Learn the language of judo

Judo Glossary

Judo's vocabulary is Japanese, and knowing the core terms makes it much easier to follow instruction in the dojo, understand competition commentary, and track your own progress. Below is a beginner-friendly glossary of the terms you'll hear most often, grouped by category. This is a short excerpt of the full, quiz-tested dictionary inside the Judo Academy app.

General & Etiquette

Words you'll hear the moment you step onto the mat.

Dojo (道場): The training hall — literally "place of the way."
Judogi / Gi (柔道着): The judo uniform: jacket, trousers and belt.
Obi (帯): The belt. Its color marks a practitioner's rank (kyu/dan grade).
Sensei (先生): Teacher or instructor — literally "one who came before."
Rei (礼): Bow. Judo sessions open and close with a bow, showing respect for the dojo, the instructor and one's partner.
Randori (乱取り): Free sparring practice, where two judoka apply techniques against each other with cooperative resistance.
Kata (形): A prearranged sequence of techniques performed with a partner to demonstrate and refine correct form.
Uke (受け): The person who receives a technique (is thrown or pinned) during practice.
Tori (取り): The person who executes a technique on their partner.

Referee Commands

Heard in every practice session and every competition.

Hajime (始め): "Begin" — starts a match or a randori round.
Matte (待て): "Wait" — pauses the match; both judoka stop and return to the starting position.
Sonomama (そのまま): "Don't move" — freezes both competitors in place, typically used by the referee to address an equipment or safety issue.
Sore-made (それまで): "That is all" — ends the match.

Scoring

How a judo match is won.

Ippon (一本): A full point — an immediate, outright win, awarded for a decisive throw, a 20-second pin, or a submission via choke or armlock.
Waza-ari (技あり): A near-ippon score, for a throw or hold that doesn't quite meet all the criteria for ippon. Two waza-ari in one match equal an ippon win.
Shido (指導): A penalty for a rule infringement (e.g. passivity, an illegal grip). Accumulated shido can lead to disqualification.
Osaekomi (押込み): "Hold" — called by the referee when a pin begins, starting the clock toward a scoring hold.

Throwing Techniques — Nage-waza (投げ技)

A few of the most common throws taught to beginners.

O-goshi (大腰): "Major hip throw" — a foundational hip throw where tori pulls uke across their hip and over.
O-soto-gari (大外刈り): "Major outer reap" — a leg technique that sweeps uke's supporting leg from behind.
Seoi-nage (背負い投げ): "Shoulder throw" — tori loads uke onto their back and pulls them over.
De-ashi-barai (出足払い): "Advancing foot sweep" — a timing-based sweep of uke's advancing foot as they step.
Uchi-mata (内股): "Inner thigh throw" — tori's leg sweeps up between uke's legs, lifting and rotating them off balance.

Ground Techniques — Ne-waza (寝技)

Pins, chokes and armlocks applied once the fight goes to the ground.

Kesa-gatame (袈裟固め): "Scarf hold" — a common pin where tori controls uke's head and arm from the side.
Kata-gatame (肩固め): "Shoulder hold" — a pin that traps one of uke's arms against their own head.
Shime-waza (絞め技): Choking techniques — applied to the neck to force a submission.
Kansetsu-waza (関節技): Joint-lock techniques — in judo competition, restricted to armlocks (elbow joint) only.

Belt Ranks

The kyu/dan system used to mark progress.

Kyu (級): Student grades, counting down from a higher number to 1st kyu (e.g. white through brown belt), just before black belt.
Dan (段): Black-belt grades, counting up from 1st dan. Represents advanced, expert-level practitioners.

This is a small sample. The Judo Academy app includes a full searchable dictionary, plus a quiz mode to help these terms actually stick.

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