Martial Arts

1. 稽古を見学させていただけますか？

   Keiko o kengaku sasete itadakemasu ka?

   Could I watch a training session?

   Usage

   The opening line when you visit a dojo. Judo, karate, kendo and aikido dojos usually let you watch for free, though phoning or emailing ahead is safer than turning up unannounced. In a dojo, training is called "keiko", not "renshū"

   Grammar Note

   "Sasete itadakemasu ka" stacks the causative "saseru", the humble "itadaku" and the potential form to make the most polite way of asking permission. A dojo instructor is treated as your senior, so this register is the safe default

2. 一日体験に参加できますか？

   Ichinichi taiken ni sanka dekimasu ka?

   Can I join a one-day trial session?

   Usage

   Use this when you actually want to step onto the mat. "Taiken" is the standard word for a trial session and appears on dojo websites as "taiken nyūmon" or "taiken keiko". Neighbourhood dojos normally run on monthly fees, but more and more offer a visitor trial slot at roughly 2,000-5,000 yen

   Grammar Note

   The particle "ni" marks what you are joining. "Sanka dekimasu ka" is the potential form plus a question, which is moderately polite; "sanka sasete itadakemasu ka" raises it further

3. 柔道はまったくの初心者です

   Jūdō wa mattaku no shoshinsha desu

   I am a complete beginner at judo

   Usage

   Say this before you start. Japanese dojos read your level from your belt colour, so a white belt rarely gets over-matched, but declaring it yourself ensures they start you on break-falls. Swap "jūdō" for "karate", "kendō" or "aikidō"

   Grammar Note

   "Mattaku" normally pairs with a negative, but in the pattern "mattaku no + noun" it works in an affirmative sentence meaning "an utter X". The particle "wa" sets the topic — here "as for judo"

4. 道着のレンタルはありますか？

   Dōgi no rentaru wa arimasu ka?

   Do you have uniforms available to rent?

   Usage

   Judo and karate uniforms come in numbered sizes, and most dojos keep a few loaners for trial students, free or up to about 1,000 yen. Judo convention is that men wear nothing under the jacket while women wear a white T-shirt, but for a trial just follow instructions. Kendo armour is called "bōgu" and is a separate item from the uniform

   Grammar Note

   "... wa arimasu ka" is the standard way to ask whether something is available; the native-word variant "kashidashi wa arimasu ka" works too. "Dōgi" can be made specific as "jūdōgi", "karategi" and so on

5. 体験料はいくらですか？

   Taikenryō wa ikura desu ka?

   How much is the trial fee?

   Usage

   Prices vary widely: a neighbourhood dojo or a class at a public gym runs 500-2,000 yen a session, while English-speaking dojos and samurai-experience venues can charge 5,000-10,000. You may also be asked to join the sports insurance scheme, roughly 800-1,500 yen a year. Many dojos take cash only, so bring some

   Grammar Note

   The suffix "-ryō" turns a noun into a fee ("nyūkairyō" joining fee, "kengakuryō" observation fee). Monthly martial-arts dues are usually called "gessha", so ask "gessha wa ikura desu ka" for the ongoing cost

6. 靴はここで脱げばいいですか？

   Kutsu wa koko de nugeba ii desu ka?

   Should I take my shoes off here?

   Usage

   The dojo floor — tatami or wood — is treated as sacred ground and shoes never go on it. Take them off at the entrance and line them up with the toes pointing back toward the door. Training is barefoot at most dojos, socks and indoor slippers included. Wiping your soles at the entrance is appreciated, since dirty feet on the tatami are considered rude

   Grammar Note

   "-ba ii desu ka" is the go-to pattern for checking what you are supposed to do. Attach "ii desu ka" to the conditional stem ("nugu" → "nugeba", "oku" → "okeba", "suwaru" → "suwareba") and you can ask about almost any point of etiquette

7. 正座が苦手なのですが、あぐらでもいいですか？

   Seiza ga nigate na no desu ga, agura demo ii desu ka?

   I find seiza difficult — would cross-legged be all right?

   Usage

   Sessions open and close with everyone in seiza for a moment of silent focus and a bow. Newcomers' legs go numb within minutes, so flag it in advance and you will almost always be allowed to sit cross-legged or on one knee. Asking first is far better etiquette than quietly shifting position mid-bow. Aikido and kendo hold seiza the longest

   Grammar Note

   The mid-sentence "ga" here is not "but" — it introduces background before a request, and "... no desu ga, ..." is the standard Japanese way to explain your situation then ask. "A demo ii desu ka" proposes an alternative

8. 礼の仕方を教えていただけますか？

   Rei no shikata o oshiete itadakemasu ka?

   Could you teach me how to bow properly?

   Usage

   Martial arts are said to "begin with a bow and end with a bow", and asking about the etiquette is itself taken well. You bow standing toward the front of the hall (the shrine or head of the room) on entering, bow from seiza before and after the session, and bow to your partner each time you pair up. Details differ: judo bows standing with hands at the thighs, kendo bows while holding the shinai in the left hand

   Grammar Note

   The verb stem plus "-kata" forms a noun meaning "the way of doing X" ("musubikata" how to tie, "suwarikata" how to sit, "mochikata" how to hold). "-te itadakemasu ka" is a notch politer than "-te kudasai" and is the right register for an instructor

9. 稽古の時間割を見せていただけますか？

   Keiko no jikanwari o misete itadakemasu ka?

   Could I see the training schedule?

   Usage

   Neighbourhood dojos cluster their sessions on weekday evenings (around 19:00-21:00) and Saturday mornings, with adult and children's classes at separate times. Most close on Sundays and shut down over Obon and New Year. Some hold "kangeiko", a special early-morning cold-weather practice in January, which is worth catching if your dates line up

   Grammar Note

   "Miru" (to look) and "miseru" (to show) are different verbs; "miseru" means to make something visible to someone. "Misete itadakemasu ka" humbly asks the other person to show you, whereas "misasete itadakemasu ka" asks permission for you to look — not the same thing

10. 膝を痛めているので、受け身は控えさせてください

    Hiza o itamete iru node, ukemi wa hikaesasete kudasai

    My knee is injured, so please let me sit out the break-falls

    Usage

    Say this before training starts. Judo and aikido begin with "ukemi", the art of falling safely when thrown, and a trial session often spends its first half-hour on nothing else. Japanese dojos take no medical form, so telling them yourself is the only way. Swap "hiza" for "koshi" (lower back), "kata" (shoulder) or "kubi" (neck)

    Grammar Note

    "Node" states a reason more softly and objectively than "kara", which suits it to prefacing a request. "Hikaeru" (to refrain) plus the causative "-sasete" plus "kudasai" politely asks to be excused from doing something

11. 剣道の防具も貸していただけますか？

    Kendō no bōgu mo kashite itadakemasu ka?

    Could you lend me kendo armour as well?

    Usage

    Kendo armour consists of four pieces — men (helmet), kote (gauntlets), dō (breastplate) and tare (waist guard) — and a full set costs over 100,000 yen, so loaners are limited. Beginners normally start without armour, doing suburi swings and footwork, so do not assume a trial includes wearing bōgu. The bamboo sword is "shinai" and the wooden one "bokutō"

    Grammar Note

    "Kasu" is to lend and "kariru" is to borrow, so when you ask the other party you must say "kashite itadakemasu ka" — "karite itadakemasu ka" is wrong. The particle "mo" adds this item on top of the uniform you already asked about

12. 合気道の道場を探しています。この近くにありますか？

    Aikidō no dōjō o sagashite imasu. Kono chikaku ni arimasu ka?

    I am looking for an aikido dojo. Is there one near here?

    Usage

    Useful at your accommodation or a tourist information desk. For aikido, the Aikikai Hombu Dojo in Shinjuku, Tokyo is the head dojo and runs classes with English support; for judo the Kodokan in Bunkyo, Tokyo is the equivalent. Karate and kendo classes for the general public are often held at municipal gyms, so asking about the local "taiikukan" is a good route

    Grammar Note

    "-te imasu" marks an action in progress or a continuing state, so "sagashite imasu" covers both "am searching right now" and "am in the market for". Use "... ni arimasu ka" to ask whether an inanimate thing exists somewhere; for people and animals it becomes "imasu ka"

13. 道場に入るときは、正面に向かって一礼してください

    Dōjō ni hairu toki wa, shōmen ni mukatte ichirei shite kudasai

    When you enter the dojo, bow once toward the front of the hall

    Usage

    Said by the instructor. "Shōmen" is the head of the room, usually marked by a small shrine or the dojo precepts, and you bow to it every time you come in or go out. You will often be taught related rules at the same time: walk around the edge of the mat rather than across it, and never point your feet toward the shōmen when seated. If you arrive late, kneel at the entrance, bow, and wait for the instructor's signal before joining the line

    Grammar Note

    "Dictionary form + toki" means "when you do X". "... ni mukatte" is the set phrase for facing a direction, as in "shōmen ni mukatte" or "aite ni mukatte". Instructors phrase directions with "-te kudasai", which reads as a polite instruction rather than an order

14. 正座して、手は膝の上に置いてください

    Seiza shite, te wa hiza no ue ni oite kudasai

    Kneel in seiza and rest your hands on your thighs

    Usage

    Said by the instructor. Before and after training everyone kneels in a line for a moment of stillness, and the calls come in order: "mokusō" (silent focus), "shōmen ni rei" (bow to the front), "sensei ni rei" (bow to the teacher), "otagai ni rei" (bow to each other). Etiquette is to kneel left knee first and rise right foot first. The line is ordered by belt rank, so beginners stand at the lower end nearest the door

    Grammar Note

    Linking clauses with the te-form gives a sequence: "do this, then that". The "ni" in "... no ue ni oku" marks the destination point and pairs with verbs of placing such as "oku" (put), "ireru" (put in) and "noseru" (set on top)

15. 力を抜いて。相手の動きに逆らわないで

    Chikara o nuite. Aite no ugoki ni sakarawanaide

    Relax — don't fight your partner's movement

    Usage

    Said by the instructor. This is the single most common cue in aikido and judo practice. Beginners stiffen up trying to force the technique through, so learning to unclench is the first hurdle. Aikido's whole premise is to blend with the partner's force rather than collide with it, and the moment you tense the technique stops working. Cues drop the polite "-te kudasai" and come out short — this is not rudeness

    Grammar Note

    "Chikara o nuku" — literally "pull the strength out" — is the fixed Japanese expression for relaxing, the opposite of "chikara mu" (to tense up). "-naide" attaches to the negative stem for a soft prohibition, more colloquial than "-te wa ikemasen". In coaching, the final "kudasai" is routinely dropped

16. 今日はここまでです。礼

    Kyō wa koko made desu. Rei

    That's it for today. Bow

    Usage

    Said by the instructor to close the session; on the call of "rei" everyone bows at once. Students answer together with "arigatō gozaimashita" and also thank each partner they trained with individually. There is no tipping culture in Japanese dojos — offering to help wipe down the tatami afterwards is far better received

    Grammar Note

    The particle "made" marks an end point and "koko made" works for both places and progress. The command "rei" is a bare noun functioning as an order — the same happens with "mokusō" (silent focus) and "seiza", each a single word used as a call

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