'a'........ sounds like 'a' in 'march'
'e'........ sounds like 'e' in 'bed'
'i'......... sounds like 'ee' in 'keel'
'o'........ sounds like 'oa' in 'boat'
'u'........ sounds like the 'oo' in 'mood'

'y'........ sounds like the 'y' in 'young'
'ai'........ sounds like the 'i' in 'sign'
‘ei'....... sounds like the 'a' in 'say'
'g'........ sounds like the 'g' in 'great'

Counting in Japanese

ichi.............................. one
ni................................. two
san.............................. three
shi (yon)....................... four
go................................ five

rokku........................... six
shichi (nana)................. seven
hachi (happo)................ eight
ku (kyu)....................... nine
ju (jyu)......................... ten

Common Japanese Expressions used in the Dojo

Selected Glossary of Terms used in Aikido

Ai .........................harmony, unity, to join or become one with, to love

Ai-hanmi............... asymmetric stance (e.g. right foot to right foot)

Aiki........................harmonizing or blending with energy

Aiki-otoshi............ aiki drop

Aikido.................... the way of harmonizing with the force and principle of nature

Aikikai................... Aikido association or club

Ashi....................... legs

Atemi (Ate)........... strike

Awase................... to match timing

Bokken................. wooden sword

Bokuto.................. wooden sword

Bo.......................... long staff  (approx. 180-200cm in length)

Budo..................... lit. "the way of  martial arts"

Chudan (Seigan) middle guard position

Chikara................. power

Dan........................ blackbelt rank

Deshi (Seito)....... student, pupil, disciple

Do (Michi)............. the " way", path, or road

Do-gi (Keikogi).... training uniform

Dojo...................... training hall, place where the ‘way’ is practiced

Dojo-cho.............. head of the dojo (Chief Instructor)

Doshu................... title of the headmaster of Aikido

Eri.......................... collar

Eri-tori .................. collar grasp

Fudo-shin........."Immovable mind." A state of mental equanimity or imperturbability

Fukushidoin....... a formal title with an approximate meaning of "assistant instructor"

Futari..................... referring to two persons

Gaeshi (Kaeshi). reversal or change (direction)

Gedan................... lower guard position

Gi........................... training garments (also Do-gi)

Gokyo.................... variation of ikkyo (against knife attack)

Gyaku.................... reverse (opposite)

Gyaku-hanmi....... nage/uke in mirror image stance

Gyakute................ reverse hand (hand position)

Hajime.................. begin

Hakama............... pleated divided-skirt

Hanmi................... basic oblique stance common to aikido

Hanmi-handachi nage kneeling and uke standing

Happo giri............ eight direction cutting

Happo moku....... attention in all (eight) directions

Hara...................... the body's center of gravity.

Hidari.................... left (side or direction)

Hiji......................... elbow

Hiji-jime................ elbow lock

Hiji-kime............... elbow-lock

Hiza....................... knee

Hombu................. aikido world headquarters

Ikkyo...................... arm immobilization

Irimi....................... entering movement

Irimi-nage............ throw by entering (irimi) in front/behind uke

Jiyu-waza............. freestyle technique(s)

Jo........................... ‘short’ wooden staff (approx. 130-135cm in length)

Jo-nage................ nage (with jo) throws an unarmed attacker(s)

Jo-tori.................... jo taking (disarming) techniques

Jodan.................... upper guard (high) position

Jodan tsuki.......... straight punch/thrust to the high position (face or neck)

Joseki................... Refers to dojo position: Place of honor; High seat;
On the right side when facing kamiza

Ju........................... soft, flexible

Juji-garami.......... crossed arm-lock throw

Juji-nage.............. crossed arm-lock throw

Kaeshi-waza....... counter techniques (lit. turning technique)

Kaitennage.......... rotation throw

Kakari keiko......... continuous training

Kamae.................. guard stance or ready position

Kamiza............. refers to location in the dojo: Lit. "Seat of the gods"

Kata....................... shoulder

Kata-gatame....... shoulder pin

Katame-waza...... pinning/immobilization techniques

Kata-mochi.......... one handed grip to one shoulder

Katate-tori ........... one handed grip on one wrist

Katate-tori kubishime

............................... one handed grip to wrist with neck choke from behind the nage

Kata-tori................ one handed grip to one shoulder

Kata-tori men-uchi

............................... one handed grip on one shoulder with shomen-uchi strike to the head

Kata-tori yokomen-uchi

............................... one handed grip on one shoulder with yokomen-uchi strike to the head

Kata Renshu....... training involving the accurate repetition of specific kata (forms)

Keiko..................... training or practice

Ken........................ sword

Kesa-uchi............ diagonal strike to the side of the neck with the intent of cutting the body

Ki........................... spirit, life force, or vital energy

Kiai........................ a piercing shout or scream

Kihon.................... basic (basic point, emphasis point)

Kihon waza.......... basic techniques

Kime..................... lock/immobilization

Ki no nagare........ to flow with ki (flowing/continuous practice)

Kohai.................... junior student

Koho..................... backward

Koho ukemi......... backward ukemi

Koho undo........... backward rolling exercises

Kokyu.................... breath

Kokyu ryoku......... breath power

Kokyu-dosa......... breath power exercise

Kokyu-nage......... breath throw

Kokyuho............... breath exercise (“method of the breath”)

Koshi-nage.......... hip throw

Kote-gaeshi......... wrist/palm turning throw

Kubi....................... neck

Kuzushi................ unbalancing

Kyu........................ a white belt rank/grade

Ma-ai..................... distance between nage and uke

Mae-geri...............   front kick

Mae-ukemi........... forward roll or fall

Matte!..................... stop!

Metsuke................ reference to watching/way of using the eyes (eye focus)

Michi...................... a “Way”, road or path

Migi........................ right (refers to right side)

Misogi................... self purification

Mitodi-keio............ training with the eyes

Mochi.................... grasp (eg. katate-mochi)

Mokuso................. meditate; concentrate

Morote-tori............ two handed grip, both on one wrist

Mune..................... chest

Mune-mochi........ one handed grip on lapel

Mune-tori.............. one handed grip on lapel

Nagare.................. to flow

Nage .................... the person who performs the technique

Nikkyo................... (Second form) ikkyo applied with a wrist/hand turn

Obi......................... belt (part of the do-gi)

Omote................... to the front (movement or direction)

Osae..................... control

Osae-waza.......... controlling techniques

O-Sensei.............. great teacher/revered teacher (in Aikido: Master Morihei Ueshiba, the

                              founder of Aikido)

Rei......................... term meaning 'veneration" or "respect" 
also refers to the etiquette and bow or salutation,  in the context of showing respect

Renshu................ to prepare or train the body through repetition

Ryote-mochi........ two handed grip, one on each wrist

Ryokata-tori......... two handed grip, one to each shoulder

Ryote-tori.............. two handed grip, one on each wrist

Sabaki.................. (body) movement

Sankaku............... triangle

Sankyo.................. ikkyo with outward hand twisting

Seiretsu!................ “line-up!”

Seiza..................... formal sitting position on the knees (correct way to sit on the mat)

Sempai................. a senior student

Senaka undo....... back stretch

Senaka................. back

Sensei.................. teacher, lit. ("one who was born before")

Shidoin.............a formal title with an approximate meaning of "instructor"

Shihan.................. a formal title meaning, approximately, "master instructor "
(usually only given to professional instructors of 6th dan rank or above)

Shiho-giri............. four direction cutting

Shiho-nage.......... four direction throw

Shikaku................ fourth corner (also: ‘dead corner’)

Shikko................... knee walking

Shime .................. a (joint) lock, or choke

Shimoseki........... refers to position in the dojo.  Lower place or lower seat; 
On your left side when facing the kamiza

Shimoza.......... refers to position in the dojo.  Lower seat, opposite side of kamiza.

Shomen............... front (eg. referring to the front of the dojo)

Shomen-uchi...... vertical strike to the center of the head with the hand blade

Shuto.................... hand blade

Sode..................... sleeve

Sode-tori.............. one handed grip to the sleeve (near the elbow)

Soto....................... outside, as in soto-tenkan (outside body turning movement)

Suburi................... a basic movement of body/mind purification training

                             (often with a weapon)

Suki....................... referring to a physical or mental opening or point of vulnerability

Sumi-otoshi......... corner drop

Suri....................... to slide (eg. suri-ashi: sliding legs)

Suri-ashi.............. slide the legs/feet

Suwari waza........ techniques performed from a kneeling position

Tachi tori.............. sword taking (disarming) techniques

Tachi waza........... techniques performed from a standing position

Taijutsu................ body arts; empty-handed (un-armed) techniques

Tai-no henko....... body turning exercise

Tai-sabaki............ body movement

Tanden................. center, (see hara)

Tanto..................... knife (approx. < 25cm)

Tanto-tori.............. knife taking (disarming) techniques

Tatami.................. traditional mat made of bound-straw

Tegatana.............. hand-sword/hand-blade

Te-ho-doki............ method of moving the hand to detach a katate-tori grip

Tekubi................... wrist

Tenchi-nage........ heaven and earth throw

Tenkan................. body pivoting/turning movement

Tori........................ person who executes a technique

Torii....................... gate

Tsuki (Zuki).......... straight punch/thrust

Uchi....................... inside, as in uchi-tenkan (inside body turning movement)

Uchi....................... strike (ie. shomen-uchi)

Ude....................... arm

Udekime-nage..... arm-lock throw

Ue.......................... high

Uke........................ one who receives; the person being thrown

Ukemi................... receiving a technique; falling

Undo..................... exercise

Ura........................ rear; back (direction)

Ushiro................... toward/from the back/rear

Ushiro-geri..........   back kick

Ushiro ryokata-tori

............................... shoulder grasp from behind the nage

Ushiro ryotekubi-tori

............................... two handed grip one hand on each wrist from behind the nage

Ushiro-ukemi...... backward fall

Ushiro-waza........ techniques from a rear attack

Waza..................... techniques, way of

Yame.................... stop, finish

Yokomen-uchi..... diagonal strike to the side of the head  with the handblade

Yonkyo.................. ikkyo with pressure point on wrist

Yudansha............ person(s) who hold blackbelt rank

Zanshin................ extension of continuous attention and awareness

Zazen............... sitting meditation

Zori........................ Japanese-style open sandals