Uraken
裏拳
Back of the clenched fist, literally “reversed fist”. In karate it delivers the snapping strike uraken-uchi, usually to the face or temple.
Quick Facts
Term typeAnatomy, target levels and striking surfaces
LanguageJapanese
Formnoun
Pronunciation[oo-rah-ken]
Alternative Namesback of the fist
Readings and romanizations
Reading (kana)うらけん
Hepburn romanizationuraken
Word breakdown
裏urareverse, back side
拳kenfist
Definition
Uraken (裏拳) means “reversed fist”: ura is the reverse, the back side, ken is fist. The striking surface is the back of the clenched fist, specifically the back of the index and middle finger knuckles. In karate, uraken is used in the snapping strike uraken-uchi, which starts at the elbow and returns the same way. It usually aims at the face, the bridge of the nose or the temple. The variant uraken mawashi-uchi moves in an arc.