Kendo Vocabulary Language matters

I. General

A. General

kendo
the way of the sword; training the mind, body, and character through one-one-one striking practice using the shinai while wearing bogu
kenshi
kendoist
dan
ranking system for advanced levels (1=lowest, 8=highest); equivalent to black belt in other martial arts
kyu
ranking system for beginning levels (6=lowest, 1=highest); equivalent to a brown belt in other martial arts
yudansha
kendoist with a rank of 1st dan (shodan) or higher
kodansha
one with a high dan rank, typically 5th dan (godan) or higher
sensei
instructor, usually with rank 4th dan (yondan) or higher
shomen
the side of the dojo or hall farthest from the main entrance, the side having the highest place of honor
seiza
seated attention position
kiai
a shout or yell to show spirit
kigurai
confidence, presence, bearing
kokyu
breathing
shinsa
promotional examination
counting (1,2,3, ... ,10)
ichi, ni, san, shi, go, roku, shichi, hachi, kyu, ju

B. Commands and Responses

hajime
"Begin!"
yame
"Stop!"
ki-o-tsuke
"Attention!"
seiretsu
"make a line"
chakuza
"sit down (in seiza)"
kiritsu
"stand up"
men-tsuke
"put on the men"
men-tore
"take off the men"
nuke-to
"draw the sword (shinai)"
osame-to
"return the sword (shinai)"
hai
"Yes!" Used in place of "okay", or "I understand."

II. Equipment

A. Uniform

hakama
kendo clothing worn on the lower part of the body, a long divided skirt-like trousers
keiko-gi
kendo clothing worn on the upper part of the body, a thick jacket-like shirt

B. Armor

bogu
kendo armor consisting of men, kote, do, and tare
men
kendo armor to protect the face, head, and shoulders
kote
kendo armor used to proect the hand and forearm
do
kendo armor to protect the trunk and chest
tare
kendo armor to protect the waist, groin, and upper legs
tsuki
flap on the men which protects the throat
tenugui
thin cotton towel worn on the head under the men
nafuda
name tag worn on the center of the tare; also called "zekken"

C. Swords

shinai
bamboo sword used in kendo
kensen
the tip of the shinai
nakayui
thin strip of leather tied around the shinai about one third down from the tip
tsuba
circular guard on the shinai
tsuka
the handle of the shinai
tsuka-gashira
the very end (bottom) of the tsuka
tsuru
the string which holds the shinai together
monouchi
the region of the shinai most effective for striking, located between the tip and the nakayui
datotsu-bu
the part of the shinai with which one should strike the opponent. Refers to the jin-bu (side opposite the tsuru) around the region of the mono-uchi.
bokken
wooden sword, primarily used for kendo kata
bokuto
same as bokken

III. Manners and Etiquette

A. Opening and Closing

mokuso
meditation performed in the seiza position
mokuso-yame
command to stop mokuso
rei
bow
shomen-ni-rei
command given to bow to the shomen; done while in seiza
sensei-ni-rei
command given to bow to the sensei, done while in seiza
onegai shimasu
"I request the favor (of a practice)"; said at the beginning of practice during "sensei-ni-rei"
arigato gozaimashita
"Thank you very much"; said at the end of practice during "sensei-ni-rei"

B. Always

rei-gi
matters of etiquette
rei-ho
doctrines of etiquette
chaku-so
the manner of wearing keikogi, hakama, and bogu
ritsu-rei
standing bow
sage-to
the posture taken when performing ritsu-rei, with the shinai held in the left hand with the arm hanging naturally at the side. The tsuru faces downward and the hand next to the tsuba.
sogo-no-rei
ritsu-rei to the opponent. The angle is about 15 degrees, and eye contact is maintained.

IV. Practice and Instruction

A. General

keiko
practice, training
ashi-sabaki
footwork
ato-geiko
literally after practice, usually a second practice session for advanced kenshi following a primary practice session which stresses kihon
datotsu
striking and thrusting. A valid point is referred to as yuko datotsu.
datotsu-bui
the correct striking or thrusting zones of the kendo-gu (protective gear), refers to the men, kote, do, and tsuki areas
datotsu-no-kikai
chance of strike
furi-kaburi
big movement swing of the shinai above one's head
hasuji
cutting path of the sword (angle of cut)
haya-suburi
fast suburi, one count per backward step plus foward strike
hiraki-ashi
footwork used when the body is moving diagonally (front foot is same side as forward shoulder)
issoku-itto-no-maai
distance from which one can strike in one step
jiyu-keiko
free practice
kakari-geiko
attack practice
kamae-te
command to assume kamae
kihon
basics
kihon-dosa
basic exercises, including uchi-kata and suburi
kiri-kaeshi
basic exercise in which the sides of the men are struck repeatedly, typically in sets of a straight men followed by 4 strikes forward and 5 strikes backward
ma-ai
distance between opponents
mawari-geiko
rotation keiko
men-no-uchi, gokai
"basic men strike, 5 times"
men-no-uchi, sankyodo
"basic men strike, three count movements" (1=raise shinai, 2=strike, moving forward, 3=step back)
metsuke
use of the eyes to see the opponent, see basic concepts
motodachi
person being struck to provide instruction, for example in uchikomi-geiko, kakari-geiko, or kihon shiai
okuri-ashi
the most basic footwork used in kendo, where the feet start and end in the basic kamae position with the right foot in front and the toes of the left foot even with the line of the right heel
sayu-men
the right and left striking zones of the men
seme
pressure applied to one's opponent
shiai-geiko
match practice
shin-kokyu
deep breathing exercise
shisei
posture
shizentai
natural standing position
shomen-uchi
a strike to the center of the men
suri-ashi
footwork in which the feet do not lose contact with the floor
te-no-uchi
the usage of the hands to tighten/loosen the grip on the shinai or adjusting the balance between the hands when striking or responding
uchikomi-geiko
practice striking the basic points on the motodachi
waza
technique, see advanced concepts
zanshin
mental and physical presence of spirit, especially after completing an attack

B. Positions

kamae
basic stance; ready position
chudan-no-kamae
basic kamae, with the kensen pointed at the opponent's throat
judan-no-kamae
kamae with the shinai above the head, with the left hand above the forehead about one fist away
tai-to
holding the shinai at the left hip, ready to draw. The tsuka-gashira should be in front of the center of the body.
sonkyo
the crouching position in which begins and ends each bout
tsuba-zeriai
the position in which the opponents are close to each other with tsuba or fists together

C. Types of Practice

suburi
sword swinging techniques
jogeburi
full sword swing; an exercise used for relaxing and warming up the shoulders and upper back
suburi
basic exercise which simulates striking the men repeatedly, performed without an opponent
suburi-ikkyodo
one-count suburi (alternate striking forward and backward on each count)
suburi-nikyodo
two-count suburi (raise the shinai on the odd count; strike on the even count, alternating the going forward and backward and each strike)

V. Tournaments and Matches

A. General

shiai
match
shiai-jo
court
men ari
"men" (awarding of the men point in a match)
kote ari
"kote" (awarding of the kote point in a match)
do ari
"do" (awarding of the do point in a match)
tsuki ari
"tsuki" (awarding of the tsuki point)
encho
match overtime period
fusensho
a match win by default, due to the opponent's absence or forfeit
gogi
referee's conference during a match, held in the center of the court
hansoku
match foul, results in one half-point against the offending player
hansoku ikkai
"first hansoku"
hansoku nikai, ippon ari
"second hansoku, one point" (awarded to the opponent of the offending player)
hantei
referees' decision of the winner of a match
hikiwake
match draw
igi
formal protest in a match, registered by a team manager
ippon gachi
a match decided by one point, due to time running out in sanbon-shobu
ippon shobu
one point match (first person to score wins)
jogai
stepping out of bounds (this is a hansoku)
kachinuki
a method of conducting matches in which the winner remains and keeps fighting until defeated
kaishi-sen
starting line in the court
kihon-shiai
tournament in which kihon is judged. Usually includes rei-ho, kiri-kaeshi, and basic uchikomi
kumiawase
tournament match-ups
mejirushi
red or white tag tied to the crossed do strings on the back, used to distinguish the players in a match
nihon me
"Second point" (continues sanbon-shobu after one player has scored the first point of the match)
sanbon shobu
three point match (first person to score two points wins)
shiai-jikan
match time limit
shinai-otoshi
losing control of the shinai (this is a hansoku)
shobu
"Match" (continues sanbon shobu after each player has one point)
shobu ari
"Match done" (announces the end of the match)
taikai
tournament
wakare
during shiai: "separate" (timer does not stop)
yuko datotsu
valid point

B. Personnel

senpo
first player in a team match
jiho
second player in a team match
chuken
middle player in a team match
fukusho
second to last player in a team match
taisho
last player in a team match (captain)
kantoku
team manager
shushin
chief referee (makes the match pronouncements)
fukushin
sub-referees in a match
shinpan
judge; referee
shinpan-cho
head judge
shinpan-shunin
court judge