Meaning & use
dojo
Last updated
Meanings
nouncountable
A training hall where martial arts such as judo, karate or aikido are taught and practiced.
Grammar: Countable and borrowed from Japanese: a dojo, two dojos.
Patterns
- train at a dojo
- enter the dojo
She bows before stepping onto the mat of the dojo.
The new dojo opened near the train station.
Students clean the dojo floor after every class.
nouncountablefigurativeinformal
A place or group where a skill other than martial arts is trained seriously.
Grammar: Figurative, informal use: a coding dojo.
Patterns
- a coding dojo
Our company runs a coding dojo every Friday to practice new techniques.
The kitchen was a dojo for aspiring chefs.
He treated the debate club like a dojo.
Word forms
| plural | dojos |
|---|
Common combinations
- train at a dojo
- He trains at a dojo twice a week.
- karate dojo
- The karate dojo has a wooden floor.
- judo dojo
- A judo dojo needs thick mats.
- dojo etiquette
- Dojo etiquette includes bowing to the instructor.
- open a dojo
- After retiring, he opened a dojo.
- dojo master
- The dojo master corrected her stance.
Synonyms and how they differ
- dojang
- Dojang is the Korean equivalent used for taekwondo schools, while dojo is Japanese.
- gym
- A gym is a general fitness space, while a dojo is specifically for martial arts with traditions of respect.
- training hall
- Training hall is a plain English phrase that lacks the Japanese cultural flavor of dojo.
- academy
- Academy is used for many schools of skill and often suggests a more formal institution.
Word family
Commonly confused: dojo or dojang?
dojo vs dojang
A dojang is the Korean word for a training hall, while dojo is Japanese.
Practice
Before stepping on the mat, every student bows at the entrance of the ______.
Choose one answer.
A dojo is a hall for martial arts, and bowing on entry is typical. A stadium or cafeteria is not a place for this custom.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “dojo”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.