Go Terms
A glossary of Go terminology.
- Aji (potential)
- Aji keshi (destroy own potential)
- Alive (status of group)
- Almost sente (in terms of follow-up)
- AmariGatachi (overstretched shape)
- Amashi
- Amateur
- Angle play
- Approach ko (Yoseko)
- Approach move (in capturing race)
- Arate (new move)
- Atari (threat to capture at next move)
- Atekomi (aim inside diagonal)
- Thickness/Atsui (Thick)
- Atsumi (Thickness)
- Attachment (Tsuke)
- Auction komi (way to set komi)
- Aya (similar to aji)
- Bad aji (malign possibilities in a position)
- Bad shape (failing formation)
- Baduk (Korean name for Go)
- Bamboo Joint (Take Fu)
- Bang neki (Korean gambling format)
- Base (starter eye space)
- Big eye (in capturing race)
- Boshi (Capping play)
- Bo-tsugi (Bō-tsugi, pole connection)
- Belly Attachment
- Bulge
- Bump (Tsukiatari)
- Butterfly (enclosure)
- Byo yomi (extra time)
- Chain (solidly connected stones)
- Checking extension (Tsume)
- Chosei
- Chuban (middlegame)
- Clamp
- Compromised diagonal
- Connected
- Counter-atari
- Counter-pincer
- Cross-cut
- Cut
- Cutting point
- Cutting stones
- Dame (neutral point)
- Damezumari (Shortage of liberties)
- Dan (expert rank)
- Dango (dumpling shape)
- De (push through)
- Death
- Degiri (push and cut)
- Deshi (pupil, follower)
- Double Hane
- Double Ko
- Double Sente
- Down
- Dragon
- Empty Triangle
- Eye
- False eye
- False seki
- Farmer's hat
- Flow of the stones
- Force (kikashi)
- Force as a mathematical term
- Fujite
- Fukure (bulge shape)
- Furikawari (exchange)
- Fuseki (opening)
- Geta (net)
- Goban
- Gokaisho (go club)
- Gote (go-teh) (no initiative)
- Go Theory
- Go Widow
- Group (string): see chain
- Group, Strategic
- Gukei (stupid shape)
- Guzumi (good empty triangle)
- Haengma
- Hamete (joseki trap)
- HanamiKo (one sided ko)
- Hane (bend)
- Hanedashi (hane inside)
- Hane Kaeshi
- Hane Tsugi
- Hanekomi
- Hasami (pincer)
- Hazama tobi (hole jump)
- Hiki
- Hiraki (extension)
- Honte (simple, solid, sound play)
- Hoshi (star point)
- Ikken Tobi (one space jump)
- Influence
- Insei (apprentice)
- Ipponmichi (forced sequence)
- Ishi no shita (under the stones)
- Jaw
- Jigo (draw)
- Jitsuri (territory)
- Joseki (established sequence)
- Josen
- Jubango
- Kadoban (game which if lost will lose series or increase handicap)
- Kakari (corner approach)
- Kakae (clutch)
- Kake
- KamiNoItte
- Karui (light)
- Kata
- Katteyomi ("selfish reading")
- Katatsuki (shoulder hit)
- Katachi (shape)
- Keima (knight's move)
- Keimagakari
- Keshi (erasure)
- Kiai (fighting spirit)
- Kibitz (commentary)
- Kifu (game record)
- Kikasare
- Kikashi (forcing move)
- Kiri (Cut)
- Ko (repetitive capture)
- Kogeima (small knight's move)
- Komi
- Komoku (3-4 point)
- Korigatachi (overconcentration)
- Kosumi (diagonal connection)
- Kosumi-tsuke (diagonal attachment)
- Kyuba (urgent point)
- Liberty ("breath")
- Life
- Losing move (irretrievable mistake)
- Maido
- Magari (turn)
- Mahn Bang (Korean custom)
- Manego (Mirror go)
- Mannenko (Ten thousand year ko, "Thousand year ko" (sic))
- Me (eye)
- Me-ari-me-nashi
- Meijin
- Miai (equivalence)
- Mirror Go (Manego)
- Mochikomi (lost stone or stones, gift)
- Moku
- Mokuhazushi (3-5 point)
- Motare
- Moyo (sphere of influence)
- Muko (Mukō, false ko threat)
- Myoshu (Myōshu, brilliancy)
- Nagare keima? (knight's jump from fourth line to second to protect side)
- Nakade
- Neutral point (Dame)
- Ni Ren Sei Fuseki
- Nigiri (toss)
- Niken Jimari (two space enclosure)
- Nikentobi (two space jump)
- Nobi (no-bee) (stretch)
- Non-cutting stones
- No result (cancelled game)
- Nose tesuji
- Notchers (life-and-death patterns)
- Nozoki (peep)
- Nurui (lukewarm play)
- Oba (large point)
- Ogeima (large knight's move)
- Oiotoshi (connect and die)
- Oki (placement)
- Okigo (handicap go)
- Omoshiroi 面白い means "slightly better" (or more interesting for one side than the other), (term of praise)
- One-space jump (Ikken tobi)
- Onigatachi
- Order of play
- Orthodox
- Osae (block)
- Oshi-Tsubushi
- Overplay
- Parallel fuseki (opening)
- Passing
- Pillbox (enclosure)
- Pincer (Hasami)
- Point
- Ponnuki (capture of one stone)
- Positive
- Prisoners
- Professional
- Rank
- Reading
- Sabaki (fancy footwork)
- Sagari (descent)
- SangenBasami (three-space pincer)
- San-san (3-3 point)
- Sanrensei Fuseki
- Saru-suberi (monkey jump)
- Sashikomi
- Sector line
- Seiza
- Seki (stalemate)
- Semeai (capturing race)
- Semedori
- Sen Ai Sen
- Sensei (teacher)
- Sente (sen-teh) (initiative)
- Shape
- Shibori
- Shicho (Ladder)
- ShichoAtari (ladder breaker)
- ShidouGo (teaching game)
- Shimari (Corner enclosure)
- Shinogi
- Shinte (new move)
- Shobute (do-or-die move)
- Shodan (1 dan; black belt)
- Shoulder Hit (katatsuki)
- Shudan (hand talk)
- Souba (In game commentary, a natural result)
- Squeeze
- Small move
- Snap-back
- Staircase
- Suberi (slide)
- Suji (line of play, technique))
- Superko
- Suso? (skirt, base)
- Suso barai
- Tachi (stand up)
- Tagai Sen
- Takamoku (4-5 point)
- Takefu (bamboo joint)
- Tasuki fuseki (diagonal opening)
- Tedokoro? (key point in a fight)
- Tedomari (last play)
- Teire (reinforcing play inside your territory at the end of the game)
- Tejun
- Tengen
- Tent
- Tenuki (teh-noo-key) (play elsewhere)
- Ten Thousand Year Ko (Mannenko, Thousand year ko (sic))
- Territory
- Tesuji (teh-soo-djee) (skilful play)
- Tewari (changed-order-of-moves analysis)
- Thank You Move
- Three Crows
- Thickness (Atsumi)
- Thousand Year Ko ((sic), Mannenko, Ten Thousand year ko)
- Three Stage Ko (sandanko)
- Tiger Shape
- Tobi (jump)
- Transposition
- Triple Ko
- Trumpet connection
- Tsugi (Connection)
- Tsuke (ts'-keh) (attachment)
- Tsukiatari (Bump, butting play)
- Tsumego (problem)
- TsuruNoSugomori (crane's nest)
- Two-eye-formation
- Two Stage Ko (Nidanko)
- Two Step Hane (Nidanbane)
- Uchikomi (invasion)
- Unconditional life
- Up
- Vital point
- Wall
- Warikomi (wedge into one-point jump)
- Wariuchi (Wedge)
- Watari (connect along the edge)
- Wedge
- Wei Qi (Chinese name for Go)
- Yon Ren Sei Fuseki
- Yose (endgame)
- Yoseko (Approach ko)
- Yosu-miru (probe)
- Yurumi Shicho (loose ladder)
- ZokuSuji (vulgar play, crude move, anti-suji)
See also:
- Common Go Terms
- English Go Terms
- Chinese Go Terms
- Korean Go Terms
- Japanese Go Terms
- Norwegian Wordlist
- Japanese Go Terms / Discussion
- Japanese Go Terms / Overused and Underused
- Mathematical Ko Terms
- Anatomical terms
- Wildlife terms
- Mineral terms
- Apparel terms
- Geological terms
- Participle survey
- Terms in Dutch Go Magazine
- Esperanto terms
- Pronunciation of Go Terms
- Etymology of Go Terms
- Go Terms Used For Go Equipment.
- Go Verbs
For discussion of Chinese, Japanese, Korean and even English words or phrases used here, please also look at or create Talk pages.
A Japanese/English translation page is available here (mostly in Japanese). If your browser supports it, you can see the Kanji for the terms, making it useful for attempting to study Japanese language go books.
A very comprehensive glossary on the web is Mehmet Dardeniz's site in - Michael H.Lester's Go Page.
The French Go club de Versailles has a very comprehensive list Japanese/French
Others (in English):
-
British Go Journal - Glossary Of Go Terms
-
Jan van der Steen's Go Dictionary
-
Korea Baduk Association - Baduk Terms
- Useful phrases in other languages
Useful resource (not related to Go):
Jeffrey's Japanese<->English Dictionary Server (
canada mirror,
usa mirror)
Japanese-Korean online dictionary (with links to English explanations)
http://www.badukworld.co.kr/faq/terms1.htm