What does "os" mean and how do you pronounce it?

Question

Students must acknowledge their instructors directions by responding "os".

What does os mean and how do you pronounce it? Is it like oh-s, or like awse.

Thanks

Answer 1

The proper pronounciation is OSU!



"Osu means patience, respect, and appreciation. In order to develop a strong body and strong spirit, it is necessary to undergo rigorous training. This is demanding and difficult because you push yourself to what you believe to be your limit and you want to stop, to give up. When you reach this point you must fight yourself and your weaknesses and you must win. To do this you must learn to persevere, but, above all, you must learn to be patient. This is Osu.



The reason you subject yourself to hard training is because you care about yourself, and to care about yourself is to respect yourself. This self-respect evolves and expands to become respect for your instructor and fellow students. When you enter the dojo, you bow and say, Osu! This means you respect your dojo and the time you spend training there. This feeling of respect is Osu.



During training you push yourself as hard as possible because you respect yourself. When you finish your practice you bow to your instructor and fellow students and say Osu! Then as you leave the dojo you stop at the door, bow and say Osu once more. You do this out of appreciation. This feeling of appreciation is Osu. "



This is defined at the link below and explains it better than I ever could have. I will add that Osu should be very meaningful to a real Karateka and if it is not then your Sensei will know. Good luck.

Answer 2

Osu, or 押忍, is one of those weird things that Americans like to use but don't really understand. It's meaning in America is quite different from it's meaning in Japan (where I've heard it best translated as "dude" - provided you are a California surfer or a Ninja Turtle). As in, you see a close friend and you say "Dude!", meaning "what up home skillet". Just like with "Dude!", you don't really use it to say hi to your boss, or a woman, or to say yes, or any number of things that people use it for here.



It's usage here is obviously different. Here it's used as a catch-all word that for some is used to say hello, to answer in the affirmative, to establish an esprit de corps, to say goodbye, or to say I have to go pee. That doesn't make it wrong - we're not Japanese so we can pretty much do what we want - they don't sell real tacos at Taco Bell after all.



To get the actual usage then, you have to watch the culture of the place that you are at. Some groups use it sparingly, others use it like powdered sugar at a doughnut factory. How you use it yourself is really based on that culture and your own feelings on the matter.

http://www.24fightingchickens.com/2005/08/29/appropriate-usage-of-osu/



How you say it depends on where you are. In America, people tend to pronounce karate wrong, and no one who isn't Japanese really cares. Anyhoo, here is how you pronounce it in Japan.

http://www.24fightingchickens.com/2008/12/28/how-to-pronounce-osu/

Answer 3

Oose! Its like a battle-cry, or can be used as a sign of understanding.



like if your sensei says "do you understand"



you say "oose"



pronounced " OO )like a cow MOO. and oose. like a noose



OO- SE

Answer 4

Mais = but Oui = yes But, yes. May wee