Yame
止め
The command “stop” in Japanese martial arts. In karate the referee uses it to interrupt a match, in the dojo the coach to end an exercise.
Quick Facts
Term typeCommand and signal
LanguageJapanese
Formcommand (imperative)
Pronunciation[yah-meh]
Alternative Namesstop
Readings and romanizations
Reading (kana)やめ
Hepburn romanizationyame
Word breakdown
止めyameto stop (verb yameru)
Definition
Yame (止め) is a form of the verb yameru, to stop, and means “stop”. In Japanese martial arts the coach uses it to end an exercise and the practitioners return to the starting position. In karate yame is the referee's command to interrupt a match, for example after a scoring technique or a rule violation. In judo another command, matte, is used to interrupt a match, and the end of the match is announced by the referee with the words sore-made.