Q 01/05

In which island realm, now part of Japan, did karate develop?

A) Ryukyu

B) Satsuma

C) Joseon

D) Ayutthaya

Answer · why

A) Ryukyu

The islands are today's Okinawa; the art grew out of a local fighting system called te, meaning 'hand', under Chinese influence.

Q 02/05

What does the modern spelling of 'karate' literally mean?

A) Iron fist

B) Empty hand

C) Chinese hand

D) Way of the warrior

Answer · why

B) Empty hand

The older characters meant 'Tang hand', a nod to China; the homophone was adopted officially at a 1936 meeting of masters in Naha.

Q 03/05

What did the original characters for karate, changed in the 1930s, mean?

A) Empty hand

B) Hard iron fist

C) Tang or Chinese hand

D) Sacred island fist

Answer · why

C) Tang or Chinese hand

Rising Japanese nationalism and tension with China made a martial art named after a Chinese dynasty awkward, so a homophone was swapped in.

Q 04/05

What is a karate practitioner called?

A) A karateka

B) A karatedo

C) A sensei

D) A kohai

Answer · why

A) A karateka

The suffix -ka simply denotes a person who practises something, as in judoka.

Q 05/05

Which Japanese domain invaded the island kingdom in 1609 and turned it into a vassal state?

A) Chōshū

B) Tosa

C) Hizen

D) Satsuma

Answer · why

D) Satsuma

The islanders were later banned from carrying swords, which is traditionally credited with encouraging unarmed fighting methods.