List of Popular Go Terms

Common Terms Japanese Terms Korean Terms Chinese Terms All Languages

Term	Japanese Term	Korean Term	Chinese Term	Meaning	Importance
Tesuji	Tesuji 手筋	Maek 맥	Shǒujīn 手筋	Skillful move or best play	★★★
Tenuki	Tenuki 手抜き	Sonppaem 손뺌	Tuō xiān 脱先	Playing elsewhere or ignoring	★★★
Sente	Sente 先手	Seonsu 선수	Xiānshǒu 先手	Initiative	★★★
Seki	Seki セキ	Bik 빅	Gòng huó 共活	Stalemate or mutual life	★★★
Sabaki	Sabaki 捌き	Tagae 타개	Téng nuó 腾挪	Flexible group	★★★
Ponnuki	Ponnuki ポン抜き	Pang-tarim 빵때림	Kāi huā 开花	Diamond shape that is created after four stones capture one	★★★
Nigiri	Nigiri 握り	Tol kariki 돌 가리기	Cāi xiān 猜先	Procedure to decide which player has black	★★★
Moyo	Moyo 模様	Moyang 모양	Múyàng 模样	Framework or potential territory	★★★
Miai	Miai 見合い	Matboki 맞보기	Jiàn hé 见合	Equivalence or interchangeable moves	★★★
Kyu	Kyu 級	Geup 급	Jí 级	Grade or Student level	★★★
Komi	Komi コミ	Dum 덤	Tiē mù 贴目	Compensation score or handicap points	★★★
Ko	Ko 劫	Pae 패	Jié 劫	Eternity or cycle rule	★★★
Joseki	Joseki 定石	Jeong-seok 정석	Dìngshí 定式	Standard sequences or established patterns	★★★
Hane	Hane 跳ね	Jutchim 젖힘	Ban 扳	A move that attempts to surround an opponent’s stone diagonally	★★★
Gote	Gote 後手	Husu 후수	Hòushǒu 后手	Loss of initiative; playing reactively.	★★★
Dan	Dan 段	Dan 단	Duàn 段	Grade or master level	★★★
Aji	Aji 味	Twitmat 뒷맛	Yúwèi 餘味	Latent opportunities or weaknesses	★★★
Byoyomi	Byoyomi 秒読み	Choikgi 초읽기	Dú miǎo 读秒	Overtime or countdown phase	★★★
Atari	Atari 当たり	Dansu 단수	Dǎ chī 打吃	Immediate threat	★★★

List of Japanese Go Terms Sorted by Popularity

Term	Translation	Importance
Aji	Literally means "taste", hidden possibilities left in a position	⭐⭐⭐
Atari	Threat to capture	⭐⭐⭐
Byoyomi	Countdown, extra time	⭐⭐⭐
Dan	Expert rank	⭐⭐⭐
Gote	Losing the initiative	⭐⭐⭐
Hane	A move that attempts to surround an opponent's stone diagonally	⭐⭐⭐
Joseki	Standard variation in the corner	⭐⭐⭐
Ko	The rule that prohibits repetition of moves in Go	⭐⭐⭐
Komi	Compensation given to white for playing second	⭐⭐⭐
Kyu	Class, ranks below expert dan level	⭐⭐⭐
Miai	Existence of 2 moves, so that if one player plays one, the other player can take the other	⭐⭐⭐
Moyo	Framework, a large area that can potentially become territory	⭐⭐⭐
Nigiri	Procedure to decide which player has black	⭐⭐⭐
Ponnuki	Diamond shape that is created after four stones capture one	⭐⭐⭐
Sabaki	Light, flexible play	⭐⭐⭐
Seki	Mutual life, life without two eyes	⭐⭐⭐
Sente	Initiative, maintaining initiative	⭐⭐⭐
Tenuki	Play elsewhere, not responding locally	⭐⭐⭐
Tesuji	A skillful move or technique	⭐⭐⭐
Furikawari	Exchange	⭐⭐
Fuseki	Opening	⭐⭐
Goban	Go board	⭐⭐
Honinbo	One of the Four Houses in the Edo period. One of the main titles in Go	⭐⭐
Honte	Proper move	⭐⭐
Hoshi	4-4 point, star point	⭐⭐
Insei	Someone studying to become a professional player	⭐⭐
Keima (kogeima)	Knight's move	⭐⭐
Kifu	Game record	⭐⭐
Komoku	3-4 point	⭐⭐
Kosumi	Diagonal move	⭐⭐
Nakade	A move inside an opponent's large eye that prevents the opponent from making two eyes	⭐⭐
Nobi	Stretch, a solid extension	⭐⭐
Nozoki	Peep, threat to push through	⭐⭐
Oogeima	Large knight's move	⭐⭐
Rengo	Pair Go	⭐⭐
Sagari	Descent towards the edge of the board	⭐⭐
San san	3-3 point	⭐⭐
Semeai	Capturing race, mutual attack	⭐⭐
Shimari	Corner enclosure	⭐⭐
Tengen	The center point of the Go board. Also one of the main Japanese Go titles	⭐⭐
Tsumego	Go problems	⭐⭐
Yose	Endgame	⭐⭐
Aji Keshi	A move that destroys aji, thus reducing possibilities	⭐
Boshi	Cap, capping move	⭐
Chuban	Middle game	⭐
Dame	Liberties, adjacent empty intersections of a stone or stones	⭐
Damezumari	Shortage of liberties	⭐
Geta	Net	⭐
Hamete	Trick play, a trap in joseki	⭐
Hasami	Pincer, attacking a corner approach from the outside	⭐
Hiraki	Extension	⭐
Ikken tobi	One-space jump, one-point jump	⭐
Ishi no shita	Under the stones technique	⭐
Jigo	A drawn game	⭐
Kakari	Corner approach	⭐
Kikashi	Forcing move	⭐
Kiri	Cut	⭐
Meijin	The master of Go, name of an important title	⭐
Moku	Point	⭐
Nihon Ki-in	Japanese Go Association	⭐
Semedori	Forced capture, a situation where a player will have to capture a group of stones when the opponent fills outside liberties	⭐
Shicho	Ladder	⭐
Suji	Line of play	⭐
Tobi	Jump (usually one-space jump)	⭐
Tsuke	Attachment, a move that is played next to a stone of the opponent	⭐
Warikomi	Wedge, playing a stone between two of the opponent's stones	⭐
Akisankaku	Empty triangle, usually a bad shape in the form of a triangle
Amarigatachi	Bad shape after a failed attack
Ate	A move that puts opponent's stone(s) in atari
Atsumi	Thickness
Butsukari or Tsukiatari	Bump into an opponent's stone
Chosei	Eternal life
Daidaigeima	Very large knight's move
Degiri	Push and cut
Go-kaisho	Go club
Godokoro	Go Minister
Goishi	Go stones
Gokaku	Even result
Goke	Go bowls for storing stones
Guzumi	Bad-looking shape that is good in context
Gyaku komi	Reverse komi
Gyaku sente	Reverse sente
Hanami ko	Flower viewing ko, picnic ko, a ko that is easy for one side but risky for the other
Hanmoku	Half a point
Hasami tsuke	Clamp, attachment on the opposite side of an enemy stone
Hayago	Quickplay Go
Hazama (tobi)	Diagonal jump, elephant's jump
Hiki	Pulling back
Horikomi	Throw-in, a sacrifice technique
Ichigomasu	Carpenter's square, a complex life and death shape in the corner
Igo	Go, the original Japanese name of the game
Ji	Territory
Josen	Handicap where one of the players takes black in every game, essentially one stone handicap
Jubango	Ten-game match
Judan	"Ten dan", one of the main Japanese titles in Go
Kadoban	A game that could lose the series for one of the opponents OR a game which if lost will require taking a bigger handicap
Kaketsugi	Hanging connection, tiger's mouth shape
Kansai Ki-in
Katatsuki	Shoulder hit, playing diagonally over an opponent's stone
Keima Kakari	A knight's approach move to a corner stone
Keima Shimari	Protecting a corner with a knight's move
Keshi	Reduction, erasure
Ki	Go, chess
Kiai	Fighting spirit
Kido	The way of Go
Kirichigai	Cross-cut
kisei	Go sage, name of a Go title
Korigatachi	Overconcentrated shape
Koudate	Ko threat
Kuro (Kuroi)	Black
Magari	Bend, turn
Me ari me nashi	Eye vs no eye capturing race
Mokuhazushi	5-3 point
Myoushu	Brilliant, extraordinary move
Nadare	Avalanche, the name of a famous complex joseki
Nidan-bane	Double hane
Nigan	Two eyes
Niken Tobi	Two-space jump
Nirensei	Two star points opening
Nuki	Capture
Oiotoshi	Connect and die, a situation when connecting doesn't save the stones
Oki	Placement tesuji, playing inside the opponent's group
Ooba	Big point
Oogeima-gakari	Corner approach with a large knight's move
Oogeima-shimari, oogeima-jimari	Corner enclosure with a large knight's move
Oomoyo	Big moyo, big framework
Oozaru	Monkey jump, a large knight's move from the second line to the first
Osae	Block
Oshi	Push
Oshitsubushi	Squashing push, atari after which connecting is forbidden because of the suicide rule
Ouza	One of the major Japanese Go titles
Ryou-atari	Double atari
Ryou-gakari	Double kakari, double corner approach
Ryousente	Double sente
Sanrensei	Three star points opening
Sen-ai-sen	Handicap of taking black in two games out of three
Shibori	Squeeze tesuji
Shikatsu	Life and death
Shin Fuseki	New Fuseki, exploration of new opening strategies in the mid-1930s in Japan
Shinogi	Technique of making life within your opponent's sphere of influence
Shiro (Shiroi)	White
Shodan	1 dan rank
Shudan	Hand talk, a metaphorical name of Go
Suberi	Slide, a play on the second line coming from the third line
Sumi	Corner
Susoaki	Open skirt, an opening at one side of one's territory
Sute-ishi	Stone sacrifice
Tagaisen	Playing even, alternating black and white
Taisha	Large slant, a notoriously difficult joseki that supposedly has 1000 variations
Takamoku	5-4 point
Tedomari	The last play at one of the game stages
Tewari	A way of analysis of stone efficiency by means of changing the order of moves
Tsugi	Connection
Uchikomi	Invasion
Uchisugi	Overplay
Utte-gaeshi	Snapback
Wariuchi	A splitting invasion that leaves the possibility to extend to both sides
Watari	Connection near the edge
Yosu-mi	Probe, a move that helps one discover opponent's plans
Zokusuji	Crude, vulgar move