武道 in Chinese / Japanese...

武道 is the very common Japanese way to say “Martial Arts.”

武道 is used mostly in Japanese dojos but is also understood in Chinese and Korean.

Some will use this title to mean chivalry (the conduct of a knight) or military art. The way this word is understood would depend on the context in which it is used.

The first character means “force,” “warlike,” or “essence of a warrior.”

The second character means “method,” “path,” and “the way.” It is the same character used to describe/mean the philosophy of Taoism / Daoism.

Some will also translate this as “The Way of the Warrior”; especially in the context of Korean martial arts.

武道家 is a Japanese word that means martial artist.

武道会 is the title Budō-Kai.

Budo means martial arts, and kai is association. This title is used by a few dojos around the world.

Budokan literally means “martial arts stadium.”

However, the title Budokan is often used to refer to a certain style of karate. This style originated in Malaysia and has spread throughout the world.

This is the Japanese martial arts style Budoshin in Kanji.

古武道 is the title for Kubudo, which can be defined as Okinawan weapons fighting.

The literal translation would be something like “Old Martial Way.” The last two characters are often translated as “martial arts” so “Old Martial Arts” is another possible translation.

Please note that even though these are Chinese characters and can be pronounced in Chinese, this is a Japanese-only title. It is not often used nor understood in Chinese. So please consider this to only be appropriate for a Japanese audience.

合気武道 is the title Aiki-Budo or “Aiki Martial Arts” in Japanese Kanji.

合 means “union” or “harmony.”
気/氣 means “universal energy” or “spirit.”
武 means “martial” or “military.”
道 means “way” or “method.”

合気武道 is the modern Japanese way to write this. You may also see 合氣武道, where the second character is written in the older traditional (pre-1945) form. If you want this written 合氣武道, just include a note or email with your order.

合氣武道 are all Chinese characters as well, so I included the Chinese pronunciation above. However, while it can be understood in Chinese, this is not a common term in that language and is not used in any Chinese martial arts. Also, 気 is only used in Japan - Chinese will understand 気 to be the Japanese form of 氣.

武道会術 is the title “Budo Kai Jutsu” in Japanese Kanji.

自然武道 is a means the Nature of Martial Arts.

The first two characters create a word that means nature, natural, or spontaneous.

The last two characters are often translated as martial arts.

精神武道 is the Japanese martial arts title, Seishin Budo.

The first two characters, 精神, can mean vigor, vitality, drive, spiritual, mind, spirit, soul, heart, ethos, attitude, mentality, will, intention, essence, and fundamental significance.

The last two characters, 武道, are the Japanese word for martial arts (literally the Martial Way). This title can also be romanized as Seshin Budou or Seishin Budō.

実戦古武道 is the title Jissen Kobudo in Japanese Kanji.

Jissen or 実戦 means combat, battle, or fighting.

Kobudo or 古武道 is the title used for Okinawan martial arts. The literal translation would be something like “Old Martial Way.”

沖縄古武道 is the title for Okinawa Kobudō.

精神武道館 is the title Seishin Budokan in Japanese Kanji.

This is the title Midori Yama Budokai in Japanese.

Note: Because this selection contains some special Japanese Hiragana characters, it should be written by a Japanese calligrapher.