"us"/"os" -what is it and when to say i

[TheDarxide]

Have not long started Karate, and have heard people on the dojo responding os/us to certain things, what does it mean, and when should i say it?

[cross]

Osu, when used in the context of a dojo basically means "yes", "ok", "i understand" etc.

You would say it:

1. anytime you are given instruction by a senior,

e.g. "hey TheDarxide, your fist is 2 low, lift it to face level" to which you would just reply "osu".

2. anytime you ask a question and then have it answered

or

3. anytime a senior asks you a question and you would normally say "yes". instead of saying this you just say "osu".

[Venrix]

There are two perspectives from which you can view 'Osu!'. There is the spirit of 'Osu!' and the word 'Osu!' as it is used in the Dojo.

Let's take a look at the word 'Osu!' as it is used in the Dojo first:

There is a sign on the wall in our Dojo that reads something like this...

"Osu! means... Yes!, No!, I see!, Thank You!, Ok!, Oh No!, I'm ready!, I'm not ready but I'll do it anyway!, Hello!, Goodbye!, Good Morning!, Good Evening!, Good Afternoon!, That hurt! But, thanks for showing me!, I salute you! etc. etc."

In other words, it's a mark of respect and is a means of 'acknowledgement'.

Next there is the 'spirit' of Osu!:

Here's the definition as listed on https://www.masutatsuoyama.com . This should sum it up nicely...

"Osu means patience, respect and appreciation. In order to develop a strong body and strong spirit it is necessary to undergo rigorous training.

This is very demanding, because you must push yourself to what you believe to be your limit, and you want to stop; to give up. When you reach this point you must fight yourself and your weakness and you must win. To do this you must learn to persevere, but above all you must learn to be patient. This is OSU!

The reason you subject yourself to hard training is because you care about yourself, and to care about yourself is to respect yourself. This self respect evolves and expands to become respect for your instructor and fellow students. When you enter the dojo you bow and say "Osu" . This means you respect your dojo and the time you spend training there. This feeling of respect is OSU!

During training you push yourself as hard as possible because you respect yourself. When you finish you bow to your insructor and fellow students and say "Osu" once more. You do this out of appreciation. This feeling of appreciation is OSU.

Thus OSU is a very important word in Kyokushin Karate because it signifies patience, respect and appreciation. That is why we always use the word OSU; to remind ourselves of these indespensable qualities.

OSU!!!"

I hope that helped.

-V-

[TheDarxide]

that's really great guys, thanks.

It is pronounced without that last U tho' isn't it.....?

[cross]

It is pronounced without that last U tho' isn't it.....?

Yeah, most people normally just say oos.

[Grenadier]

that's really great guys, thanks.

It is pronounced without that last U tho' isn't it.....?

Correct. Most folks would agree that it's pronounced as "ohs" (as in oh) or "oohs" (as in ooze, but with a "s"), in a short, defined manner. Sometimes, I have to remind some of the children in the class, that it's pronounced in the short, defined manner, since some of them might pronounce it as "ooooooooooooooooohhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhs" instead!

It seems to be more prevalent in certain styles than others, since some styles of Karate favor not using "osu" and using "Hai" for "yes," or "ei" (sp?) for "no."

[Jussi Häkkinen]

Generally, "osu" is used in (usually) male dominated sports clubs and within certain groups. It is close to the meaning of "hoo-ah!" of some soldier groups.

Using "osu" when visiting a foreign dojo or foreign style (in Japan) is rather risky. It has insulting tones when people that you address to don't belong to same group as you do.

Personally, when someone greets me with "osu!", my first thought about him is "ignorant idiot". This may be a bit different if the person is wearing a karate outfit and Kyokushinkai-insignia. Even then I think that he really doesn't know what he's doing (despite the importance of "osu!" in Kyokushinkai, he doesn't understand its meaning outside his circles).

So, if "osu!" is used in your organization, use it. When working with other people, don't use it - use "hai" and other needed words if the teacher is Japanese. Otherwisely "yes", "no", "hello" and classic handshakes work just perfectly (of course, if your language is not English, use whatever is your native language - or teacher's native language. I use Finnish when visiting other dojo).

[Sandan]

I say 'oos' and I had a huge problem in Japan 'cause it was difficult to not say 'oos' to those in shops etc!

[JusticeZero]

Sources i've heard from often agree that it's vulgarity of some sort. Not a word you'd want to use in Japan. Quick searching for where didn't find the original source, only a discussion or two.

http://www.martialtalk.com/forum/showthread.php?t=11852

[Fish]

In our dojo "oos" is usually said immediately after hitting or being hit/ kicked by an opponent, and seems to mean something like "good shot".