General vocabulary
- Aikido
- “The way of harmonizing energy” — the art itself.
- Budō
- The “martial way”; a martial art pursued as a path of self-development.
- Dōjō
- “Place of the way” — the training hall.
- Sensei
- Teacher; the instructor leading the class.
- Ki
- Breath, spirit, or intention expressed through the body.
- Hara
- The physical center of the body, just below the navel, from which movement originates.
- Rei
- A bow; respect and readiness.
- Reigi
- Etiquette; the customs of courtesy in the dojo.
Roles and people
- Nage
- The one who applies a technique (also tori, “the one who takes”).
- Uke
- The one who receives a technique — the attacker who is thrown or pinned.
- Ukemi
- The art of receiving a technique safely; rolling and breakfalling.
- Mudansha
- Students below black-belt (kyu) rank.
- Yudansha
- Black-belt (dan) ranked practitioners.
Movement and distance
- Irimi
- Entering — stepping in past an attack.
- Tenkan
- Turning — pivoting around your center.
- Ma-ai
- The correct distance between partners.
- Kamae
- A ready posture or stance.
- Seiza
- Formal kneeling seat, used for bowing and instruction.
Common attacks
- Shōmen-uchi
- A straight strike to the top of the head.
- Yokomen-uchi
- A diagonal strike to the side of the head.
- Tsuki
- A thrust or punch.
- Katate-dori
- A single-hand wrist grab.
- Ryōte-dori
- A two-hand grab (both wrists).
- Ushiro
- “From behind” — attacks that begin at the rear.
Core techniques
- Ikkyo – Gokyo
- The first through fifth basic controls (pins).
- Irimi-nage
- “Entering throw.”
- Shihō-nage
- “Four-direction throw.”
- Kote-gaeshi
- “Wrist-return” throw.
- Kaiten-nage
- “Rotary throw.”
- Tenchi-nage
- “Heaven-and-earth throw.”
Counting to ten
Warm-ups are often counted aloud. From one to ten: ichi, ni, san, shi, go, roku, shichi, hachi, ku, jū. You will pick these up within a few classes simply by hearing them. A wider technical vocabulary is introduced gradually — see the techniques page for how the attack-words and technique-words combine, and the Aikikai Foundation for reference material.
Romanization and usage vary between schools and lineages. Independent educational resource; not affiliated with any dojo or individual.