Glossary
Terms you'll keep running into
Shogi commentary and conversation stay in Japanese even in English-language communities. These are the terms worth knowing on sight.
People & pieces
| Term | Romaji | Meaning | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 将棋 | shōgi | Shogi, "the general's game" | |
| 先手 | sente | The first player (moves first) | |
| 後手 | gote | The second player | |
| 駒 | koma | A piece | |
| 盤 | ban | The board | |
| 持ち駒 | mochigoma | Captured pieces held "in hand", ready to drop |
During a game
| Term | Romaji | Meaning | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 手 | te | A move | |
| 打つ | utsu | To drop a piece from hand onto the board | |
| 成る | naru | To promote a piece | |
| 王手 | ōte | Check | |
| 詰み | tsumi | Checkmate | |
| 千日手 | sennichite | A draw by repeated position | |
| 持将棋 | jishōgi | A draw by impasse | Both kings reach the far side and neither can be checkmated. |
Strategy
| Term | Romaji | Meaning | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 囲い | kakoi | A castle | A defensive formation built around the king. |
| 居飛車 | ibisha | "Static Rook" — keeping the rook on its home file | |
| 振り飛車 | furibisha | "Rook Swinging" — moving the rook to another file | |
| 手筋 | tesuji | A well-known tactical technique | |
| 詰将棋 | tsumeshōgi | Checkmate puzzles, solved for practice |
At the board
| Term | Romaji | Meaning | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| お願いします | onegaishimasu | "Please [play with me]" — said before a game starts | |
| 負けました | makemashita | "I have lost" — how a player resigns | |
| 道場 | dōjō | A hall for study and play | |
| 級 | kyū | A rank below dan level (counts down toward 1) | |
| 段 | dan | A rank above kyū level (counts up from 1) |
Finally, some pointers for taking this further — apps, books, and places to actually play. Continue to Keep Learning.