Glossary of Kyokushin Karate Terms

This is a basic glossary of terms found in Kyokushin Karate, with definition and audio Pronunciation.

How to read Japanese in English alphabet (rōmaji): English vowels a=ah, i=ee, u=oo, e=eh and o=oh
A macron or a line over a vowel indicates that it is pronounced for twice the length of the vowel without a macron or a line. Sometimes an “h” is added instead. However, these sounds are just approximations and there are some exceptions
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Stances – Tachi Gata

Tachi denotes the configuration of the lower body; tachi gata are forms of stances.


	Ready Stance	Yōi dachi
	Immovable or rooted stance	Fudō dachi
	Front bent stance	Zenkutsu dachi
	Inner eight stance	Uchi hachi dachi
	Open foot (connected) stance	Musubi Dachi
	Back Stance	– kōkutsu-dachi – Also known as hanmi no nekoashi dachi (half facing cat stance)
	Three battles stance	Sanchin Dachi
	Horse riding stance	Kiba-dachi
	Cat stance	Nekoashi-dachi
	Crane stance	Tsuri Ashi Dachi
	One foot forward stance	Moro Ashi Dachi
	Parallel stance	Heisoku dachi
	Crossed leg stance	Kake ashi dachi

Blocks – Uke

	Middle outside block	Chūdan Soto uke
	Middle inside block	Chūdan uchi uke
	Upper block	Jōdan uke
	Low sweep block	Gedan-barai
	Roundhouse block	Mawashi uke
	Middle inside block with both hands	Morote chudan uchi uke
	Roundhouse block with knife-hand	Shuto mawashi uke

Punches & Strikes – Tsuki & Uchi

In karatedō, tsuki is usually translated as “punch,” but this is not correct. A better rendering would be “thrust.” Tsuki is differentiated from uchi 打ち (strike), in that the fist in tsuki moves along the same direction as the arm, while the hand in uchi moves circularly around the elbow or shoulder. The useful comparison is with kendō, in which tsuki has a very specific definition: a thrusting attack to the throat with the tip of the shinai, rather than a cut with the “edge”, uchi.

Note that in a compound word, where tsuki does not come first, its pronunciation and writing changes slightly due to rendaku, and it is spelled and pronounced as “zuki“.

	Forefist double strike	Seiken morote zuki
	Forefist (straight) punch	Seiken zuki
	Forefist strike to the chin	Seiken ago uchi
	Vertical punch	Tate zuki
	Low punch	Shita zuki
	Lunge punch	Jun zuki
	Descending hammerfist strike to face	Tettsui oroshi ganmen uchi
	Hammerfist strike to temple	Tettsui komekami
	Hammerfist strike to the spleen	Tettsui Hizo Uchi
	Front sideways hammerfist strike	Tettsui mae yoko uchi
	Side hammerfist strike	Tettsui yoko uchi
	Two-finger spear hand	Nihon nukite
	Front backfist strike	Uraken shōmen uchi
	Descending backfist strike	Uraken oroshi ganmen uchi
	Backfist strike to spleen	Uraken hizō uchi
	Roundhouse backfist strike	Uraken mawashi uchi
	Lateral backfist strike to face	Uraken sayū ganmen uchi
	Palm heel thrust	Shōtei zuki
	elbow strike	hiji ate
	Sword hand strike	Shutō uchi
	Rising elbow strike	Age hiji ate
	Backwards elbow strike	Ushiro hiji ate
	Descending elbow strike	Hiji oroshi uchi
	Flat fist punch (also leopard fist)	Hiraken zuki
	Strike with back of hand	Haishu uchi
	Forefist rising punch to face	Seiken jodan age zuki
	Four-finger spear-hand	Yonhon nukite
	Middle knuckle fist	Nakadaka ken
	One fist thumb	Oyayubi Ipponken
	Ridgehand strike	Haitō uchi

Kicks – Keri

*Please note that in a compound word, where keri does not come first, its pronunciation and writing changes slightly, becoming geri. Eg. “Keri” = “Kick” but “Mawashi-geri” = “Round Kick”


	Knee kick	hiza geri
	Groin kick	Kin geri
	Front kick	Mae geri
	Foot sword joint kick	Sokutō kansetsu geri
	Rising side kick	Sokutō yoko keage
	Front rising high kick	Mae keage
	Inside roundhouse stretch kick	Uchi mawashi keage
	Outside roundhouse stretch kick	Soto mawashi keage
	Lower level roundhouse kick	Gedan mawashi geri
	High roundhouse kick	Jōdan mawashi geri
	Back kick	Ushiro geri
	Upper level inside instep kick	Jōdan uchi haisoku geri
	Flying side kick	Tobi yoko geri
	Jumping front kick	Tobi mae geri