dojo

American  

[doh-joh] / ˈdoʊ dʒoʊ /

noun

dojos plural

1. a school or practice hall where karate, judo, or other martial arts are taught.

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dojo British  

/ ˈdəʊdʒəʊ /

noun

1. a room or hall for the practice of martial arts

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Other Word Forms

Inflected Forms

noun

• dojos
  plural

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.

Example Sentences

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

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

Like so many of his students, Blanck and his daughter, who manages the dojo, lost their home.

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

He walked into a dojo in Oklahoma City run by an old Korean man named Master Moon.

From "Everything Sad Is Untrue" by Daniel Nayeri