So, the conclusion drawn by Mizutani was that “Osu!” is a very rough masculine expression used mainly by young men toward other men, most often while engaged in athletic activities, and that it basically means “Hey ya!” in English.īut, is Dr. Mizutani found that most of the joggers responded with shorter and shorter forms of the greeting, like “Ohayossu!”, “Ohayoosu!”, “Oossu!”, or simply… Joggers, for instance, involved in an athletic activity, responded with considerably rougher language than people who were just out for a stroll or walking their dog.Īs a matter of fact, Dr. Mizutani noticed that greetings changed as situations changed. Mizutani greeted unknown people on the streets of Nagoya with the expression “Ohayo gozaimasu!” (the most polite Japanese equivalent of “Good morning!”) and noted the different responses.Īlthough most subjects replied in a similar manner ( “Ohayo gozaimasu!”), during the course of the experiment Dr. Mizutani, a linguistics professor at the University of Nagoya and frequently quoted in The Japan Times as a “language expert”, talks in his work about a fascinating experiment he once conducted with a group of random people in order to observe the various ways in which subjects would return a simple morning greeting. Let’s move on… #2: The ‘Good Morning’ Theory In other words, since Kyokushin Karate requires extreme amounts of physical conditioning and guts – this theory says that you are verbally reminding yourself to breach your comfort zone by putting your physical/mental limits to the test every time you say “Osu!”.īut, is ‘The Kyokushin Theory’ the main reason for today’s ubiquitous usage of “Osu!”? Put together, these two kanji form a new compound word, which can symbolize a lot of stuff, depending on who interprets it: “combat spirit”, “the importance of effort” “the necessity to overcome all obstacles by pushing them aside”, “advancing with a steady positive attitude”, “not showing suffering” and “the spirit of perseverance” are some of the commonly cited meanings of this “Osu!” version. In this particular case, “Osu!” is a combination of two different kanji (Sino-Japanese characters), namely the verb ‘ osu’ which means “to push”, and ‘ shinobu’ which means “to endure/suffer” or “to hide”. You see, in Kyokushin it’s common wisdom that the term “Osu!” stems from a longer phrase known as “Osu no Seishin”.
The first theory comes from Japanese full-contact Kyokushin Karate. Let me now present three of the most prevailing theories on the origins of “Osu!”. That being said, several theories exist on its true meaning and origins.
It has militaristic, group-think mentality undertones.įunnily enough, many Japanese people don’t even know themselves where the expression comes from. I know because I used to live and train there.The term did not originate in the birthplace of Karate (Okinawa).This fact, combined with the fact that “Osu!” is non-existent in traditional Karate dojos of Okinawa ( read more about that here), tells us two things:
Most importantly what’s the #1 time when you should NEVER use it?Ĭheck it out: The History & Origins of “Osu!”Īccording to history books, the expression “Osu!” first appeared in the Officers Academy of the Imperial Japanese Navy, in the early 20 th century.Why do some people use it for everything?.Jokes aside, let’s get serious: What exactly does this magical “Osu!” even mean? If you think “Osu!” is an all-purpose secret word that you can use with your dojo buddies while on the phone, at the mall, when doing dishes or walking your dog – you’re not only using it horribly wrong, but also promoting the kind of group-think mentality that got today’s music culture to the dreadful stage it’s at today. It is the ultimate utility word for many martial artists! In a lot of Karate schools, and even some BJJ / MMA gyms, the term “Osu!” seems to mean everything and anything – including: “hi”, “hello”, “goodbye”, “okay”, “thanks”, “excuse me”, “hey there”, “come here”, “go there”, “ what’s up”, “look at me”, “do it this way”, “that way”, “do you understand?”, “I understand” and “train harder”. I’m talking about “Osu!” (pronounced “Oss!”) Well, for many martial artists there is such a word!
If there was a magical word that could be used for nearly anything.
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