dojo
Americannoun
-
dojos
plural
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
On Jan. 7, Springer planned to teach a kids’ class at Blanck’s dojo.
From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 3, 2025
And for his family, that means, in part, driving from his new home in Calabasas to Eden’s favorite place: the dojo.
From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 3, 2025
Blanck said that, right after the fire, a friend and fellow martial arts instructor near his native Pensacola, Fla., offered to let him teach in his dojo if he needed to move back home.
From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 3, 2025
One Saturday in late November, when I was working with Samira, I didn’t notice who had just entered the dojo.
From "Maybe He Just Likes You" by Barbara Dee
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
Heated rivalries between actual dojos or instructors, like the ones in the “Karate Kid” universe, are rare.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 10, 2022
To defeat Kreese, Johnny and Daniel call a truce and combine dojos.
From Salon ● Jan. 8, 2022
It’s had an indelible presence in film and television for decades, and thousands of dojos are thriving on city streets and in strip malls across the world.
From Seattle Times ● Aug. 4, 2021
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
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
