Hai vs. Osu

[ps1]

Let's try to remember the liniage of what we study!!!

 

We practice martial arts, many of which were derived by the warrior class of Japan. Anyone who has any military experience will admit that warriors have their own language. Sure, it's based on a native language, but it's much more. Osu to a warrior is like HooRah to a Marine or Hooah to a Soldier. It is an understanding, a meeting of the minds. Those saying it are understanding eachother perfectly at the time. They are in sync, a harmony of thought and action. This is Osu! It is a vocalized representation of the Warrior spirit.

 

Hai means "yes."

 

Nai means "no."

 

Iie also means "no." But it sounds more like a growl.

[Killer Miller]

Considering that I trained with Japanese, taught by Japanese, in a traditional Japanese dojo, and the fact that Osu was used and respected on a regular basis, I would say that there is not a problem with the usage of the word - a sign of strong spirit in the dojo. It's a good thing, a proud thing, a respectful thing, amongst Karate-ka...

 

Now in general public with other interpretations, it's not a good thing and viewed as disrespectful. You are seriously confusing public use versus use in the dojo...

 

For example:

 

In the Dojo we count Ichi, Ni, San, "Shi"... Shi to the general public is viewed as death and Yon is used instead. But in the dojo we count as "shi."

 

- Killer -

Please do not continue the use Osu in the dojo. Most people are not using it properly. To be honest, I find the term to quite rude (so do most Japanese). It is really a term that used by young children and young males.

[senna_trem]

Please do not continue the use Osu in the dojo

 

Well, since you do have mind control over all of us, we will do your bidding.

[ps1]

Omega 14,

 

I respectfully decline your request. As a warrior, I can not refrain from using Osu. It is a term used among fellow warriors... it demonstrates our connection and our spirit!

 

Many of the people in this forum, myself included, have been trained in the traditional manners, by those who are Japanese. Just because you find it rude, does not mean we need to stop using it. But thank you for your insight toward the issue.

[Omega14]

Omega 14,

 

I respectfully decline your request. As a warrior, I can not refrain from using Osu. It is a term used among fellow warriors... it demonstrates our connection and our spirit!

 

Many of the people in this forum, myself included, have been trained in the traditional manners, by those who are Japanese. Just because you find it rude, does not mean we need to stop using it. But thank you for your insight toward the issue.

 

Acutally, I should qualify my statement. I urge people to reframe from using it because it is not used correctly. The horrors I have seen outside of a dojo when people use Osu in the inappropriate context. Of course, if your club uses it (part of your club culture), that is none of my business. Sorry I did not make it clear. I would like to say that many instructors now do frown upon the use of the word. So, proceed with caution.

[Omega14]

Please do not continue the use Osu in the dojo

 

Well, since you do have mind control over all of us, we will do your bidding.

 

Yes... my plan to rule the world through mind control is working...

[Omega14]

For example:

 

In the Dojo we count Ichi, Ni, San, "Shi"... Shi to the general public is viewed as death and Yon is used instead. But in the dojo we count as "shi."

 

- Killer -

 

The choice of yon and shi depends on the context, and the person. For example, it would be ridiculous for me to say "shiji" (four o'clock) or "yongatsu" (april), at least according to Tokyo dialect. Also, many clubs do count "Ichi, Ni, San, 'Yon'... ", that is usually based on the preference of the person making the count, based on his or her background.

[smr]

I've been told that the reason why we say "yondon" instead of "shidan" is because to say "shidan," that would be like saying "death rank" or something like that. Is that true?

[Shorin Ryuu]

Well...there's so many chinese characters used in Japanese but only so many syllables, so there's always bound to be duplicates (and many of them).

 

One is the example you cite, where "shi" (a way to pronounce the character for "four") is also a way to pronounce the character for "death".

 

I've heard an explanation where as more of a superstition, they tend to use "yon" rather than "shi" (although that's pretty much now more of a customary practice, anyway). But if you said "shidan", people would probably smile politely but understand what you said.

 

In addition, I believe "four" is the only character that has the pronunciation "yon", so when you use it, it is usually pretty clear and unequivocal that you mean "four".

 

What's more, there's probably around 3 different words that use the pronunciation "shidan", where as far as I know, "yondan" only means "4th rank".