I know Karate…and other scary Asian sounding words!

I know Karate…and other scary Asian sounding words!

In part two we are looking at technical things like techniques and orders that are called out in the club when you are working out that you might not understand to well.


Kiai: Spirit shout The Kiai is a “Spirit shout” not a yodel, yell or yelp! This is one of the hardest things to teach as an instructor because most people are used to being told to be quiet or to not be so loud! Funny how we often can’t get students to not talk in class and just train, but we can’t get them to yell often as well!


Otagai Ni rei: Bow to eachother, Sensei Ni Rei: Bow to Sensei, Joseki Ni Rei: Bow to the seniors section of the club (high section), Kamiza Ni rei: Bow to the Kamiza, if your club is Shinto based then you say Kamiza ni rei or bow to the Shinto shrine, Shinsen Ni Rei: Bow to the front of club if your club is Buddhist in nature you say Shinsen ni rei or bow to the Buddhist shrine, Sempai Ni Rei: Bow to the Sempai, Shisho Rei: Bow together………Uh, yah….we bow a lot!


Mokuso: “quiet reflection” or “quite the mind” is a time of meditation and contemplation that often is used as a great time for kids to cut wind or make faces at the instructors back when they cannot see them.


Gedan-Tsuki: Punch to lower level, Gedan-Geri: Kick to lower level, Kin geri, Mata Geri: “Golden Bell kick”….Perhaps bowing is not our only obsession in Karate.


Hayaku: “Quicker or lets go”, this is a common term that is used to say “Get going” or “Faster”. I tend to use it to say “Faster” or “power speed” but the true meaning behind it is “Hustle up” or “YOU ARE TO SLOW”…man one word and so many meanings….maybe next time I will just yell in my best Welsh accent what my grandfather used to yell at me and my dad when we were dragging behind “MOVE UR RUMPAGE YE SLOW POKERS”! Granted I might sound like a demented pirate..but it’s a tradeoff I guess.


Mawatte: “to turn or to spin” This is said after you reach a wall in stepping punch, stepping kick or even in some Kata where you have to turn 180 degrees. The interesting fact is that turning when standing normally is very easy to teach, but throw a front stance into the equation and everyone gains an extra left foot!


Awasette: “change your feet” the Japanese term Awasette can mean “to combine two points”, ”brighter clear” or it can mean you have the wrong foot forwards and to swap them out. From now on, when I look at someone and say “change your feet” and they say..thank you…I know they think I called them “Bright”….and I will smile!


One of the important things to note when trying to learn “Japanese for Karate” is that it is a specialized kind of jargin that most Japanese don’t really get as well. Some of the terms we use in the context of Karate makes most non-Karate Japanese wonder what we are saying. It would be like listening to a mechanic about a fly wheel and pully thingy (Yah, not a mechanic am I ) or listening in on me talking about anatomy and physiology. It’s a specialized kind of jargin and some words we use are not translatable to most Japanese.

Not only that but the terms may confuse a Japanese. Most Japanese do not picture a perfect front kick when you say Mae Geri…its simply means kicking to the front and we are shocked when they don’t get it. Or ask them Mawashi geri and they give you a blank look….and Kata names…don’t get me started. Japanese is a complex language that I know tid bits of and to be frank…don’t think I could learn completely with out a Great deal of time and effort involved…and the end result…my Karate is not any better for being able to say “Hello, how are you, do you know what train to take” And with my luck I would say “Hello, May I feel you, And throw you under a train”….Now how do you say “and I would like a lawyer” after I am arrested?