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
In the Palisades, T-shirts from Blanck’s dojo are ubiquitous.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 12, 2026
Sensei Gerry Blanck has resumed karate lessons after his home and his dojo in Pacific Palisades burned.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 1, 2026
“If I would have just lost my dojo, it wouldn’t have been so bad,” he said.
From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 3, 2025
His father had taken him one Saturday to the community center hall, where a dojo had been established in a corner of the gym.
From "Snow Falling on Cedars: A Novel" by David Guterson
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
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