Japanese Go Terms
Keywords: Go term, Index page
Most Japanese Go terms are listed under Go Terms, but this page has kanji, kana, and literal translations.
For pronunciation, see the page on the South African Go Clubs or
Swiss Go Association websites.
- Agohimo (Jaw strap) - アゴひも
- Aji (Potential, literally taste) - 味
- Ajikeshi (destroying aji) - 味消し
- Akisankaku (Empty triangle) - 空き三角
- Aki-sumi (Empty corner) - アキ隅
- Amai (soft, weak) - 甘い
- Amashi - 余し
- Atari (atari) - 当たり
- Atekomi (a play that threatens to cut a diagonal) - アテコミ
- Atsui (Thick) - 厚い
- Baai no te (Play that depends upon the circumstances) - 場合の手
- Boshi (Capping Play) - 帽子
- Botsugi (Staff connection) - 棒継ぎ
- Choshi (Chōshi) - 調子
- Chuban (Chūban, Middle game) - 中盤
- Chuto Hanpa - (Something half done) - 中途半端
- Daidaigeima - 大大ゲイマ
- Damatte (silently?) - だまって
- Dame - 駄目 or ダメ
- Dan (Grade, expert rank) - 段
- Degiri (push through and cut) -
- Fujite (sealed move) - 封じ手
- Fukurami (bulge) - フクラミ
- Fukure (bulge) - フクレ
- Furikawari (exchange of potential territories} - 振り替わり or フリカワリ
- Fuseki (Opening) - 布石
- Geta (Net) - ゲタ
- Goban (Board) - 碁盤
- Gokaisho (Go Club) - 碁会所
- Gokaku (even or equal result) - 互角
- Goken-biraki (Five space extension) - 五間ビラキ
- Gote (Losing the initiative, playing last) - 後手
- Gote no sente (Apparent gote that's really sente) - 後手の先手
- Gyaku komi (reverse komi) - 逆コミ
- 'haba', 'width', (reach?) , see New in Go on GoGod
- Hamete (Joseki trap) - ハメテ
- Hana zuke (Nose tesuji) - 鼻ヅケ
- Hanami ko (hanami kō, flower viewing ko, picnic ko) - 花見コウ
- Hane - ハネ
- Hane-dashi (Hane Through) - ハネ出し
- Hane-komi (Hane Wedge) - ハネ込み
- Hara-zuke (belly attachment) - 腹ヅケ
- Hasami (pincer) - ハサミ
- Hasami tsuke (clamp) - ハサミツケ
- Hataraku (work) - 働く
- hazama tobi (diagonal two point jump) ハザマ飛び
- Hazusu (dropping back) - 外す
- Hebokosumi (weak player's diagonal) - ヘボコスミ
- Hekomi - ヘコミ (dent shape)
- Hiki (Pulling back) - 引き
- Hiraki (Extension) - ヒラキ
- Hon-ko (Direct ko) - 本コウ
- Honsen? (Japanese professional selection tournament) - 本選
- Honte (Proper move) - 本手
- Hoshi (Star point) - 星
- Igo - 囲碁
- Ijime - いじめ
- Ikken tobi (One point jump) - 一間トビ
- Ipponmichi (Straight path) - 一本道
- Ishi (Stone) - 石
- Ishi no nagare (Flow of the stones) - 石の流れ
- Ishi no shita (Underneath the stones)
- Ishidate - 石立て
- Ji (Territory) - 地
- Jisatsu (Suicide) - 自殺
- Joban (Opening) 序盤
- Joseki (Jōseki, Standard local play, typically in the corner) - 定石
- Josen - 定先
- Jubango - 十番碁
- Junkan ko --
- Kabe (wall) - 壁
- Kadoban - 角番
- Kakari - カカリ (in kanji, 掛かり)
- Kakarippanashi? (approach without following up) - カカリっぱなし
- Kaketsugi (Hanging connection) - カケツギ
- Kaname-ishi - (Pivotal stones) - 要石
- Kannon-biraki (Butterfly shape) - 觀音ビラキ
- Karami Splitting attack - 絡み
- Karui (Light) - 軽い
- Kuruma no ato-oshi Pushing from behind - 車の後押し
- Kasu ishi (junk stones) - カス石
- Katachi (Shape) - 形
- Katatsuki (Shoulder hit) - カタツキ
- Keima (Knight's move) - ケイマ
- Keisei Handan (Positional Judgement) - 形勢 判断
- Kenka Komoku (Opposing 34 Points - ケンカ小目
- Kenri? (right) - 権利
- Keshi (Erasure, Reduction) - 消し
- Kiai (Fighting spirit) - 気合い
- Kifu (Game Record) - 棋譜
- Kikasare (pushed around, submissive) -
- Kikashi (Forcing move) - 利かし
- Kirikomi (cut inside) - キリ込み
- Kiroku-gakari - 記録係 game recorder
- Ko (Kō) (Repetitive capture, literally threat) - コウ
- Kobayashi Ryu (Kobayashi Ryū, Kobayashi Fuseki) - 小林流
- Kodate (ko threat) - コウ立て
- Komi (Compensation) - コミ
- Komoku (3-4 Point) - 小目
- Kono itte (Only move0 - この一手
- Korigatachi (Overconcentrated shape) - 凝り形
- Kosumi (Diagonal move) - コスミ
- Kosumi tsuke (Diagonal attachment) - コスミツケ
- Koten (Kōten, Point, point of intersection) - 交点
- Kobo (Kōbō, Attack and defence) - 攻防
- Kuro, Kuroi (Black) - 黒 (noun), 黒い (adjective)
- Kyu (Class, Below expert rank) - 級
- Kyuba (Kyūba, urgent point) - 急場
- Kyusho (Kyūsho, key point, Vital point) - 急所
- Magari (turn) - マガリ; 曲がり
- Mannen-ko (Mannen-kō, Ten thousand year ko) - 万年劫
- Mamori (Defence) - 守り
- Me (eye) - 眼
- Me ari me nashi (With an eye, without an eye) - 眼アリ眼ナシ
- Miai (Shared alternative plays) - 見合い
- Mochikomi (stranded stones) - モチコミ
- Moku (point of territory) - 目
- Moyo (Moyō, Framework) - 模様
- Mujoken iki (Mujōken iki, Unconditional life) - 無条件生き
- Mukai Komoku (facing 3-4 points) - 向かい 小目
- Muko (Mukō) (false ko threat) - 無劫
- Nageru (resign) - 投げる
- Nakade (inside move or shape) - 中手; ナカデ
- Narabi (specific type of stretch) - 並び
- Nerai (Target, aim, intent) - 狙い
- Nidan-bane (Two step hane) - 二段バネ
- Niken biraki (Two space extension) - 二間開き
- Niken tobi (two space jump) - 二間トビ
- Nigiri (procedure to decide which player has Black - 握り
- Nirensei (Two star points opening) - 二連星
- Nobi (strech that adds two liberties) - both 伸び and ノビ
- Nurui (Lukewarm) - 温い
- Oba (Ōba, Big point) - 大場
- Ogeima (Large knight's move) - 大ゲイマ
- Oki (Placement tesuji) 置き
- Omoi (Heavy) - 重い
- Omoshiroi 面白い (lit.) interesting - used to indicate that one side is better
- Onadare (large avalanche joseki) - 大ナダレ
- Owari (the end) - 終り
- Ryojimari (Ryōjimari, one side has two 3-4 point based corner enclosures) - 両締まり
- Ryoatari (Ryōatari, Double atari) - 両アタリ
- Ryobane (Double hane -- not Nidanbane) - 両バネ
- Ryo-ko (Ryō-kō, Double ko) - 両コウ
- Sabaki - 捌き
- Sagari (descent towards the edge of the board) - 下がり or サガリ
- Sakare gatachi (split shape) - 裂かれ形
- Sangen biraki (Three space extension) - 三間開き
- Sansan (the 3x3 point) - 三々
- Sanrensei (three star points opening) - 三連星
- Seki (mutual life) - セキ
- Seki-kuzure (seki collapse) - セキ崩れ
- semaku suru - making the game narrow, restricting strategic options (from
http://www.gogod.demon.co.uk/NewInGo/NewInGo.htm )
- Seme (Attack) - 攻め
- Semeai (Capturing race, mutual attack) - 攻め合い
- Semedori (Forced capture) - 攻め取り
- Sen ai sen - 先相先
- Sen ni sen - 先二先
- Sente (Initiative, playing first) - 先手
- Sente no gote (Apparent sente that's really gote) - 先手の後手
- Shido-go (Shidō-go, teaching game) - 指導碁
- Shicho (Shichō, ladder) - シチョウ
- Shicho-atari (Shichō-atari, ladder breaker) - シチョウ当り
- Shikatsu (Life and death) - 死活
- Shimari (Corner Enclosure) - 締まり
- Shin Fuseki (New Fuseki) - 新布石
- Shinogi technique of making life within your opponents sphere of influence - 凌ぎ
- Shiro, shiroi (White) - 白 (noun), 白い (adjective)
- Shita-zuke (Hitting under tesuji) - 下ヅケ
- shobu? game (lit. win-loss) - 勝負
- shobute (aggressive play to avoid sure loss, putting the game on the line) - 勝負手
- Shodan (1-dan) - 初段
- Shuban (Endgame) - 終盤
- Shudan (alternate name for the game of Go) - 手談
- Shusaku Ryu (Shūsaku Ryū, Shusaku Fuseki) - 秀策流
- Soba-ko (Soba-kō, Local ko threat) - ソバコウ
- Sofu (single diagram containing all game moves) - 総譜
- Sogo (official challenge match) - 争碁
- Son-ko (loss making ko threats) - 損コウ
- Souba - 相場
- Susogakari (skirt approach) - 裾がかり
- Suberi (slide) - 滑り
- Tagai sen (alternating Black and White) - 互い先
- Takamoku (5-4 Point) - 高目
- Takefu (Bamboo joint) - タケフ
- Tan (just, simply) - (ċ)
- Te (Play, move, literally hand {noun}) - 手
- Teai (Handicap) - 手合い
- Tebyoshi (Automatic play) - 手拍子
- Teire (Reinforcing play) - 手入れ
- Temodori (Going back to patch up) - 手戻り
- Tenka-kikazu (Game deciding ko) - 天下きかず
- Tennozan (Tennōzan) (Strategically decisive point or game in series) - 天王山
- Tenuki (Playing elsewhere) - 手抜き
- Tesuji (Skillful tactical play) - 手筋
- Tetchu (Iron pillar) - 鉄柱
- Torazu Gomoku (Five points without capturing) - 取らず五目
- Torazu Sanmoku (Three points without capturing) - 取らず三目
- Toryo (Tōryō, resign) - 投了
- Tsuke (Attachment) - 付け
- Tsuke-koshi (Waist cut) - ツケコシ
- Tsume-biraki (Checking extension) - ツメビラキ
- Tsuru no Sugomori (Crane's Nest Tesuji) -
- Uchuuryuu (Cosmic style) - 宇宙流
- Utte-gaeshi (Snapback) - 打って返し
- Uttegai (Snapback) -
- Warikomi (Wedge) - 割込み or ワリコミ
- Wariuchi (Splitting move) - 割り打ち
- Yon-moku nakade (four point nakade) - 四目ナカデ
- Yoritsuki
- Yose (Endgame) - 寄せ
- Yose ko (Yose kō, Approach ko) - ヨセ劫
- Yosen? (Preliminary for the Japanese professional selection tournament) - 予選
- Yoten (Key point) - 要点
- Yowai ishi (Weak group) - 弱い石
- Yurui (Slack) - ゆるい
Some useful terms for equipment, if you decide to go shopping:
See also
- Basic Japanese for reading go books
- Entering Japanese text
- /Overused and Underused
- Idiom and Metaphor in Go
- Japanese Go Pronunciations
- Japanese Go term help page
-
WWWJDIC
-
Unihan Database
- Chinese Go Terms
- Named Points
Slowman: see also IGS dictionary (open telnet window and type translate <word>, try also: translate hamete, help translate)