Different Kiais?

[Josie]

Our karate club had a sponsored walk yesterday, and on the way to our destination we had a conversation about everyone's kiai and how they're actually all different.

In our club alone, theres:

"Yaa!"

"Chi!"

"Hoi!"

"Hei!"

"Dei!" (the trigger for the ongoing "Die!" joke)

"Sie!"

"Haa!"

"Hya!"

among many other unidentifiable ones

What about you peoples?

[trek266]

hi!at my dojowe say HITZ!

[tallgeese]

Just forceable exhalations, much like boxing.

[sperki]

Trek, welcome!

One of the ideas behind the kiai is to control breathing, especially to have a forceful exhalation resulting in more complete muscle contraction, right?

At the dojo where I practiced there was some variation to it, but it tended to be a "YAA!"

[bushido_man96]

Mine is always fairly brief, but explosive, when doing forms. When we kihap during basics, where it tends to get a bit excessive, its just more of an audible exhalation.

[the beast]

Basically just like it sounds KIAI ! but shorter and more forceful.

[white owl]

Mine is usually KIAI or OSU. It could be a mixture of both depending how tired I am.

[Wa-No-Michi]

Mine is usually KIAI or OSU. It could be a mixture of both depending how tired I am.

"Kiai" is a compound of two Japanese words:

Ki=Energy (spirit) Ai = Harmony (as in Aiki-do)

So in essence to "Kiai" is the process of bringing together ones sprit at the summit of the technique. It does not mean to shout per-se, (because one can perform kiai silently) and it is not representative of the sound made when one "Kiais" either.

In many "Koryu" (old school) Japanese ma there are "official" words that are used and as I understand it, these carry different cadence values, and promote a different type of strength from the diaphragm.

For example:

"Kyup" (sounds like cup) - When initiating the attack

"Toh" (sounds like toe) - when you are receiving an attack / retreating, and

"Ya" (Japanese for arrow head) - when you perform the final blow.

That said, I have heard "kyup" and "Ya" used when both initiating an attack and countering one and vv - but then again in exchange "Ko bo ittai" - attack and defense are one I guess.

If you watch a Kendo bout you will hear these sounds.

WNM

[Adam_XKT]

We have been taught that, among others, the core three ones sound like "ha," "sa," and "to." (I think...maybe it's So and Ta).

Anyway, mine usually ends up sound something like "sahayuh"

[Rateh]

I was taught that it doesn't matter what it sounds like, so long as it is forceful from the diagram.

Mine has changed over time. I'm not going to yell out right now so I'm not sure exactly what it sounds like at this point. I think I have had "ya" "ha" "iyah" "huu" "hiy" "huay" "hiyt" "huaya" and "hut". I've noticed most kids tend to yell/say "kiah" or "iyah" without using their diaphram.

I wasn't aware that some japanese schools had specific sounds for different things. That sounds interesting.