組(く)み手(て)

くみて
noun
sparring (martial arts); kumite
sports
1. sparring (martial arts); kumite
In karate and several other martial arts, paired training or competition in which two practitioners exchange techniques. Contrasted with solo 型(かた) (forms) practice.
組(く)み手(て)の練習(れんしゅう)をする。
To practice sparring.
彼(かれ)は組(く)み手(て)が得意(とくい)だ。
He is good at sparring.
空手(からて)の試合(しあい)は型(かた)と組(く)み手(て)の二(ふた)つの部門(ぶもん)に分(わ)かれている。
Karate competitions are divided into two divisions: forms and sparring.

From 組(く)む (to join, to engage) + 手(て) (hand). The image is two opponents 'joining hands' — engaging each other in technique exchange.

Common collocations

  • 組(く)み手(て)試合(じあい): a sparring match
  • 自由(じゆう)組(く)み手(て): free sparring (unscripted)
  • 約束(やくそく)組(く)み手(て): prearranged sparring (set sequence)

Usage

Most strongly associated with karate, where competition is split into 型(かた) (kata, solo forms) and 組(く)み手(て) (kumite, sparring). Also used in 柔道(じゅうどう), 合気道(あいきどう), and other arts. Both 'kata' and 'kumite' are used as loanwords in English-speaking martial arts communities.

general
Added 2026.6.6 13:04 · Revised 2026.9.2 13:02
28500/28869_kumite