Usage of Osu/Oss

[CTTKDKing]

http://www.karatebyjesse.com/meaning-oss-osu-japanese/

Thought this was an interesting read. I hear so many people in the dojo use this magical all encompassing word as a greeting, shout of agreement and in all kinds of other scenarios. I've even started seeing people on this forum use it in their posts as an opener and a closer. I started wondering what the word actually means and I thought the community might like to see as well.

There are some scenarios, all of us should be aware, that "Oss!" would actually be offensive when used so this could save from any awkward encounters.

Thoughts?

[tallgeese]

Really great article. Personally, I hate this term. Largely because everyone that uses it has no idea what it means. Go figure. No one else seems to either.

It's gotten almost embarrassing in BJJ circles as well. You hear it all the time, and we're doing a variation of a variation of an art. Like two steps removed from the country of origin and, in the US at least, two languages away.

Why do we throw this thing out?

[Wastelander]

A few people at our dojo sneak it in, but they picked it up from Japanese styles--it just isn't said on Okinawa. I've shared Jesse's article on the topic a few times .

I always thought it was weird that BJJ somehow picked up the word, too

[JR 137]

My current school (Seido Juku) and former school (Kyokushin offshoot) say it a lot. It really irritated me at first, but I don't even notice it anymore. There's some people who are annoying with it by using different tones with it, but other than that I'm over it.

I worked out with a few guys from Taika Oyata's Ryu ate system. They Hai'ed me to death. They thought the Osu was annoying, I thought the Hai was annoying.

It is what it is.

[CTTKDKing]

Yeah, it's funny because we have a large group of BJJ guys at my school that all seem to have adopted it.

I read another article somewhere that I was trying to find after finding Jesse's article that explains why you just shouldn't say it because many people, especially people from Japan, find it to be disrespectful. In that article, the writer, who used to say it, said it when greeting a visiting Japanese instructor, who asked him why he said it and told him he shouldn't after hearing the visiting instructor's explanation of why.

Was interesting. I'll post it if I can find it later. At work now, so I probably shouldn't even be on here.

[liger]

Yeah, it's funny because we have a large group of BJJ guys at my school that all seem to have adopted it.

I read another article somewhere that I was trying to find after finding Jesse's article that explains why you just shouldn't say it because many people, especially people from Japan, find it to be disrespectful. In that article, the writer, who used to say it, said it when greeting a visiting Japanese instructor, who asked him why he said it and told him he shouldn't after hearing the visiting instructor's explanation of why.

Was interesting. I'll post it if I can find it later. At work now, so I probably shouldn't even be on here.

Look forward to reading this.

No one in my circles use it yet I have seen it on a few shows I watched. I wondered why they said it.

[Nidan Melbourne]

At my dojo (including my old one) we only use it when we are bowing in/out & working with a partner.

I have trained at other dojos for some extra training and they use it all the time. It annoys me, especially when they want the class/student to agree. So what is wrong with the word 'Hai' (Yes)?

[Kanku65]

Either "Hai" or "Osu" are accepted where I train. Osu seems to be a widely accepted term in Shotokan.

In fact, at recent seminars with Sensei Yaguchi I felt as if he were giving me funny looks everytime I said "Hai!" in a crowd of people shouting mostly "Osu!", so I got with the program real quick.

[CTTKDKing]

Hmmm, having a hard time finding the other article I mentioned, which in hindsight may have been a thread in another forum (it's been a while). I found this thread which touches on this subject in a similar manor but also has posts to Jesse's blog about usage of Osu.

http://www.kyokushin4life.com/forum/trainings/japanese-language-culture/382621-osu-is-offensive-to-the-japanese

I more noticed that people are now using Osu in a lot of the martial arts forums that I frequent, even as far as to open and close posts in the forum with Osu (and even here on Karate Forums), and thought some discussion on the subject would be interesting/enlightening.

[hammer]

When my wife saw "Osu" in an e-mail from my Sempai all I told her is that it's a Kyokushin thing...can't speak for other styles.