judo

Etymology

It is borrowed from Japanese 柔道 (jūdō, “gentle way”),^{[2][3][4][5][1]} formed of 柔 (jū, “softness, gentleness”), the element also found in jujitsu, and 道 (dō, “way, art”), as in budo.^[2][6][3][7] The first element is from Chinese 柔 (róu, “soft, gentle”),^[4][8][5] and the second from Chinese 道 (dào, “way”).^[6][3][8] The OED notes that the Japanese word was earlier (1797) another name for jujitsu, and that its use for the new style apparently dates from the late 19th century.^[2]

Earliest recorded meaning

The martial art: 1889, in the Transactions of the Asiatic Society of Japan.^[2][5][6][9]

Semantic evolution

Judo was developed by Jigoro Kano as a refined form of jujitsu; the traditional founding date is 1882, when he opened his own school, later known as the Kodokan.^[2][6][3] The OED notes that it is unclear whether the Japanese word already named his style in 1882, and that while it was being developed it was apparently called Kanō-ryū jūjutsu, Kano-style jujitsu.^[2] The English spelling judou reflects Japanese kana spelling.^[2] Evans's quotations from the 1980s describe it as a sport, a martial art, a spiritual discipline and a system of physical education.^[9] A practitioner was called a judoist from the mid-20th century, and also a judoka.^[7]

Timeline

• 1889 – the martial art.^[2][5][3]
• mid-20th century – judoist, a practitioner of judo.^[7]

Meanings

Noun

1. A martial art and sport developed in Japan from jujitsu, in which opponents are thrown or held down using balance, movement and leverage: He took up judo at the age of nine.^{[10][5][2][7]}

Word family

• judoist

Related words

• judoka
• jujitsu
• budo
• aikido

References

1. ^ a b Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e f g h i Oxford English Dictionary Online (accessed March 2026), Oxford: Oxford University Press
3. ^ a b c d e Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
4. ^ a b The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language (online 2024), 5th ed., Boston: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
5. ^ a b c d e Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary (2024), online ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
6. ^ a b c d Barnhart, Robert K. (1988), The Barnhart Dictionary of Etymology
7. ^ a b c d Shorter Oxford English Dictionary on Historical Principles (2002), 5th ed., ed. William R. Trumble and Angus Stevenson, Oxford: Oxford University Press
8. ^ a b Dictionary.com Unabridged (2016), based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, New York: Random House
9. ^ a b Evans, Tom (1997), A Dictionary of Japanese Loanwords, Westport, Conn.: Greenwood Press
10. ^ Collins English Dictionary (2023), Glasgow: HarperCollins