Speakur

Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

karate

/kəˈɹɑ.ti/

Word Rarity Rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 3.55 in modern English

Syllables
karate
IPA
/kəˈɹɑ.ti/
10
Scrabble Score
6
Letters
3
Syllables
5
Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

An Okinawan martial art involving primarily punching and kicking, but additionally, advanced throws, arm bars, grappling and all means of fighting.

Uncountable

verb

To attack (somebody or something) with karate or similar techniques.

Informal; Transitive verb

Example Sentences

Etymology

Borrowed from Japanese 空(から)手(て) (karate), from 唐(から)手(て) (karate), an orthographic borrowing from Okinawan 唐手(とーでぃー) (tōdī, “Chinese hand”).

Regional Pronunciation

  • American English: /kəˈɹɑ.ti/
  • British English: /kəˈɹɑː.ti/

Usage

Inflected Forms

karates (present, singular) karateing (participle, present) karated (participle, past) karated (past)

Derived Forms

karateist karatelike karateman karatist

Phrases

karate chop

Frequently Paired Words

karateka

Rhymes With

potty scotty maserati scottie spotty marathi lottie bugatti gotti dottie knotty kiribati

Questions

How do you pronounce karate?
The recorded pronunciation is /kəˈɹɑ.ti/.
What does karate mean?
An Okinawan martial art involving primarily punching and kicking, but additionally, advanced throws, arm bars, grappling and all means of fighting.
Where does karate come from?
Borrowed from Japanese 空(から)手(て) (karate), from 唐(から)手(て) (karate), an orthographic borrowing from Okinawan 唐手(とーでぃー) (tōdī, “Chinese hand”).

How to pronounce karate

  1. Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “karate”.
  2. Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling (/kəˈɹɑ.ti/) so you know which sounds to aim for.
  3. Play the audio — Click Play to hear reference audio for “karate”.
  4. Repeat and practice — Say “karate” aloud, matching stress and vowels until it feels natural.