dojo
Americannoun
noun
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of dojo
1940–45; < Japanese dōjō Buddhist seminary, drill hall < MChin transliteration of Sanskrit bodhi-maṇḍa literally, seat of wisdom (equivalent to Chinese dàochǎng )
Explanation
A dojo is a place where people practice judo, karate, or another Japanese martial art. In Japanese, dōjō means "place of the Way," and the earliest dojos were areas within Buddhist temples where immersive training occurred. This included the martial art of kendo, but also meditation practice. Today Zen Buddhists are more likely to refer to a meditation hall as a zen-do. In Japan, training for many physical practices (like weightlifting and wrestling) happens in a dojo, as well as for martial arts like aikido and jujitsu.
Vocabulary lists containing dojo
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
Robert Read said his 12-year-old son, Theodore, who earned a black belt just before Christmas, is happily following Blanck to the new dojo.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 12, 2026
And the dojo where she trained three times a week.
From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 17, 2025
At the dojo on a recent Tuesday, Blanck hooped and hollered as Eden climbed a rope to the ceiling.
From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 3, 2025
With classes canceled because of public health orders, he fell behind on the $11,000 monthly rent for the dojo on Alma Real Drive, where he taught for decades.
From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 3, 2025
“Well, you’re welcome to join us, Ms. Brennan, or even just to keep observing. But in this dojo we do ask that you remove your shoes.”
From "Maybe He Just Likes You" by Barbara Dee
His wife, Linda Lee Cadwell, is a Garfield grad and one of Lee’s first dojos, Jun Fan Gung Fu Institute, was founded in Seattle and is still operational.
From Seattle Times ● Feb. 15, 2023
Speaking from his house on Long Island, only a couple of dojos from where he grew up, Ralph Macchio, who played Daniel, is sharing his theory of why the film is still so loved.
From BBC ● Nov. 24, 2022
Even successful dojos such as Azhakh’s, which prior to the pandemic had close to 1,000 students, have had their enrollment dwindle.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 10, 2022
To defeat Kreese, Johnny and Daniel call a truce and combine dojos.
From Salon ● Jan. 8, 2022
Soon they fanned out across several floors and limbered up inside spartan dojos infused with a fragrance emanating from the pinewood walls.
From New York Times ● Jul. 22, 2021
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
