Dictionary for Aikido

This dictionary is made up from various terms I have gleaned and abbreviated from various sources ( in particular from the Aikido Primer and Aikido FAQ ) and from converstations on the Aikido_L mailing list. Longer descriptions of many of these terms may be found in these documents. There is an excellent (and fancier) dictionary located at faq dictionary. If you find any mistakes in this list please e-mail me at the address at the end of this list - feel free to take a copy!

DICTIONARY

• Agatsu - Self victory
• Ai - Harmony or unification
• Aiki - Blending or harmonising of ki
• Aikido - The way of harmony with ki
• Aikidoka - A practitioner of aikido.
• aikiotoshi - entering more deeply and picking up uke's off-side leg
• Aikuchi = tanto-style blade, mounted with no tsuba for women to carry
• Ai hanmi - same foot forward
• Ai nuke -Mutual escape
• Ai uchi -Mutual kill
• Ashi- sometimes means leg, other times it means foot
• Ashi sabaki - Footwork.
• Atemi - (lit. Striking the Body)
• Ayumi-ashi - Crossing feet (back foot slides up and becomes front foot)
• Awase - partner practice

• Bo - Wooden staff about 6 feet in length
• Bokken - bokuto = Wooden sword.
• Budo - Martial way
• Bushido - the way of the warrior

• Chidori-ashi - A cross-over (zig zag) step
• Chokusen - Direct. Thus chokusen no irimi = direct entry.
• Choku tsuki - straight punch
• Chudan - Middle position
• Chushin - Center

• Dan - Black belt rank
• Do - Way/path.
• Dojo - Literally place of the Way
• Dojo cho - The head of the dojo.
• Domo arigato gozaimashita - Japanese for ``thank you very much.''
• Doshu - Head of the way (currently Kisshomaru Ueshiba)

• Engi - Interdependent origination
• Empi uchi - elbow strike

• Fukushidoin - assistant instructor
• Furi kaburi - Sword-raising movement.

• Gaeshi (kaeshi) - Outward turning movement or counter
• Gamae -stance
• Gedan - Lower position.
• Gendaito = modern sword (made roughly in the 20th century)
• Geri -kick
• Gi (do gi) (keiko gi) - Training costume.
• giri -1, cut , 2, obligation/debts
• Gyaku hanmi - Opposing stance

• Hakama - Divided skirt usually worn by black-belt ranks.
• Hanmi - Triangular stance (half forward stance)..
• Hanmi handachi - Position with nage sitting, uke standing.
• Happo - 8 directions; as in happo-undo (8 direction exercise) or happo-giri (8 direction cutting with the sword).
• Hara - One's center of mass,
• Hasso no kamae - ``Figure-eight'' stance. (Sword/jo at side of head)
• Henka waza - Varied technique. Especially beginning one technique and changing to another in mid-execution.
• Hidari - Left.
• Hiraki ashi - Rear foot moves forward and turns to face opponent, front foot turns to establish feet again in kamae but with opposite foot forward. (as in start of 2nd form ikkyo
• Hitomei - equal stance, feet parallel forward
• Hitori-waza - "invisible partner practice"
• Hombu dojo - A term used to refer to the central dojo of an organization.

• Iai goshi - hips lowered, stable position
• Iaito - dull katana.
• Irimi - (lit. ``Entering the Body'') Entering movement. (step or slide)
• Irimi-tenkan - sometimes called tai sa baki

• Jiyu waza - Free-style practice of techniques.
• Jo - Wooden staff about 4'-5' in length
• Jodan - Upper position
• Juji - crossing of the hands

• Kachihayabi - ``Victory at the speed of sunlight.'
• Kaeshi-waza - (reversals, escaping from techniques)
• Kaiten - turning on the spot 180, feet remaining in place
• Kamae - A posture or stance either with or without a weapon.
• Kamiza - A small shrine, frequently located at the front of a dojo,Seat of honor
• Kansetsu waza - Joint manipulation techniques.
• Kata - A ``form'' or prescribed pattern of movement (also shoulder)
• Katame waza - ``Hold-down'' (pinning) techniques.
• Katana - What is vulgarly called a ``samurai sword.''
• Katsu jin ken - ``The sword that saves life.''
• Keiko - Practice:training with spirit and commitment
• Keikogi - More formal name for a gi (see above)
• Kensho - Enlightenment. (see mokuso and satori)
• Kesa - Sash worn diagonally across the chest by buddist priests
• Kesa giri - cutting through the body across the chest(iaido
• Ki - Mind. Spirit. Energy. Vital-force. Intention. (Chinese = chi)
• Kiai - A shout delivered for the purpose of focussing all of one's energy
• Ki musubi - ki no musubi = Literally ``knotting/tying-up ki.'
• Kihon waza - The most formal way of doing a technique or demonstrating it , , 'basic techniques'
• Kiri - cut
• Kiri gaeshi - Large diagonal cut, sword finishing in waki gamae position.
• Kiri otoshi - dropping cut
• Kohai - A student junior to oneself.
• Kokoro = ``Heart'' or ``mind.''
• Kokyu - Breath.
• Kokyu ho - morotetori kokyunage/ryotemochi kokynage ude-oroshi irimi
• Koshiita - back plate for hakama
• koshin - moving backwards
• Kote(1) - (or small hand) runs from approx. the base of the thumb to the middle of the forearm. (2) - gloves or gauntlets used in iaido and kendo
• Kotegaeshi - Small hand returning
• Koto - old sword (made before about 1573)
• kozushi - breaking and/or jarring uke's balance
• Kumijo - jo matching exercise or partner practice.
• Kumitachi - Sword matching exercise or partner practice.
• Kuzushin - (disruption of balance)
• Kyu - White belt rank. (Or any rank below shodan)
• Kyusho points - acupunture/pressure points

• Ma ai - Proper distancing or timing
• Mae - Front.
• Mae ukemi - forward roll
• Mae-geri - front snap kick
• Masakatsu - ``True victory.'' (see agatsu and kachihayabi)
• Migi - Right.
• Misogi - Ritual purification.
• Mitsubushi- strike to the eyes with the back of fist.
• Mokuso - Meditation.
• Mudansha - Students without black-belt ranking.
• Mushin - Literally ``no mind.''

• Nagare - Flowing.
• Nage - The thrower ('the person who is grasping or taking').
• Ninjyo - compassion
• Nukitsuke - drawing the sword

• Obi - A belt.
• Omote - The front,
• Onegai shimasu - ``I welcome you to train with me,''
• Osae - Press; push; to imobalise
• Osae waza - Pinning techniques.
• O-sensei - Literally, ``Great Teacher,'
• Otoshi - to drop

• Randori - Free-style ``all-out'' training.
• Rei - Bow
• Reigi - Ettiquette.
• Renshu. - Ren (repeat) Shu (learn) or learn by repeating
• Ryu - style of school or martial art

• Sabaki - Movement
• Sansho - three victories (Chiba Sensei's sword excersise)
• Satori = Enlightenment.
• Saya - scaboard
• Sayu undo -left-right exercise
• Sensei = Teacher.
• Seiza - Sitting on one's knees.
• Sempai - A student senior to oneself.
• Setsu nin to - ``The sword that kills.''
• Setsuzoku - Connection.
• Shidoin - A formal title meaning, approximately, ``instructor.''
• Shihan - A formal title meaning, approximately, ``master instructor.'
• Shikaku - position relative to one's partner where it is difficult for him/her to (continue to) attack
• Shikko - Samurai walking (``knee walking'').
• Shinai -split-bamboo practice sword(Kendo)
• Shinkenshobu - Lit. ``Duel with live swords.''
• Shinnyo - ``Thusness'' or ``suchness.''
• Shinshinto - new new sword (made between about 1760 and 1900 or so)
• Shinto - ``The way of the gods.'' The indigenous religion of Japan.
• Shite - executor of the technique ('Lit. 'doing hand')
• Shomen - Front or top of head. Also the designated front of a dojo.
• shoshin - (beginners mind each time you are uke or nage
• Suburi - Basic jo or bokken practice in striking and thrusting.
• Sukashi waza - Techniques performed without allowing the attacker to complete a grab or to initiate a strike.
• Suki - An opening or gap where one is vulnerable to attack
• Sumi gaeshi - courner throw
• Sumi otoshi - courner drop
• Sutemi - Literally ``to throw-away the body.''
• Suwari - Seated
• Suwari waza - Techniques executed with both uke and nage in a seated position.
• suri-ashi - (sliding step).

• Tachi - A type of Japanese long sword intended to be worn edge-down
• Tachi-tori - sword-taking
• Tachi waza - Standing techniques.
• Taijutsu - ``Body arts,'' i.e., unarmed practice.
• Tai-atari - entering and blocking
• Tai-gi - (usually 6 techniques done in sequence - Ki aikido)
• Tai no henko - tai no tenkan = Basic blending practice involving turning 180 degrees.
• Tai sabaki - Body movement. (sometimes = irimi tenkan= step turn 180 , step back
• Tanden - centre
• Taninsugake - Training against multiple attackers,
• Tanto - A dagger.
• Tegatana - ``Hand sword,''
• Tekubi - (hand-neck) is closer to "wrist."
• Tenkan - Turning movement, esp. turning the body 180 degrees. (sometimes = turn 180 +step back)
• Tenkai = see kaiten
• Tenshin - A movement where nage retreats 45 degrees away from the attack
• Tori - another name for nage ('the person who is throwing')
• Torifune - 'rowing exercise', for breathing and posture
• Tsuba - handgaurd for sword/bokken
• Tsuka - handle of sword/bokken
• Tsuki - A punch or thrust (esp.an attack to the midsection).

• Uchi (1) - ``Inside.'' Uchi (2) - to strike
• Uchi deshi - A live-in student.
• Ueshiba Kisshomaru - The son of the founder of aikido and current aikido doshu.
• Ueshiba Morihei - The founder of aikido. (see O-sensei and kaiso).
• Ueshiba Moriteru - The grandson of the founder and current dojo cho at hombu dojo.
• Uke - Person being thrown
• Ukemi - Literally ``receiving [with/through] the body,
• Undo - Exercise or drill
• Ura - ``Rear.''
• Ushiro - Backwards or behind,
• Ushiro ukemi - back roll-falls.

• Waki gamae - Sword pointed down and back,
• Waza - Techniques.
• Wakizashi - short sword

• Yoko - Side.
• Yokomen - Side of the head.
• Yudansha - senior grades (dan grades)

• Zanshin - balanced and aware state.
• zenshin - moving forwards
• Zori - Sandals worn off the mat to help keep the mat clean!

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