dojo

American  

[doh-joh] / ˈdoʊ dʒoʊ /

noun

plural

dojos

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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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

Sensei Gerry Blanck has resumed karate lessons after his home and his dojo in Pacific Palisades burned.

From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 1, 2026

And the dojo where she trained three times a week.

From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 17, 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

The Whittier dojo, KnuckleHead Martial Arts, is where the KnuckleHeadz code gets practical.

From Los Angeles Times • Oct. 17, 2025

But right away, Samira explained she’d been studying karate at a different dojo for the past two years, so she really did know what to do.

From "Maybe He Just Likes You" by Barbara Dee