French word

karaté

Pronunciation

IPA/kaʁate/

Meaning

  • masculine nounkarate

Example

Je fais du karaté tous les samedis.

I practice karate every Saturday.

Illustration for karaté (karate)

More examples

Mon frère est ceinture noire de karaté.

My brother is a black belt in karate.

Core concept

A disciplined exchange of punches, strikes, blocks, and kicks using the body as a controlled weapon.

Common phrases

  • faire du karaté

    do karate

  • un cours de karaté

    a karate class

Similar words

judo: A Japanese martial art and sport based on throws and grappling to defeat or restrain an opponent.
boxe: A combat sport in which opponents mainly strike each other with their fists.
taekwondo: A Korean martial art and sport centered on kicking techniques.
lutte: A contest in which opponents use throws and pins to control each other and decide a winner.

Definition in French

Art martial japonais qui utilise les mains et les pieds pour frapper et bloquer, pratiqué comme sport, moyen de défense et discipline du corps et de l'esprit.

Word origin

French karaté is borrowed from Japanese karate, whose modern name means "empty hand" and replaced an older Okinawan term meaning "Chinese hand".

Usage tips

  • Karaté is masculine in French, so the general article is le and the article after faire is du.

Related words

  • karatékakarate practitionernoun

Word lists with this word