JAPANESE - ENGLISH TRANSLATION

There is a convention that Japanese is the international language of Karate. All traditional clubs teach Karate techniques in Japanese and competitions, courses and grading examinations are also in Japanese. This has the added bonus that wherever you train in the world the instructors/students speak the same language.Though daunting at first, there are only a few key words that the average Karateka need to know which are listed below. The translation sheet is a reference point, a guide to key words... not a Japanese dictionary.

DO NOT try to memorize the words, but rather use them in your regular training. Try not to think of a KIN GERI as a 'groin kick', but attach the label KIN GERI to a specific kicking movement in the same way that you would attach the label MONDEO to a specific model of car. As you come across these words individually and in combinations you will soon learn their meanings, and it won't be long before ARUKU HIDARI ZEN KUTSU DACHI CHUDAN ZUKI galvanizes you into action without having to work out what each solitary word means.

GENERAL
SENSEI	TEACHER	BARAI	SWEEPING
SEMPAI	SENIOR	RENRAKU	COMBINATION
DOJO	TRAINING HALL	WAZA	WAY/TECHNIQUE
REI	BOW	ARUKU	FULL STEP
... NI REI	BOW TO...	SURIKOMI	HALF STEP
SEIZA	KNEEL	ZANSHIN	FOCUS
KIRITSU	STAND	MOHKSO	MEDITATION
HADJIME	START	CHUSOKO	BALL OF FOOT
YAME	STOP	HAISOKU	INSTEP
YASME	RELAX	IPPON	SINGLE (POINT)
JODAN	UPPER LEVEL	NIHON	DOUBLE (POINT)
CHUDAN	MID LEVEL	JIYU	FREESTYLE
GEDAN	LOWER LEVEL	KUMITE	FIGHTING
MAWATTE	TURN	MAWASHI	(A)ROUND
MARUI	ROUND THE BACK	CHOKU	DIRECT
HIDARI	LEFT	SAKOTSU	DESCENDING
MIGI	RIGHT	KEAGE	RISING
GYAKU	BACK/REVERSE	KEKOME	THRUSTING
KIAI	SHOUT	FUMIKOMI	STAMPING
VOWELS
A	ah	E	ay
I	ee	O	oh
U	oo
DACHI - STANCE
YOI	READY	NEKO ASHI	CAT FOOT
MASUBI	OPEN TOED	KOKUTSU	BACK LEANING
ZENKUTSU	FRONT LEANING	KIBA	STRADDLE
HANMI GAMAE	FIGHTING	SHIKO	SUMO
UCHI HACHI	IN AND OUT	KAKA	KNEELING
SANSHIN	HOUR GLASS	OSAI	PRESSING
ZUKI - PUNCH
GYAKU	REVERSE	KIZAMI	SNAP
URA	BACK	SHITA	CLOSE QUARTER
TOBI KOMI	JUMPING	NAGASHI	SIDE STEPPING
GERI - KICK
KIN	GROIN	MAE	FRONT
YOKO	SIDE	HIZA	KNEE
MAWASHI	ROUNDHOUSE	KAKATO	HEEL
URA MAWASHI	HOOK	TOBI	JUMPING/FLYING
USHIRO	BACK	MIKAZUKI	CRESCENT
UCHI - STRIKE
SHUTO	KNIFE HAND	HAITO	RIDGE HAND
SEIKEN	FOREFIST	URAKEN	BACK FIST
NUKITE	SPEAR HAND	TEISHO	PALM HEEL
EMPI	ELBOW	TETTSUI	HAMMERFIST
UKE - BLOCK
SOTO	OUTER	SOTO HARAI	OUTER SWEEP
UCHI	STRIKING	UCHI HARAI	STRIKING SWEEP
HAISHU	BACK HAND	UDE BARAI	FOREARM SWEEP
TENSHO	GRABBING	KAKATO	HEEL
AGE	RISING	EMPI	ELBOW

NUMBERS
ICHI	ONE	ROKU	SIX
NI	TWO	SICHI	SEVEN
SAN	THREE	HACHI	EIGHT
CHI or YON	FOUR	KU	NINE
GO	FIVE	JU	TEN