What is the difference between waza-ari and yuko?

B · Beginner · Scoring and winning · 2 of 7

Checked 14 October 2026

Waza-ari is a near-ippon: a throw that lands the opponent well on to the side or lacks one of the four ippon qualities, or a hold-down of 10 to 19 seconds. Yuko is a smaller score for a lesser landing or a hold of 5 to 9 seconds. Two waza-ari make ippon. Yuko never add up.

How it works

Score	From a throw	From a hold-down	Scoreboard
Ippon	On the back with speed, force and control	20 seconds	100
Waza-ari	The four ippon criteria not fully met; or a landing on the whole side of the body, past 90 degrees at the shoulders but not on the back	10 to 19 seconds	10
Yuko	A side landing at 90 degrees or further to the front; on the upper back; on the side with one elbow or hand down; on one or both buttocks; on the neck	5 to 9 seconds	1

A second waza-ari for the same athlete is waza-ari-awasete-ippon, and the contest ends.
Yuko are counted one by one, but "they do not add up to waza-ari". Any waza-ari therefore outranks any number of yuko.
No yuko is given if the front of the stomach, the front of both hips or both knees touch the mat first or at the same moment as a side landing.
No yuko is given if two elbows, arms or hands touch at the same moment as the buttocks or side.
As with ippon, the action must be continuous. If it stops, there is no score.

Tricky cases

How many yuko equal a waza-ari?

None. Yuko are counted but never add up to a waza-ari.

An athlete was thrown and landed face down on the stomach. Is that a score?

No. A landing on the front of the stomach is not a yuko.

Is yuko a current score?

Yes, in this edition of the IJF rules. It was absent from the rules for some years before.

Why the rule exists

Not every good throw is a perfect one. The lower scores give the referee a way to credit a throw that worked but fell short, and give a contest a result without waiting for an ippon.

Where it differs

Where	What changes	Source
IJF rules, July 2026	As above	J 15; J 16; J 7
IJF rules of 2017 to 2024	No yuko	C

From the rule book

International Judo Federation Sport and Organisation Rules, Refereeing Rules, Articles 4, 7, 15 and 16. Version of 24 July 2026. Checked 14 October 2026. Official document: IJF Sport and Organisation Rules (PDF).