Word origins

• keikogiA set of uniform worn while training in some Japanese martial arts
• keishiA Japanese police superintendent.
• kekaeshiA kimarite in which the attacker sweeps his opponent's leg from under him by kicking it from the inside; often accompanied by a slap on the back.
• kekomiA thrusting kick.
• kendamaA traditional Japanese toy with an attached ball that can be caught in any of three cups or on a spike.
• kendokaA practitioner of kendo
• kenjutsuJapanese swordsmanship
• KenpeitaiThe military police of the Imperial Japanese Army that also served as the secret police of Imperial Japan, active from 1881 to 1945.
• KenseikaiA short-lived political party in the pre-war Empire of Japan.
• kenshoPrize money given to encourage rikishi by sponsors.
• kesho-mawashiA decorative mawashi worn by a sekitori during the ring-entering ceremony.
• ketaguriA kimarite in which the attacker leaps aside at the tachiai and sweeps his opponent's front leg from the inside while slapping the shoulder or pulling the arm.
• keyakiAn Asian tree, Zelkova serrata.
• kiaiThe short yell or shout uttered when performing an attacking move in martial arts.
• kibeiA Japanese-American who is born in the United States but primarily educated in Japan.
• kibinagoThe silver-stripe round herring or blue sprat, a small marine fish sometimes eaten for food, Spratelloides gracilis.
• kigakuA form of fortune-telling of Japanese origin based on Chinese twelve year zodiac cycle calendar, and the five traditional elements of wood, fire, earth, metal, and water.
• kigoA seasonal word; a word required in haiku to indicate the season.
• kiguA full-body costume of a cartoon character.
• kigurumiA full-body costume of a cartoon character (typically a mascot of cartoonish proportions) originating in Japan.
• kikokushijoA child of Japanese expatriates who lives abroad, then later returns to Japan.
• KikukoA female given name from Japanese.
• kikumonThe Imperial crest of Japan, a stylized chrysanthemum used as a mon by the Japanese emperor and his family.
• kimarite-gakariThe official who announces the winner of the torikumi and the kimarite used.
• kimedashiA kimarite in which the attacker bars or locks the opponent's arms by wrapping his own arms round them from the outside, then grabs one of the wrists and pulls up and in and then swings or marches his opponent backwards and out. An arm-barring force-out.
• kimetaoshia kimarite in which the attacker bars or locks his opponent's arms from the outside then forces him down by throwing his weight on top of him
• KimieA female given name from Japanese.
• KimigayoThe national anthem of Japan
• KimishimaA surname from Japanese.
• KimitsuA city in Chiba Prefecture, Japan.
• kinakoA type of roasted soybean flour.
• kinbakuA Japanese style of bondage that involves tying a person up using simple yet visually intricate patterns, usually with several pieces of thin rope.
• kinboshiAn honour awarded to a rikishi of maegashira rank upon beating a yokozuna.
• kinjiteA foul or forbidden move.
• kirigamiAn art similar to origami, with cutting permitted.
• kirikaeshiA kimarite in which the attacker puts his knee behind his opponent's leg then twists him backwards over the knee.
• kirimonA Japanese governmental emblem resembling a stylized paulownia.
• Kishu KenA dog of a Japanese breed descended from ancient medium-sized breeds.
• KisshōtenThe Japanese version of the Hindu goddess Lakshmi: goddess of happiness, charm and beauty, of fertility, nature, and of human creativity, and the patronesses of joy, amusement and festivities.
• kitakitsuneThe Ezo red fox.
• kitsune udonJapanese hot udon soup topped with seasoned fried tofu, and scallions.
• kizamiA shredded form of nori used in Japanese dishes.
• KobashigawaA surname from Japanese.
• kobichaA dark, orangish or grayish brown color historically used in Japan.
• KoboriA surname from Japanese.
• kodokushiA Japanese phenomenon whereby people die a lonely death, and sometimes remain undiscovered for a long period of time.
• koen-kaia sumo fan club, either for a heya or for a particular rikishi; a useful source of money
• kofunA megalithic tomb or tumulus in Japan, often with a distinctive keyhole-shaped mound.
• kogyarukogal
• KoharuA female given name from Japanese.
• koi-koiA Japanese card game for two players played with hanafuda cards, similar to the Korean game of go-stop
• koinoboriA carp-shaped streamer used to celebrate Children's Day in Japan.
• KoisoA surname from Japanese.
• kokugisumo
• kokumiA taste, recognised by some Japanese researchers, associated with certain γ-L-glutamyl peptides which activate a calcium-sensing receptor also sensitive to glutathione.
• KokyoThe Japanese imperial palace, located in the Chiyoda ward of Tokyo.
• komabueA kind of transverse flute made out of bamboo from Japan.
• komadaiA stand for holding captured Shogi pieces.
• komainuCarved stone statues of stylized lions that guard the entrance to some Japanese temples or shrines.
• komatasukuiA kimarite in which the attacker attempts to throw his opponent and, when the opponent steps forward to defend himself, the attacker grabs his leg, near the thigh, and pulls upward driving the opponent over backwards.
• komatsunaA leaf vegetable, a form of Brassica rapa, used in Japanese cooking
• kominkanA Japanese cultural center, offering education in arts, sport, handiwork, etc. to people of various age groups.
• komusubiA sumo wrestler of the lowest sanyaku rank, below sekiwake and above maegashira.
• konbiniA convenience store in Japan.
• konpeitoJapanese confectionery in the form of small bumpy sugar spheres.
• korokkeA Japanese dish of chopped meat, seafood, or vegetables with mashed potato or white sauce, rolled in flour, eggs, and breadcrumbs, then deep-fried.
• koshikudakeA situation in which a rikishi accidentally falls over, his opponent thus winning.
• koshinagea kimarite in which the attacker turns his opponent while pulling him onto his hips then straightens his knees and throws him over and onto his back
• kotatsuA knee-high table with a heater inside which is used with a coverlet during winter.
• kotehineriA kimarite in which the attacker locks his opponents arm at the biceps then twists him around and down.
• kotenageA kimarite in which the attacker wraps his arm around that of his opponent and, when it is locked near the elbow, turning away from him.
• kozogamiJapanese tissue.
• kubihineriA kimarite in which the attacker wraps one hand around his opponent's neck and grips his arm with the other; he then forces his opponent down by twisting his neck.
• kubinageA kimarite in which the attacker wraps one arm around his opponent's neck then turns and throws him.
• kubisagariA chronic endemic disease of Japan, characterized by dimness of vision, diplopia, ptosis, and paralysis of certain muscles.
• kuchisabishiiThe tendency or desire to eat due to boredom, loneliness, stress, etc. rather than hunger.
• kudanA yokai with the head of a human and the body of a bovine.
• kuisagaruA technique in which a wrestler lowers his centre of gravity and pushes his opponent out of the ring
• KujiKuji (a city in Iwate Prefecture, Japan).
• kukichaA Japanese tea blend made from stems, stalks, and twigs.
• KumadaA surname from Japanese.
• KumagawaA surname from Japanese.
• KumagayaA city in Saitama prefecture, Japan.
• KumakawaA surname from Japanese.
• KumakuraA surname from Japanese.
• KumasawaA surname from Japanese.
• KumataniA surname from Japanese.
• KumayamaA surname from Japanese.
• KumazawaA surname from Japanese.
• kumazemiA cicada, Cryptotympana facialis, from subtropical eastern Asia, that makes a particularly loud noise
• KunashirThe southernmost island of the Kuril Islands, disputed between Japan and Russia.
• KunikoA female given name from Japanese.
• KunimitsuA male given name from Japanese.
• kun-yomiA reading of a kanji that is not derived from the kanji's original pronunciation borrowed from Chinese
• KurayoshiA city in Tottori Prefecture, Japan.
• KurimotoA surname from Japanese.
• KurobaneA surname from Japanese.
• kuroboshiA loss in a bout
• kuromakuIn Japan, an éminence grise or secret decision-maker.
• kuromitsuA Japanese sugar syrup, similar to molasses, but thinner and milder, typically made from unrefined muscovado sugar.