Etymology

jujitsu

J8U1J8I1T1S1U1

Today it means: A Japanese martial art and method of self-defence, typically unarmed, emphasizing manipulating an opponent’s force against themselves rather than directly opposing it with force, and using a wide variety of holds, throws, and defensive techniques. Full definition →

Japanese 柔術
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The story

  1. Japanese · borrowed from柔術
  2. English todayjujitsu

Borrowed from Japanese 柔術 (jūjutsu). Popular spelling jitsu (instead of less popular jiutsu or jutsu) could reference to allophonic [d͡ʑɨ] or [d͡ʑi] (in Shitamachi dialect). First mentioned in The Japan Mail (1875, page 133), before the widespread use of the Hepburn system.

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.