojo where there is usually a scroll and/or a picture of O-sensei
• geri or keri – kick
• shikko – knee walking –
• tanto – knife
• bokken – wooden sword
• maai - distance
• dojo – martial arts school
• iie – no
• katame waza - pinning techniques
• tenkan – pivot
• onegai shimasu - please
• tsuki – punch
• suwari waza – sitting teachniques
• yame – stop
• jo – short staff
• hanmi – stance
  • gyaku hanmi – mirror-image stance -
  • ai hanmi – same stance
  • migi hanmi – right hanmi
  • hidari hanmi – left hanm
• uchi waza – striking techniques
• bokken sword
• sensei – teacher/instructor
• O-sensei - the honorif title of Morehei Ueshiba
• nage waza – throwing techniques
• domo arigato – thank you (formal)
• domo – thank you (informal)
• domo arigato mister roboto – a song by American rock band Styx released in 1983. Thanks to it, the phrase "domo arigato" entered the popular American vernacular.
• gi – uniform
• hakama – uniform pants
• kote gaeshi – wrist turn-out
• hai – yes