Osu
押忍
An exclamation that, in Kyokushin, part of karate, and in BJJ, replaces both a greeting and the reply “understood”. The characters 押忍 mean to push and to endure.
Quick Facts
Word breakdown
Definition
Osu (押忍) is an exclamation that in the dojo serves as a greeting, thanks and the reply “yes, I understand”. It is written with the characters 押, to push, and 忍, to bear and endure, interpreted as “to push through and endure”. According to one interpretation, it is a shortening of oshi shinobu. We have not been able to establish the word's origin unambiguously, and several theories exist in Japan. The first sees a shortening of the morning greeting ohayo gozaimasu in the imperial navy. The second says the word arose among students of the prewar martial arts school Dai Nippon Butokukai in Kyoto, where the greeting was gradually shortened to “osu” and only then received the characters 押忍. The third derives it from sumo at the prewar Takushoku University. In Japan, osu is typical of university sports clubs. Originally seniors used it toward juniors, today it is a mutual greeting.
In practice
Osu has its firmest place in Kyokushin karate. Practitioners use it to answer every instruction, to accompany repetitions of basic techniques, and in sparring to acknowledge the opponent. From there it spread to other styles of karate and to Brazilian jiu-jitsu, where it is commonly written “Oss”. Not every dojo uses it, so in an unfamiliar dojo it is wise to first look around and see how people greet.