A Karate player is called a Karateka. Karate is a popular Japanese martial arts that is known around the world.
Because Karate is Japanese, when you want to call a Karate player, you have to add the suffix “ka”.
This is usually added at the end. When you want to refer to someone who fights Karate you have to add the “ka” suffix at the end then it becomes “Karateka”.
This does not apply to Karate alone, it also applies to other Japanese martial arts like Judo. When you want to refer to someone who practices judo, you refer to the person as Judoka.
This is how the suffix “ka” works. When you want to refer to general Martial arts like Karate, Judo, etc, the general term is “martial artist”.
A martial artist is the umbrella name that covers virtually all of them. If you are specifically talking about Karate, call him a Karateka, if you are talking about Martial arts as a whole, you refer to them as martial artists.
How do you address a Karate master?
When you want to address a Karate master, you address him as “Sensei”. This is what is commonly used by Japanese Martial arts.
Sensei means teacher or it can also mean “someone who has gone before”. In a literal sense, you can translate Sensei as “born first”.
Sensei is a teacher, and a teacher is someone who leads and teaches others in order for the student to be better and even greater.
The same thing applies to a Karate master in Martial arts. Sensei is the one who is always willing to teach his students to be better Karateka.
A Karate master is also someone that has mastered the real essence of Karate and spends a lot of his time transferring that knowledge to his students.
With practice and time, if a Karate master teaches bus students so well, oftentimes the students come out to even be better than his master, the student can even transition to be a master himself after a long while of mastering the art.
If you work really hard and love the art, you will do well and someday become a Karate master, then others can refer to you as “Sensei”.
How do you say thank you in Karate?
After Karate, what you say next is Arigatou gozaimasu in Japanese. It is pronounced (ah-ree-gah-toh goh-zah-ee-mas).
What this means in English is “thank you. This Japanese term is so popular that it is used not only in Karate but also in Japanese culture in general.
Thank you is usually said by both Karatekas to their instructor immediately after performing Karate. The thank you is usually said by the Karatekas to the instructors.
Before the Karatekas say thank you, have to take a bow to the instructor then they say Arigatou gozaimasu in Japanese which means thank you.
Once this is done then the Karate has ended. The good thing about this is that it is not just in Karate alone, it is also a part of the Japanese culture and etiquette and it is a sign of respect.
This makes it easy for them to practice the culture during karate.
What is a Karate student called?
A Karate student is also referred to as Karateka. This is what you call a Karate Student.
However, you need to know that the term Karateka is used only for those who specialize in Karate, it is not a general term for martial arts like Judo and Karate.
When next you see someone who specializes in learning Karate, or who is a Karate student, you can refer to the person as Karateka.
This term is similar to those who are Karate practitioners. Even if you are a student or you have graduated from the student level to become a practitioner, you are still referred to as a Karateka.
What do Karate students yell?
I am pretty sure that you just have watched Karate a lot and you usually hear them yell something, what exactly do Karate students yell?
Karate students yell “Kiai” in Japanese which is pronounced as /’kiai/ in English.
It is a Japanese term used in martial arts majorly for the brief shout which is usually uttered each time they make an attacking move.
You may begin to wonder how this yelling affects their attacking move. Well, it is believed that yelling makes us exhale.
A strong exhale is needed when making an attacking move, the strong exhale removes air from your diaphragm which brings more speed and power to whatever attacking move you want to make.
Another thing that yelling does is that it forces inhale which brings oxygen into our body. In Karate tournaments, a powerful yell is what judges use to know when a strike has landed.
What values does Karate teach?
Karate teaches a lot of important life-changing values that will definitely help you. These values are:
- Loyalty
- Discipline and self-control
- Self-improvement
- Respect for life and also the ability to protect it
- Resilience
Loyalty
As a Karateka, you usually have instructors that teach you what you need to know.
When someone teaches you, you remain loyal to the person and give the respect the person deserves, this benefits Karatekas by becoming a better person and being successful in martial arts.
Discipline and self-control
Discipline is another important value that is taught in martial arts. Discipline helps to bring stability and success, not just in martial arts, but in life in general.
Karatekas are known to be disciplined people because you need to be disciplined enough to stick to going to the gym regularly, maintaining a particular diet, and also self-control not to do things that do not align with your value as a Karateka.
Without discipline and self-control, you will not be able to go far in Karate and in life in general.
Self-improvement
When you are a Karateka you are hell-bent on becoming a better Karateka every single day. That quest to become better pushes you to self-improvement.
You can always work towards improving your stamina, punches, and strength. These take a long time to master as well. Each time you work towards these you are indirectly improving yourself.
Respect for life and also the ability to protect it
One thing that Karate does for you is that it teaches you the ability to protect yourself physically, this makes you know how valuable life can be.
You are taught self-defense during Karate, this helps you to be able to use it when the need arises. You are also taught how valuable other people’s lives and choices are.
Resilience
Resilience is the mental ability to recover from any setback or failure. Most times, during Karate, you can lose in the competition or you can be beaten by an opponent.
When this happens you get inspired and motivated to get back up quickly to redeem yourself. That is resilience.
When you get hit or beaten by an opponent you naturally want to win next time, this pushes you to get up and become better and have a winning mindset.
How does Karate teach respect?
Karate does teach respect, and you must have seen that when you watch Karate tournaments. How exactly do they show respect?
Karatekas show respect by bowing to their instructors and opponents at competitions, not only that, but they also treat everyone with kindness while being decent.
You must have seen Karatekas bowing to instructors or their opponents at competitions, that is an act of respect that is done in Karate.
However, this does not apply to Karate alone, in martial arts as a whole, respect is one of the core things that is being taught to students.
Students are usually taught to show respect both on the mat and outside the mat. When you bow, it shows you have respect for whoever you may be learning from or who your opponent is.
Despite the fact that Karatekas hit each other during Karate, in the end, they always make sure that the shoes respect by bowing to each other.
Conclusion
A person who practices Karate is called Karateka, I have already explained that earlier in this article.
However, if you are referring to general Martial arts like Karate, judo, etc, you can always refer to them as a martial artist.
A martial artist is a more general name for those who practice martial arts. Karate is a Japanese martial arts that also comes with a lot of life lessons.
When you see Karate masters, you should address them as Sensei.
When you practice Karate, you do not just learn how to fight or how to defend yourself, you also learn important values that can help you become a better person and succeed in life.
Karate teaches self-control, respect, resilience, etc. I am pretty sure after reading this article you must have gotten answers to all your questions about Karate.
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