Meaning & use
bojutsu
Last updated
Meaning
noununcountablespecialistsport
The Japanese martial art of fighting and defending yourself with a long wooden staff.
Grammar: Not used with an or an: she studies bojutsu.
Patterns
- study bojutsu
- practice bojutsu
Mika has studied bojutsu for six years and can spin the staff with ease.
The class begins with basic bojutsu strikes and blocks.
Bojutsu is often taught alongside other traditional Japanese weapons.
Common combinations
- practice bojutsu
- They practice bojutsu in the park on Sundays.
- learn bojutsu
- He wants to learn bojutsu from a master.
- bojutsu staff
- The bojutsu staff is usually made of oak.
- bojutsu technique
- Each bojutsu technique needs careful footwork.
Synonyms and how they differ
- staff fighting
- Staff fighting is the plain English phrase for any such art, while bojutsu names the Japanese tradition specifically.
- quarterstaff
- Quarterstaff names the weapon in the European tradition, whereas bojutsu is the Japanese art of using the bo.
Word family
- bo noun
- the long staff used in the art
- jutsu noun
- technique or art, as in other Japanese martial arts
Commonly confused: bojutsu or bojutsu?
bojutsu vs bojutsu
Do not mix it up with jujutsu, a grappling art with no weapon; bojutsu is fought with a long wooden staff.
Practice
Which weapon would you use in bojutsu?
Choose one answer.
Bojutsu is the art of the bo, a long staff. The other weapons belong to different arts such as archery or knife fighting.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “bojutsu”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.