道着Dōgi / 空手着Karategi / 稽古着 Keikōgi
Keikōgo (稽古着) translates to “training wear”, whereas oōgi (道着) translates to “the Way wear”. Similar to in dōjo, ‘Way’ or ‘dō’ refers to budō (武道), i.e. Japanese martial arts. Keikogi and dogi are general term for Japanese martial art uniform. Another commonly used term is karategi (空手着) which means “karate wear” referring to the karate uniform. Many English speakers tend to simply say ‘gi’. This is grammatically wrong, as the kanji ‘着’ is only pronounced as ‘–gi’ when it is used as a prefix. On its own, this kanji is pronounced ‘ki’, and is a verb meaning “to wear”. This kanji is also the first kanji in the word ‘kimono’ (着物), the traditional Japanese garment and the national dress of Japan, andliterally translates to “thing to wear”. The keikogi consists of the (i) uwagi (上着; upper wear) which is the top or jacket portion of the full set, the (ii) zubon (ズボン; borrowed from French word: jupon) which is the trousers portion of the uniform, and the (iii) obi (帯) or “belt”.
Wearing the Uniform & Tying the Belt
Folding the Uniform
