Shōrinji Kempō Vocabulary
| Body Movements, Parts of Body, Stances |
Body Movements, Parts of the Body, Stances
| 日本語 |
かな |
Romanisation |
English |
Usage/Examples |
| - 身 | み、しん | - mi or - shin | suffix meaning "body" | @ |
| 当身 | あてみ | atemi | strike to the body | |
| 振身 | ふりみ | furimi | lean towards | eg lean to the side: yoko furimi |
| 伏身 | ふせみ | fusemi | crouch | fuseru = crouch, bend down |
| 引身 | ひきみ | hikimi | pull the body (in) | hiku = to pull |
| 開身 | かいしん | kaishin | open stance | lit: open body |
| 屈身 | くっしん | kusshin | duck | kutsu = to yield |
| 流水 | りゅうすい | ryūsui | shoulder & back turned toward opponent | lit: flowing water |
| 反身 | そりみ | sorimi | arch the body | soru = to arch, bend |
| 体捌 | たいさばき | taisabaki | Body Movements | lit.: "body handling" |
| 転換 | てんかん | tenkan | change over, divert | han-tenkan (half-turn) |
| 転身 | てんしん | tenshin | turn the body | ten = turn |
| 受身 | うけみ | ukemi | avoiding manoeuvre through body movement - | caution: in non-martial arts usage this means passive tense. |
| 日本語 |
かな |
Romanisation |
English |
Usage/Examples |
| 千鳥足 | ちどりあし | chidori ashi | step diagonally | chidori = plover (type of wading bird) , which walks in a zig-zag : hence chidori-ashi = step out diagonally; |
| 蟹足 | かにあし | kani ashi | movement sideways | kani= crab |
| 蜘蛛足 | くもあし | kumo ashi | footmovement involving a small jump | kumo= spider; (there is another 'kumo' meaning 'cloud', but that is not the word used in SK) |
| 下がり | さがり | sagari | stepping back | * 退り |
| 差込 | さしもみ | sashi komi | step in | lit: thrust in; komu = to go in |
| 差しかえ | さしかえ | sashikae | change stance by stepping through | kaeru= to change |
| 飛込 | とびこみ | tobi komi | to leap in | tobu = jump,leap; also to fly |
| 運歩法 | うんぽぽう | unpohō | footwork | lit.: movement method |
| 日本語 |
かな |
Romanisation |
English |
Usage/Examples |
| 開足 | かいそく | kaisoku | open feet | |
| 閉足 | へしそく | heisoku | closed feet | |
| 逆丁子 | ぎゃくちょうじ | gyaku chouji | make this shape 丁 with back foot | |
| 前鉤足 | まえかぎあし | mae kagi ashi | locked front foot | |
| 後鉤足 | うしおろかぎあし | ushiro kagi ashi | locked back foot | |
| 横鉤足 | よこかぎて | yoko kagi ashi | locked foot to side | |
| 八字足 | はちじあし | hachiji ashi | feet in shape of : 八 | |
| 交足 | かわしあし | kawashi ashi | crossing over of feet | |
| 日本語 |
かな |
Romanisation |
English |
Usage/Examples |
| Ending in "gamae" (kamae ) | =kamae = position | @ | ||
| 中段 | ちゅうだん | chūdan | centre level | @ |
| 下段 | げだん | gedan | lower level | |
| 八相 | はっそう | hassō | @ | arms should look like the number eight: 八 |
| 開 | ひらき | hiraki | open | @ |
| 構え | かまえ | kamae | stance(s) | @ |
| 結手 | けっしゅ | kesshu | linked hands | grasp thumb of left hand in the right hand |
| 仁王 | におう | niou | @ | |
| 正対 | せいたい | seitai | standard opposition | @ |
| 対 | たい | tai | opposing | @ |
| 待気 | たいき | taiki | @ | lit: waiting spirit |
| 立無相 | たちむそう | tachi muso | @ | musou = "not meeting" |
| Ending in "dachi" (tachi) | -tachi = stance | = tatsu = to stand | ||
| 伏虎立 | ふっこだち | fukko-dachi | lion-tamer stance | |
| 騎馬立 | きばだち | kiba-dachi | horse riding stance | @ |
| 日本語 |
かな |
Romanisation |
English |
Usage/Examples |
| 足 | あし | ashi | leg | eg kani ashi, kumo ashi etc |
| 足元 | あしもと | ashimoto | foot | @ |
| 臍 | へそ | heso | navel | ref: "seikatanden" |
| 肘 | ひじ | hiji | elbow | eg hiji-ate |
| 膝 | ひざ | hiza | knee | eg hiza-geri |
| 体 | からだ | karada | body | @ |
| 肩 | かた | kata | shoulder | do not confuse with the other "kata" homoyms (方＝way; 片＝side; 形 型 ＝ shape, form) |
| 金玉 | きんたま | kintama | testicles | lit: golden balls (ha ha!) |
| 金的 | きんてき | kinteki | groin area (in terms of pressure points etc) | |
| 身 | -み | -mi | suffix for body | eg sorimi, atemi, ukemi etc |
| 胸 | むね | mune | chest | eg kata-mune otoshi |
| 親指 | おやゆび | oyayubi | thumb | @ |
| 臍下丹田 | せいかたんでん | seikatanden | lit: abdomen below navel | |
| 身 | しんー | shin - | pre/suffix for body | @ |
| 足 | そく | soku | pre/suffix meaning foot | eg soku tō (lit: foot blade) |
| 体 | たい | tai - | prefix for body | eg tai subaki |
| 手 | て | te | hand | eg kagi-te, also "de" in compounds |
| 腕 | うで | ude | arm | eg ude jūji |
| 指 | ゆび | yubi | finger | eg yubi dori |
| 日本語 |
かな |
Romanisation |
English |
Usage/Examples |
| 手刀 | しゅとう | shutou | side along hand by small finger | the 'tō' means sword/blade |
| ー手 | ー で | - de | suffix meaning "hand" ("te") | chinese reading is 'shu' eg shutō |
| 拳 | けん | - ken | suffix meaning "fist" | as used in "kempō", also kenshi etc |
| 丁子手 | ちょうじて | chouji-te | outside edge along index finger | from the character 'chō' 丁 |
| 大拳頭 | だいえｋんとう | dai-kentō | knuckle of index and middle finger | |
| 外腕刀 | がいわんとう | gai-wantō | outside of forearm | |
| 平拳 | ひらけん | hira-ken | fist as used for furi-zuki | 'te no hira' = palm of the hand |
| 平手 | ひらて | hira-te | open hand | |
| 鉤手 | かぎて | kagi-te | locked hand | kagi = lock；also kagi-ashi |
| 熊て | くまで | kuma -de | lower palm (pad) of hand | lit: bear hand |
| 内掌 | ないしょう | nai-shō | lower pad of hand, palmside | lit: inside palm |
| 内腕刀 | ないわんとう | nai-wantō | inside of forearm | |
| 正拳 | せいけん | sei -ken | standard fist | @ |
| 掌拳 | しょうけん | shō -ken | lower pad of hand when fist made | |
| 手刀 | しゅとう | shutō | blade of hand | shutō-uchi |
| 足刀 | そくとう | soku - tō | blade of foot | sokutō-geri |
| 鳥手 | とりで | tori -de | shape hand by pushing thumb against fingertips | lit: bird hand |
| 裏拳 | うらけん | ura -ken | back of hand/knuckles | ura = back side |
| 前足（低） | ぜんそく | zen-zoku | ball of the foot | @ |
| 日本語 |
かな |
Romanisation |
English |
Usage/Examples |
| 襟 「衿」 | えり | eri | collar, also lapel | eg eri-nuki |
| 袖 | そで | sode | sleeve | eg sode-nuki |
| 帯 | おび | obi | belt | used for belts on traditional clothing |
| 道着 | どうぎ | dōgi | training suit | shortened from dōjō kimono |
| 法衣 | 法衣 | hōi | the over-kimono worn for ceremonies and displays | @ |