dojo

American  

[doh-joh] / ˈdoʊ dʒoʊ /

noun

dojos plural

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

---

dojo British  

/ ˈdəʊdʒəʊ /

noun

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

---

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

In the Palisades, T-shirts from Blanck’s dojo are ubiquitous.

From Los Angeles Times • May 12, 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

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

Father and son came back to the dojo as soon as classes started back up.

From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 3, 2025

Citra came to his aid, trying some Bokator moves she had learned from Scythe Yingxing—and quickly learned that applying a martial art is much different from practice in a dojo.

From "Scythe" by Neal Shusterman