Incorrect dojo terminology?

[Darkranger85]

There are two terms that they use at my dojo that just don't strike my ear right and I'm fairly sure that 1 is incorrect and the other I'm not so sure.

The senior students are referred to as Sempi. I'm pretty sure that's supposed to be Sempai.

And for affirmation they use the phrase "Oss" and I thought it should be "Hai"

Could someone confirm or correct me?

If I am correct, is there a tactful way that I can bring it up to my Sensei? I'm the new guy so I don't really feel quite right questioning them.

[The Pred]

What style of martial arts do you study?

[Darkranger85]

Goju Ryu Karate

[JR 137]

Osu or Oss is used in place of hai in many schools. Hai is typically Okinawan, whereas Osu is typically Japanese. The biggest Osu users are the Kyokushin schools and their spinoffs, although some Shotokan schools use it regularly. Is your Goju school Okinawan Goju or Japanese? Okinawan Goju is far more common, but I've heard of Japanese Goju (mainly Goju Kai).

And yes, Sempai/Senpai (pronounced sem pie) is correct, and means senior student.

My advice is don't rock the boat. You're new. Correcting people your first day (figuratively) isn't a great way to earn any respect/trust/allies/etc. Give it some time, then ask about the Sempai thing.

[Darkranger85]

I'm told its American and Chinese Goju Ryu.

I thought about sending an anonymous email about it.

This article was particularly interesting.

http://skjf.org/Articles/tooss.htm

[Kanku65]

Where I train everybody says "OSS!"

It boosts spirit for sure.

I notice however that people as they grow in rank develop the ability to differentiate between using Osu and Hai appropriately.

I love the feeling of a uniform "OSS!" echoing through the class.

I use "Hai" when called by sensei, or when sensei gives specific instructions, or when he asks a question to which the answer is yes.

When paired with a partner I say "Osu", as the article says, "Push on".

Also I find one flaw in the article, in the fact that "kiai" is not "spirit yell" but more closely translated as "connection of spirit". Which is the goal of a kiai. It's not simply yelling at your opponent, but connecting everything in your body with your spirit, to connect entirely with your opponent's body and spirit.

"spirit yell" or "spirit cry" are huge pet peeves of mine.

[Lupin1]

I'm with JR-- don't rock the boat yet as a new student. Even with an anonymous e-mail.

Osu is very common in martial arts dojos and there's really nothing wrong with it. It boosts spirit and camaraderie (reminds me of "Oo-rah" in the Marine Corps).

And "sempai" is pronounced sem-pie, as an anime-loving 10-year-old totally schooled me on a few months ago. Think "kiai"-- same spelling with that long I sound at the end.

How's everything else with the school? Keep in mind that most karate schools aren't trying to be perfect Japanese culture schools, nor do they have to be. When you study classic wrestling, you don't have to wear a toga and speak Greek. When you play lacrosse you don't have to wear moccasins and speak Lakota.

The sports grow and evolve and change in their new environments and it's almost always to their benefit.

[Wastelander]

Okinawan systems don't generally use "osu/oss" because it's considered to be rude, but Japanese systems use it fairly often, because the culture is different. American and Chinese Goju are based off of Japanese Goju-Ryu, if I recall correctly. Peter Urban was a student of Yamaguchi Gogen of Goju Kai, and American Goju was Peter Urban's system. The man who founded Chinese Goju was a student of his. For those reasons, it makes sense that you would be hearing "osu/oss" a lot. When I visited a Goju Kai dojo a while back, they used it frequently. In the context of your system, it's not out of place.

"Hai" just means "yes," or it can be more generally used to imply an appropriate affirmative response of some kind. There is no reason you couldn't use it in a dojo that also uses "osu/oss."

As for the term senpai (often spelled "sempai" because of how it sounds), I wouldn't worry too much about it, either. Your dojo is a few generations removed from Japan, and it isn't really shocking that people who don't speak Japanese would say/spell Japanese words incorrectly. When I started training, I was taught plenty of incorrectly pronounced Japanese words! Over time, I researched more and corrected myself.

As JR suggested, I wouldn't go around correcting people--at least, not until you're a more permanent fixture in the dojo. A beginner correcting people makes people think they are an over-confident know-it-all. An advanced student correcting people has some authority.

[Karate_John]

Ron Van Clief's, Chinese Goju?

Senpai is pronounced sem-pie. Sempi/Sempai is a bad translation from the early 1950's, it's part of the culture now so was never changed in many schools. Don't be surprised if you hear Dai Sempai (as in most senior student)... I hate it but it's used.

As for Oss/Uhsss, Lupin1 explained that well. A lot of schools in the USA use Oss for everything, I almost never hear Hai.

[Darkranger85]

Ron Van Clief's, Chinese Goju?

Senpai is pronounced sem-pie. Sempi/Sempai is a bad translation from the early 1950's, it's part of the culture now so was never changed in many schools. Don't be surprised if you hear Dai Sempai (as in most senior student)... I hate it but it's used.

As for Oss/Uhsss, Lupin1 explained that well. A lot of schools in the USA use Oss for everything, I almost never hear Hai.

I could handle "Dai Sempai", but thats not whats being used. It's "Dai Sempi."

As an anime/japanese fan myself, it grates at my sanity to hear Sempi, and nearly kills me to have to say it myself.

I wont go in correcting people. Though, the instructor and the students all seem pretty laid back. They even asked what japanese for "No" was. I couldnt remember at the time though.

es, its Ron Van Cliefs. In fact our instructor was given the title Kyoshi by him personally and our dojo has had a visit from him. Unfortunately that was before I was there.