Kendo & iaido glossary

A reference of about seventy essential Japanese terms used in kendo and iaido — from equipment names to strikes, postures, etiquette, and competition vocabulary. Designed for new and progressing practitioners in Tunisia. Pair with our beginner’s guide and the FAQ.

Equipment

防具

Bogu, shinai & uniform

竹刀 shinai Bamboo sword: The kendo sparring sword — four bamboo staves bound at the handle (tsuka) and tip (saki-gawa) by leather. Standardised in length and weight by age and gender for safe full-contact practice.
木刀 bokken / bokutō Wooden sword: A solid wooden sword used in kihon kata, beginner drills, and traditional kata practice. Heavier and stiffer than a shinai.
居合刀 iaitō Iaido practice sword: A blunt-edged practice sword used in iaido. Made of zinc-aluminium alloy or unsharpened steel; never used for cutting or sparring.
防具 bogu Armour: The full set of kendo protective armour: men, kote, dō, and tare. Required for full-contact practice once basics are stable, typically after 6–12 months.
面 men Head & face protector: The kendo helmet that protects the head, face, and throat. Also the name of the strike to the top of the opponent’s helmet.
小手 kote Wrist gauntlets: Padded gauntlets covering the wrists and hands. Also the name of the strike to the opponent’s right or left wrist.
胴 dō Torso protector: The cuirass that protects the chest and ribs. Also the name of the cutting strike to the opponent’s right or left flank.
垂れ tare Waist & groin guard: A skirt of padded flaps protecting the hips, groin, and upper thighs. Bears the practitioner’s name plate (zekken) at the centre.
剣道着 kendogi / kendōgi Kendo jacket: The heavy navy or white cotton jacket worn under the bogu. Cut for free arm movement and absorbing sweat.
袴 hakama Pleated trousers: The wide pleated trousers worn for kendo, iaido, and other Japanese martial arts. Five front pleats and two back pleats, each symbolising a virtue.
手拭 tenugui Head cloth: A thin cotton cloth worn under the men to absorb sweat and keep hair tidy. Often printed with a kendo motto or dojo name.

Strikes & movement

基本

Strikes, footwork & basics

基本 kihon Fundamentals: The set of foundational techniques — strikes, footwork, postures — drilled at every level. The bedrock of kendo training.
面打ち men-uchi Strike to the head: The cutting strike to the top of the opponent’s helmet. The most common and essential kendo technique.
小手打ち kote-uchi Strike to the wrist: The cutting strike to the opponent’s right (or left) wrist gauntlet.
胴打ち dō-uchi Strike to the torso: The horizontal cutting strike to the opponent’s right or left dō. Often delivered while passing.
突き tsuki Throat thrust: The straight thrust to the small target on the throat protector. Permitted only at higher grades for safety.
すり足 suri-ashi Sliding footwork: The basic kendo footwork — sliding the feet smoothly along the floor without lifting them. Maintains balance and stability.
踏み込み fumikomi Stamping step: The sharp stamping step with the right foot that accompanies most strikes. Generates power and signals commitment.
足捌き ashi-sabaki Footwork: The general term for kendo footwork — including suri-ashi, fumikomi, okuri-ashi (forward shuffle), and tsugi-ashi (closing step).
切り返し kirikaeshi Repeated diagonal strikes: A foundational drill of continuous diagonal men strikes alternating left and right. Trains breathing, stamina, posture, and strike form.
残心 zanshin Continued awareness: The state of alert readiness maintained after a strike — never letting your guard down. Required to validate a point in shiai.

Concepts

心

Spirit & principles

気剣体一致 ki-ken-tai-ichi Spirit, sword, body — as one: The unification of intent (ki), sword (ken), and body (tai) at the moment of strike. The ideal that distinguishes a valid point from a mere touch.
黙想 mokusō Silent meditation: A short period of seated meditation at the start and end of practice. Settles the mind and marks the transition into and out of training.
捨て身 sutemi Total commitment: Throwing oneself fully into the strike, without holding back. The willingness to risk being struck in order to deliver one’s own attack.
不動心 fudōshin Immovable mind: A mind that is not shaken by fear, anger, or surprise. The composure that allows clear perception in the heat of combat.
無心 mushin No-mind: A state of action without conscious thought, where technique flows directly from training. The goal of long practice.
間合い ma-ai Distance / spacing: The combative distance between practitioners. Mastery of ma-ai — knowing when to enter, when to retreat — is at the heart of kendo strategy.
攻め seme Pressure: The pressure applied with intent, posture, and the tip of the shinai to dominate the opponent and create an opening before striking.
気合 kiai Spirit shout: The vocal shout from the diaphragm that accompanies a strike. Expresses commitment and unifies breath, body, and spirit.
構え kamae Stance / guard: The on-guard posture from which all techniques are launched. Chūdan-no-kamae (middle stance) is the standard kendo posture.
中段の構え chūdan-no-kamae Middle stance: The default kendo guard, with the shinai tip pointed at the opponent’s throat. The posture from which all basics are taught.

Etiquette

礼儀

Reigi — courtesy & ritual

礼 rei Bow: A formal bow of respect. Kendo opens and closes every session with rei — to the dojo, to the teacher, to one’s training partners.
正座 seiza Formal seated posture: Sitting on the heels with knees bent and back straight. The position used for opening and closing rituals.
蹲踞 sonkyō Squatting bow: A low squatting bow performed at the start and end of a match or practice. Heels off the ground, knees out, shinai held forward.
黙想やめ mokusō yame End meditation: The command signalling the end of mokusō and the resumption of attention.
直れ naore Resume position: The command to return to the standing or kneeling neutral position after a movement or bow.
帯刀 taitō Sword at the hip: Carrying the sheathed sword (or shinai) at the left hip — the traditional position before drawing.
道場礼 dōjō-rei Bow to the dojo: The first bow at the start of practice, made toward the front of the dojo (kamiza), expressing gratitude for the practice space.
先生礼 sensei-rei Bow to the teacher: The bow made to the senseis present, immediately after dōjō-rei, as a sign of respect for their teaching.

Roles

役

Roles in the dojo

先生 sensei Teacher: A teacher — typically a senior practitioner of 4th dan or higher. Used as a respectful suffix after the surname (e.g. Tsuchiya-sensei).
先輩 senpai Senior practitioner: A more senior practitioner. Senpai have responsibilities toward newer members — guidance, safety, modelling correct etiquette.
後輩 kōhai Junior practitioner: A more junior practitioner — relative to a particular senpai. The senpai-kōhai relationship structures dojo learning.
元立ち motodachi Receiving partner: In drills, the partner who receives strikes and creates openings to help the attacker (kakari) develop. Usually the more experienced of the pair.
かかり kakari Attacking partner: In drills, the partner who attacks — typically the less experienced practitioner working through the kihon.
審判 shinpan Referee: A match referee. Three shinpan judge each shiai, signalling valid points (ippon) with red and white flags.

Counting

数

Numbers (ichi to jū)

一 ichi One: The number 1. Counted aloud during kihon drills.
二 ni Two: The number 2.
三 san Three: The number 3.
四 shi / yon Four: The number 4. Both readings are used; "yon" is preferred in counting because "shi" also means "death".
五 go Five: The number 5.
六 roku Six: The number 6.
七 shichi / nana Seven: The number 7. "Nana" is the modern preferred reading in martial arts contexts.
八 hachi Eight: The number 8.
九 ku / kyū Nine: The number 9. "Kyū" is the preferred reading in counting.
十 jū Ten: The number 10.

Grades

段

Kyu, dan & honorary titles

級 kyū Beginner grade: The beginner grade ranks, descending from 6th kyu (lowest) to 1st kyu (highest). Graded at the dojo level before progressing to dan.
段 dan Black-belt grade: The senior grade ranks, ascending from 1st dan (shodan) to 8th dan (hachidan). Dan exams in Tunisia are organised through the League with visiting senseis.
初段 shodan First dan: The first dan grade — equivalent to a recognised entry into senior kendo. Usually reached after 1–2 years of consistent practice.
称号 shōgō Honorary title: A separate honorary title — renshi, kyoshi, or hanshi — awarded to senior dan grades for teaching excellence and contribution to kendo.
錬士 renshi Trained instructor: The first shōgō title, available from 6th dan. Recognises the holder as a qualified instructor.
教士 kyōshi Teacher of teachers: The second shōgō title, available from 7th dan. Recognises a higher level of teaching authority.
範士 hanshi Master: The highest shōgō title, available only at 8th dan. The pinnacle of recognition in kendo.

Practice & competition

稽古

Keiko, shiai & taikai

稽古 keiko Practice: The general term for kendo practice — both group training and individual drills. The word also implies a respectful, lifelong relationship with the art.
地稽古 ji-geiko Free practice: Open sparring practice between two armoured practitioners. The applied counterpart to kihon — where techniques are tested under pressure.
かかり稽古 kakari-geiko Attack practice: A high-intensity drill where one partner attacks continuously while the other receives. Builds stamina, commitment, and seme.
互角稽古 gokaku-geiko Equal-level practice: Sparring between practitioners of similar grade — a balanced exchange where both partners attack and defend equally.
回り稽古 mawari-geiko Rotating practice: A format where practitioners rotate from partner to partner at fixed intervals. Common at training camps and large keiko sessions.
大会 taikai Tournament: A formal kendo tournament. Examples held in Tunisia include the Tunisian Championships, the FABA Cup, and the Tunis International Kendo Open.
試合 shiai Match: A formal kendo match. Standard duration is 3 to 5 minutes, with two valid points (ippon) needed to win or one point if time expires (sanbon-shōbu, ippon-shōbu variants).
一本 ippon Valid point: A scored point — awarded by two of three shinpan flags when a strike satisfies ki-ken-tai-ichi and zanshin. The basic unit of scoring.
反則 hansoku Foul: A penalty in shiai — for stepping out of bounds, dropping the shinai, or other infractions. Two hansoku give the opponent an ippon.
判定 hantei Decision: A judges’ decision after a tied shiai — flags are raised simultaneously to award victory based on overall performance.

Next steps

Use the vocabulary

You don’t need to memorise everything here — you’ll absorb the essential terms naturally over your first weeks of practice. Bookmark this page as a reference you can come back to between sessions.

When you’re ready, see our beginner’s guide, read the FAQ, or find a dojo near you.

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