Karate
Martial art
空手 · 空手道 · 공수도
- Country of origin
- Ryukyu Kingdom
- Type
- martial arts, Olympic sport, type of sport
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).
Styles and branches of Karate
- Budokan karate
- Bunkai
- Full contact karate
- Genseiryū
- Haitō
- Kumite
- Kyokushin kaikan
- Motobu-ryu
- Okinawa Seidokan
- Shinkyokushinkai
Karate techniques
- Age-uke
- Anaku
- Ansan
- Ashi barai
- Atama Shiri Uchi
- Atsuen Empi Uchi
- Chokusen-seisan-dachi
- Chudan soete uke
- Empi uke
- Front stance
- Fudo Dachi
- Gedan juji uke
- Gedan kaki uke
- Gedan morote barai
- Gyako uchi uke
- Gyaku Age Zuki
- Gyaku mikazuki geri
- Gyaku-zuki
- Hachiji dachi
- Haiwan uke
- Han Zenkutsu-dachi
- Han-Kokutsu-dachi
- Hangetsu dachi
- Hasami Nakadaka Ken
- Hasami Zuki
- Heian Godan
- Heian Nidan
- Heian Sandan
- Heian Shodan
- Heian Yondan
- Heiko Seiryuto
- Heiko Zuki
- Heikō dachi
- Heisoku dachi
- Hiza geri
- Horse stance
- Iaigoshi Dachi
- Ippon Ken
- Ippon Nukite
- Jodan Haito
- Jodan juji uke
- Joge kaki uke
- Kagi Zuki
- Kaisho age uke
- Kaisho haiwan uke
- Kaisho juji uke
- Kakato Geri
- Kakiwake uke
- Karate stances
- Karate techniques
- Karate throws
- Katashi Dachi
- Kin geri
- Kosa dachi
- Koshi gamae
- Kōkutsu dachi
- Leopard Blow
- Mae Hiza geri
- Mae Mawashi Empi Uchi
- Mae geri
See all 142 on the Karate techniques page.
Notable Karate athletes and practitioners
- Chuck Norris United States
- Jean-Claude Van Damme Belgium
- Forest Whitaker United States
- William Shatner Canada
- James Caan United States
- Wesley Snipes United States
- Dolph Lundgren Sweden
- Shilpa Shetty India
- Christian Slater United States
- Emma Bunton United Kingdom
- Kristin Kreuk Canada
- Gichin Funakoshi Ryukyu Kingdom
- Pam Grier United States
- Ronald McNair United States
- Hiroyuki Sanada Japan
- Mas Oyama Korea under Japanese rule
- Georges St-Pierre Canada
- Craig T. Nelson United States
- John Saxon United States
- Laura Vandervoort Canada
- Michael Jai White United States
- Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa United States
- Jason David Frank United States
- Cynthia Rothrock United States
- Charlaine Harris United States
- Élodie Yung France
- Leo Howard United States
- Charlotte Church United Kingdom
- Shin Koyamada Japan
- Lyoto Machida Brazil
- Chuck Liddell United States
- Russell Wong United States
- Dan Inosanto United States
- Michelle Waterson United States
- Stephen R. Donaldson United States
- Annie Norway
878 people in this reference practise Karate.
Karate competitions
- 2025 European Karate Championships – Men's team kumite
- 2024 European Karate Championships – Men's team kumite
- karate at the 2023 Southeast Asian Games
- 2023 European Karate Championships – Women's 61 kg
- 2023 World Karate Championships – Women's +68 kg
- 2023 World Karate Championships – Women's 50 kg
- karate at the 2023 Pan American Games
- Karate at the 2023 European Games – Women's kumite 61 kg
- 2023 Asian Karate Championships
- 2023 World Karate Championships – Men's team kumite
- karate at the 2022 World Games – men's kata
- karate at the 2022 World Games – men's kumite 60 kg
- 2022 Asian Karate Championships
- karate at the 2022 World Games – women's kumite +68 kg
- 2022 European Karate Championships – Men's individual kata
- 2022 European Karate Championships – Men's team kata
- karate at the 2022 World Games – men's kumite 75 kg
- 2022 European Karate Championships – Women's 55 kg
- 2022 European Karate Championships – Women's +68 kg
- karate at the 2022 World Games – men's kumite 84 kg
- karate at the 2022 World Games – women's kumite 50 kg
- karate at the 2021 Southeast Asian Games
- karate at the 2021 Islamic Solidarity Games
- 2022 European Karate Championships – Women's 61 kg
88 competitions in total.
External links
Facts from Wikidata Q11419 (CC0); quoted introduction from English Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0). Data retrieved 2026-10-22.
Data: Wikidata (CC0 1.0); Wikipedia (English) (CC BY-SA 4.0). Retrieved 2026-10-22.