Names for Go in Other Languages

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    Keywords: Culture & History

The accepted international name of the game of go comes from the Japanese. However, each of the cultures in which go originally flourished has its own name for the game:

  • Japanese: go (碁) or igo (囲碁)
  • Chinese: weiqi (圍棋, simplified 围棋)
  • Korean: baduk (바둑)

In addition, Ing Chang-Ki proposed the seldom-used alternative spelling goe.

Calligraphic images of the characters for Igo, Wei'qi, and Baduk can be found [ext] here.

  • Russian: the term Oblavnye shashki is sometimes used, which would translate as the encircling (or hunting) checkers.
  • Thai: หมากล้อม (maak lom), meaning surrounding chess.

Poetic names

  • Shou tan (Chinese) or Shudan (Japanese) -- hand talk 手談
  • Ranka -- rotted axe-handle 爛柯
  • Tendo -- heavenly way 天道 Tendō
  • Uro -- crows and herons 烏鷺
  • Hoen -- squares and circles 方円 Hōen

See also


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This is a copy of the living page "Names for Go in Other Languages" at Sensei's Library.
(OC) 2007 the Authors, published under the OpenContent License V1.0.
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