Martial arts are partly characterized by the use of foreign language in the practice room. This is because there is rarely a perfectly accurate English translation for Japanese techniques, and also to honor and show respect for the traditions that for centuries have accompanied the transmission of the martial arts.

Click here to download the most recent version of our Japanese terminology list in Microsoft Word format.

Forms

first cause/effort

starting point

flower of youth

first Korean dynasty

crescent

penetrating a fortress (major)

sky watching (major)

Stances

front stance

horse stance

back stance

Blocks

low block

inward block

outward block

high block

knifehand block

Strikes

jab

backfist

straight punch

reverse punch

side punch

hammerfist

knifehand

ridgehand

Kicks

front kick

side kick

round kick

back kick

hook kick

outward crescent kick

inward crescent kick

attention!

face the front, bow

face the headmaster, bow

face the instructor, bow

to all assembled, bow

ready

begin

stop

turn around

switch feet

get into position

Basic guide to Japanese pronunciation:

Vowels:
In the Japanese language, there are only 5 vowel sounds, with no exceptions. They are always pronounced the same as follows.

あ A - pronounced like the 'a' in the word 'father'

え E - pronounced like the 'a' in the word 'day' or 'save'

い I - pronounced like the 'i' in the word 'unique'

お O - pronounced like the 'o' in 'go'

う U - pronounced like the 'u' in 'glue'

Consonants:

The only major difference is that the letter 'r' is pronounced like halfway between an 'r' and an 'l'.
The letter 'f' is pronounced with the same shape of the mouth as you would pronounce it in English, but without the lower lip quite touching the upper teeth.

Long vowels:

Long vowels are indicated in a variety of ways, but in this vocabulary guide, they are indicated by the presence of a macron above the vowel, in either 'û' or 'ô'. Simply pronounce these vowels for twice as long as you pronounce an ordinary vowel.

Double consonants:

If you see a double consonant, such as in the word 'kitta', you pronounce it like kit-ta, with an attempt to pronounce the 't' twice, both after 'ki' and before 'a'. You would pronounce 'kita' like ki-ta. Note that this alone makes a critical difference in what word you are speaking, 'kita' means 'north,' while 'kitta' means 'I cut.'

* Note: as this is intended to be a basic guide to Japanese pronunciation, it is consistent with the Hebon-Shiki system of Japanese to English transliteration. Also, this is only a very basic guide; for a proper understanding of Japanese, extensive study is required.