In class terminolog, Jap or Eng.

[ninjanurse]

Japanese followed by english.

 

[Guest]

Use your native language. My dojo uses the okinawan names for techniques. I disagree with the practice. I think that beginners have enough to learn already without having to try to learn arbitrary words in a strange language that we aren't speaking correctly anyway. And the argument about everyone should use the okinawan/japanese names for universal understanding doesn't hold water. I find that few dojo's actually use the same terms for the same techniques, and it just adds to the confusion. I'm no biggot, but if you want to speak universally, speak Chinese or English, the first and second most spoken languages in the world, respectively.

[Sasori_Te]

smr I agree. Good answer. Although it's another "to each his own" sort of topic.

[Darce]

We use both swedish and japanese terms.

[superleeds]

japanese and norwegian

[Kyokushin]

I'd have to say I prefer Japanese. In my class we would use a mixture of English and Japanese (for new words or lower ranks), but for the most part it was Japanese. I started at a new place and all the instructors use is English so now I have no idea what they're talking about until I see it done b/c people call the same technique different things in English. However I've trained with other instructors who do use Japanese and while it's a little more diffucult when they pronounce things differently it's much easier then the totally different English terms, but if you train Korean style then you should speak Korean, if a Chinese style, Chinese, etc, etc. Just my 2c

[wrestlingkaratechamp]

Alot of the people in my dojo speak French

[Gloi]

Doing Shotokan, when I started we were told the Japanese names for techniques, followed by the English name. They do that with the beginners and then after a while we just use the Japanese names for everything. I'm quite happy with this.

 

I've done TKD and there they use English names for everything, just occasionally they would say a Korean name for something. The only problem there was that they use different Engllish names for some things.

 

The good thing about using the Japanese names has occurred for me when I have had to work abroad. I know that even if I don't know any of the language I can go to a karate class and be able to follow what is going on.

 

The opposite has occurred when I went to a TKD school while I was working in the Middle East. The class was taken in Arabic with the Korean terms used for the names of the techniques. Because I wasn't used to the names I could only follow what was going on by watching what the other people were doing and it was pretty confusing.

[alanseijas]

I've read a few web sites by people who speak Japanese or Okinawan who find the common pronunciation in martial arts classes to be appalling, so I can take it or leave it. Our Sensei's Sensei goes to Okinawa to train every couple of years, so I believe the pronunciation is fairly accurate in our school, though.

 

As a student of the Japanese language, I agree with this totally. Most pronunciations in dojos are ridiculous, never mind the incorrect usage. I think if you can't say it correctly, stick to English.

[Goju1]

As a student of the Japanese language, I agree with this totally. Most pronunciations in dojos are ridiculous, never mind the incorrect usage. I think if you can't say it correctly, stick to English.

 

Wouldn't a Japanese instructor appreciate the effort, though? Better than ignoring the roots of your chosen art, I would think.