Brazilian jiu-jitsu vs Karate
Brazilian jiu-jitsu and Karate side by side, from the facts recorded for each art.
| Brazilian jiu-jitsu | Karate | |
|---|---|---|
| Country of origin | Brazil | Ryukyu Kingdom |
| Created | 1910s | — |
| Type | judo, jujutsu and jiu jitsu | martial arts and Olympic sport |
| Competition at the Olympics | — | Yes – 10 Olympic events recorded |
| Notable practitioners here | 43 | 878 |
| Top countries of practitioners | United States, Brazil and Australia | Japan, United States and France |
| Belt ranks | Yes | — |
Brazilian jiu-jitsu
Brazilian jiu-jitsu (Portuguese: jiu-jitsu brasileiro [ʒiw ˈʒitsu bɾaziˈlejɾu, ʒu -]), commonly abbreviated as BJJ, is a self-defense system, martial art, and combat sport based on grappling, ground fighting, and submission holds. It is primarily a ground-based fighting style and involves taking one's opponent down to the ground, gaining a dominant position, and then using a number of techniques to force them into submission such as joint locks, chokeholds, or compression locks.
From the Wikipedia article Brazilian jiu-jitsu (CC BY-SA 4.0).
Karate
Karate (空手) (; Japanese pronunciation: [kaɾate] ; Okinawan pronunciation: [kaɾati]), also karate-do (空手道, Karate-dō), is a martial art developed in the Ryukyu Kingdom. It developed from the indigenous Ryukyuan martial arts (called te (手), "hand"; tī in Okinawan) under the influence of Chinese martial arts. While modern karate is primarily a striking art that uses punches and kicks, traditional karate training also employs throwing and joint locking techniques. A karate practitioner is called a karate-ka (空手家).
From the Wikipedia article Karate (CC BY-SA 4.0).
Facts from Wikidata (CC0): Q189336, Q11419. Practitioner counts are the people with a profile on this site. Data retrieved 2026-10-22.
Data: Wikidata (CC0 1.0); Wikipedia (English) (CC BY-SA 4.0). Retrieved 2026-10-22.