Glossary
Pronunciation Guide
The rules are for approximations only, and are only for the romanization system used on this website. The most notable differences between the pronunciation rules given here and proper Japanese pronunciation are the r, f, and h.
1) In general, single vowels are pronounced as follows: a is "ah" (like the o in not); e is like as in get; i is like the y in party, o is as in hope, and u is as in blue. However, Japanese vowels tend to be shorter than their English counterparts.
2) Ô and û represent what would be two vowels in Japanese (ou and uu) and are hence long.
3) Y is always consonantal like in yes, not vocular like in day.
4) Syllables are always divided after the vowel and before the consonant. The only exception to this is n, which can be a syllable by itself in Japanese. If n precedes a consonant, the Anglicized pronunciation is to end the syllable on the n. E.g., Kendô would be ken-dô in English. (It would be ke-n-do-u in Japanese.) In the case that n ends a syllable and precedes a vowel, a dash will separate them (e.g., men-uchi).
5) Short u (not û) and i between unvoiced consonants (ch, f, h, k, s, sh, t, and ts) or following an unvoiced consonant at the end of a phrase are usually "swallowed" and not pronounced. E.g. "shitachi" is pronounced "sh-ta-ch" or "shtach" rather than "shee-tah-chee."
Numbers
| Ichi | one |
| Ni | two |
| San | three |
| Shi or yon | four |
| Go | five |
| Roku | six |
| Shichi or nana | seven |
| Hachi | eight |
| Kyû | nine |
| Jû | ten |
| Hyaku | (one) hundred |
Commonly Used Words and Phrases
| Arigatô gozaimashita | "thank you"; said after something is done; often proceeded by dômo>, in which case it becomes equivalent to "thank you very much" |
| Arigatô gozaimasu | "thank you"; identical to "arigato gozaimasita," except that it is said when the action being thanked is either ongoing or will happen in the future. |
| Ayumiashi | "walking footwork"; footwork in which the feet cross, but remain on the floor at all times
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| Battô | the drawing of a sword |
| Bogu | kendo armor |
| Bokutô | wooden practice sword; used in kendo primarily for kata, used by beginners in iaido |
| Chiburi | a movement intended to remove blood from a sword |
| Chûdan (no kamae) | middle stance; the sword is held in front with the tip at the level of the throat or chest |
| Dô | abdomen, trunk; the piece of armor that protects the trunk in kendo; a cut or blow to the abdomen |
| Hajime | "begin" |
| Hakama | traditional loose, pleated pants of Japan; they are part of the uniform of kendo |
| Hassô (no kamae) | a stance in which the sword is held high, but with the hilt held in beside the head, rather than above it |
| Iaidôka | a practitioner of iaido |
| Iaitô | a practice sword for iaido, made of aluminum or an aluminum alloy, relatively unsharp, and unsuitable for actual cutting |
| Jigeiko | free practice; in kendo, usually refers to sparring practice |
| Jodan (no kamae) | high stance; the sword is held above one’s head |
| Kakarigeiko | in kendo, continuous attacking practice, practice in which one person continuously attacks another (usually an instructor or senior student) |
| Kamae | stance, position |
| Kata | forms; in kendo, practice without bogu using bokuto in which two kendoka practice prearranged sets of attack and defense; in iaido almost always performed by one person using a shinken, mogito, or bokuto. |
| Keiko | practice, practice session |
| Keikogi | practice clothes, the uniform of kendô or iaidô; sometimes used to refer to just the jacket like top of the uniform |
| Kendôka | practitioner of kendo |
| Kirikaeshi | a kendo exercise in which one continuously attacks alternating sides of an opponent (usually the head) while advancing and retreating |
| Kiritsuke | a finishing cut in iaido kata |
| Kodachi | a short sword; the short bokuto used by shitachi in the last three kendo kata |
| Kôryû | "old school"; a style of martial arts with a pre-modern origin; in iaido, it contrasts with the modern seitei gata |
| Koshi | hips, waist |
| Kote | glove, gauntlet; wrist; a cur or blow to the wrist |
| Kote-uchi | a cut or blow to the wrist |
| Kyû | rank, grade. Kyu ranks are below dan ranks. After ikkyû, one progresses to shodan (see dan-i). |
| Men | face, side; the helmet used in kendo; a cut or blow to the head |
| Men-uchi | a cut or blow to the head |
| Mogitô | a replica or simulation sword. In iaido, synonymous with iaito |
| Monouchi | the part of a sword blade used for cutting; approximately the quarter or third of a sword blade nearest the tip |
| Nôtô | the sheathing of a sword |
| Nukitsuke | the drawing and performing of some other action in one motion in order to gain an advantage. In iaido, this is usually a forstalling cut or parry |
| Okuriashi | "sending footwork"; the basic footwork of kendo in which the lead foot is sent out, and the trailing foot then moves. The feet do not cross |
| Onegaishimasu | "please"; said when requesting something; usually said at the beginning of practice, or when engaging a new partner |
| Otagai ni rei | "bow to each other" |
| Rei | bow, a command to bow |
| Sayumen | the left and right sides of the face or head; cuts or blows to both sides of the head |
| Seiretsu | "line up"; an orderly line |
| Seitei gata | "example forms"; the iaido kata developed by the All Japan Kendo Federation |
| Seiza | formal seated position with both feet tucked under the buttocks |
| Sensei | teacher, instructor; when used as a term of address it is placed after the addressee (e.g. Jones sensei) |
| Sensei ni rei | "bow to the instructors" |
| Shinai | >bamboo practice sword |
| Shinken | a real sword |
| Shitachi | the role in a kendo kata that wins; traditionally taken by the student when practicing with a teacher |
| Shômen | front side or wall; the front of the face or head; a cut or blow to the front or top of the head |
| Shômen ni rei | "bow to the shomen" |
| Suriashi | sliding footwork; the general designation for the footwork used in kendo |
| Tachi | long sword; the long bokuto used in kendo kata |
| Tare | the apron-like piece of armor that protects the waist, hips, and thighs in kendo |
| Tatehiza | a seated position in which the left foot is tucked under the buttocks and the right foot remains out in front with the right knee raised |
| Uchikomigeiko | striking practice, practice in which a person repeatedly attacks a target, be that a shinai, a person in bogu, or something else |
| Uchitachi | the role in a kendo kata that ends up being defeated; uchitachi usually attacks first; traditionally the teacher takes the role of uchitachi |
| Wakare | a command to break or separate |
| Wakigamae | a stance in which the sword is held alongside the body, pointing to the rear and downward |
| Yame | "stop" |
| Yokomen | the side of the face or head; a cut or blow to the side of the head |