Sumo Vocabulary: Ranks, Techniques and Watching a Tournament

Sumo commentary sounds dense until you know about thirty words, and after that a bout lasting a few seconds becomes easy to follow and talk about.

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Two sumo wrestlers facing each other in the ring before a bout
What you need to know

Sumo Vocabulary: Ranks, Techniques and Watching a Tournament

Sumo has a compact vocabulary that fans, commentators and newspapers use constantly: the wrestlers, the ring, the tournaments, the ranking list, the calls of the referee, and the named techniques that decide each bout. Learning it makes TV coverage, match reports and conversations with fans far more accessible, and it is a satisfying way to build listening skills around something visual. This guide covers the core terms, the ranking system in general terms, common winning techniques, what happens before and during a bout, and phrases for watching in person or talking about results.

A handful of core words cover the wrestlers, ring and tournaments

The ranking list runs from maegashira up to yokozuna

Each result is described by a named winning technique, kimarite

Winning records, kachikoshi and makekoshi, drive the story of a tournament

The core words

A small set of words appears in almost every sumo conversation. Rikishi is the standard word for a sumo wrestler, and the ring is the dohyō. A tournament is a basho, and the six official tournaments each year are the honbasho.

Each tournament lasts fifteen days, and the final day has its own name, senshūraku, which you will hear often as the title race comes to an end.

JapaneseRomajiMeaning
相撲sumōSumo
力士rikishiSumo wrestler
土俵dohyōThe ring
場所bashoTournament
本場所honbashoOfficial grand tournament
千秋楽senshūrakuThe final day of a tournament
優勝yūshōChampionship, tournament win

The ranking list

Wrestlers are ranked on the banzuke, a ranking list published before each tournament. The top division is makuuchi, and inside it the ranks run from maegashira at the bottom up to yokozuna.

Wrestlers in the top two divisions are called sekitori and receive a salary and privileges, which is why reaching jūryō is a major step in a career.

JapaneseRomajiMeaning
番付banzukeRanking list
横綱yokozunaGrand champion, the top rank
大関ōzekiChampion, the second rank
関脇sekiwakeJunior champion
小結komusubiJunior champion, below sekiwake
前頭maegashiraRank-and-file top-division wrestler
十両jūryōThe second division
RankLevelIn conversation
Grand championTop of the top divisionExpected to win titles
ChampionSecond rankA contender for the title
Junior championsUpper ranks below championStrong wrestlers aiming higher
Rank-and-fileLower top divisionFighting to move up the list
Second divisionBelow the top divisionThe first salaried rank

Before and during a bout

A bout is short, but the build-up is not. Wrestlers throw salt, crouch and stare at each other in a repeated warm-up, and the actual charge happens when both are ready.

The referee, the gyōji, directs the bout and calls out to the wrestlers. The bout ends when one wrestler steps out of the ring or touches the ground with anything other than the soles of the feet.

JapaneseRomajiMeaning
行司gyōjiReferee
取組torikumiA bout, a match-up
塩をまくshio o makuTo throw salt
立ち合いtachiaiThe initial charge
はっけよいhakkeyoiThe referee's call to keep going
のこったnokottaStill in! The referee's call during a bout
物言いmonoiiA challenge to the referee's decision

How bouts are won

Every result is described by a winning technique, kimarite. There are dozens of official techniques, but a few decide a large share of bouts, and they are worth learning first.

Commentators name the technique right after the bout, so these words are some of the most useful listening practice in sumo coverage.

JapaneseRomajiMeaning
決まり手kimariteWinning technique
寄り切りyorikiriForcing the opponent out while holding the belt
押し出しoshidashiPushing the opponent out
はたき込みhatakikomiSlapping the opponent down
上手投げuwatenageOverarm throw
突き落としtsukiotoshiThrusting the opponent down
寄り切りで勝ちました。Yorikiri de kachimashita.He won by yorikiri.

Records and the tournament story

Over fifteen days, fans track each wrestler's record. Finishing with more wins than losses is kachikoshi, which usually means promotion or keeping a rank; more losses is makekoshi.

News and conversation often focus on who has secured kachikoshi, who is unbeaten, and who is leading the title race.

JapaneseRomajiMeaning
勝ち越しkachikoshiA winning record for the tournament
負け越しmakekoshiA losing record for the tournament
全勝zenshōUnbeaten, winning every bout
勝ち越しが決まりましたね。Kachikoshi ga kimarimashita ne.He's secured a winning record.
今場所は誰が優勝すると思いますか。Konbasho wa dare ga yūshō suru to omoimasu ka.Who do you think will win this tournament?

Watching in person

At the arena, seating ranges from traditional box seats on cushions near the ring to chairs further back. Box seats are shared and usually seat several people, and popular days sell out quickly, so check official ticket information early.

Lower-division bouts start in the morning, and the top division wrestles in the late afternoon, so many visitors arrive later in the day. Cheering by calling a wrestler's name is normal.

JapaneseRomajiMeaning
升席masusekiTraditional box seats
椅子席isusekiChair seats
幕内の取組は何時からですか。Makuuchi no torikumi wa nanji kara desu ka.What time do the top-division bouts start?
すごい立ち合いでしたね。Sugoi tachiai deshita ne.What a charge that was.
頑張れ！Ganbare!Come on! Go for it!
Key points

A practical way to improve

Watch a short bout, then describe it in three sentences: who won, the technique, and what it means for their record. Then tell your AI Sensei in Unihongo's immersive 3D classroom about a wrestler you like and answer its questions, and keep the new terms from the session report's vocabulary list in your flashcards.

  1. 1

    Choose one clear goal

    Focus each session on a situation or skill you can actually use.

  2. 2

    Practice actively

    Say complete answers aloud instead of only reading or recognizing Japanese.

  3. 3

    Review and repeat

    Keep useful corrections and revisit the same skill until it feels natural.

FAQ

Frequently asked questions

How many sumo tournaments are there each year?

There are six grand tournaments a year, each lasting fifteen days. Three are held in Tokyo, in January, May and September, and the others in Osaka in March, Nagoya in July and Fukuoka in November.

What is the highest rank in sumo?

Yokozuna is the highest rank. Below it come ōzeki, sekiwake and komusubi, and then the maegashira ranks, which together make up the top division, makuuchi.

What does kachikoshi mean?

Kachikoshi means finishing a tournament with more wins than losses, which for top wrestlers means at least eight wins out of fifteen. It usually leads to promotion or keeping a rank. The opposite is makekoshi.

What does the referee shout during a bout?

The gyōji calls hakkeyoi to urge the wrestlers on when they are not moving and nokotta while they are still in the ring. You will hear these constantly on broadcasts.

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