Karate words, in the order you need them
Start with the beginner words and you can follow a match. Each level builds on the one before.
Checked 8 October 2026
Already know some? Search all 44 words and 28 rules
Words
- Dojo
- Belt
- Karategi
- Rei
- Bout
- Weight class
- Karate
- Kumite
- Kata
- Kihon
- Gyaku zuki
- Mawashi geri
- Zanshin
- Ippon
- Waza-ari
- Yuko
- Senshu
- Hantei
- Eight-point lead
- Jodan and chudan
- Scoring criteria
- Control and skin touch
- Video review
- Penalty
- Disqualification
- Chui and hansoku chui
- Hansoku and shikkaku
- Kiken
- Prohibited behaviour
- Jogai
- Mubobi
- Passivity and avoiding combat
- Referee's calls
- Aka and ao
- Ato shibaraku
- Bunkai
- Official kata list
- Kata scoring
- Kata criteria
- Kiai
- Kata faults and disqualification
- Team kata
- Referee
- Judges
Rules
- How does a karate kata competition work?
- Which kata can an athlete perform, and can a kata be repeated?
- How does a kata performance start and end?
- What is team kata, and what is bunkai?
- How is a karate kata scored?
- What do judges look for in a kata?
- What counts as a mistake in a kata?
- What gets an athlete disqualified in kata?
- How are kata groups decided, and can a result be protested?
- How does a karate kumite bout work?
- What do karate athletes wear in kumite, and how big is the mat?
- How long is a karate kumite bout?
- What are the weight categories in karate kumite?
- What do the referee's calls mean in karate?
- How many points is a punch or a kick worth in karate?
- What does a karate technique need in order to score?
- How hard can you hit in karate kumite?
- What is senshu in karate?
- What happens if a karate bout ends level?
- What is not allowed in karate kumite?
- What are the warnings and penalties in karate?
- What happens when a karate athlete steps off the mat?
- Can a karate athlete be penalised for not attacking?
- Are throws allowed in karate kumite?
- Who referees a karate kumite bout?
- How does video review work in karate?
- What happens when a karate athlete is injured in a bout?
- How does team kumite work in karate?