What is the difference between tori vs. dori?


In Aikido, different dojos seem to latch on to using either _dori_ or _tori_
when describing grabbing attacks. For instance one dojo might say:

Katate **Dori**

Another would say:

Katate **Tori**

Each dojo will profess that their way of saying / spelling it is the more
traditional and correct. Is there a difference between these two similar
terms, and if so which one is more correct for denoting a grab?




I know very little about Aikido and can only explain general facts about the
Japanese language.

“Tori” and “dori” in these example are the noun form of the verb _toru_ (取る;
take, grab). In isolation, this noun form is read as “tori.”

Both _Katate Tori_ and _Katate Dori_ are compound words made of _katate_ (片手;
one hand) and _tori_. However, in Japanese, the first consonant of the second
component of a compound word is often changed as k→g, s→z, t→d and h→b. This
phenomenon is called [rendaku](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rendaku) (連濁).
Note that I said “often,” not “always.” If rendaku occurs in your case, the
compound word becomes _Katate Dori_. If not, it becomes _Katate Tori_.

There are some patterns when rendaku tends to occur and when it cannot occur
as is explained in Wikipedia, but there is no absolute rule that explains
everything. In the case of _katate_ \+ _tori_ , it is certainly possible to
have rendaku here, so _Katate Dori_ is a possible form. But this does not mean
that rendaku must occur, so the form _Katate Tori_ is also possible.

Often only one form survives and the other form dies out, in which case we can
say that one form is correct and the other is incorrect in the modern
language. In some cases, the version without rendaku and the version with
rendaku both survive but mean different things. For example, both _yamakawa_
and _yamagawa_ are compound words made of _yama_ (山; mountain) and _kawa_ (川;
river), but _yamakawa_ means mountains and rivers whereas _yamagawa_ means a
river in a mountain.

But in your case, it seems that both forms are used in the same way judging
from several webpages in English I found by web search. (I checked the pages
in English because it is difficult to search this in Japanese, because when
written in Japanese, both become 片手取り, as Andrew stated in his answer.) From
this, I see no evidence that one is “more correct” than the other, whatever
“more correct” means.




I know very little about Aikido and can only explain general facts about the
Japanese language.

“Tori” and “dori” in these example are the noun form of the verb _toru_ (取る;
take, grab). In isolation, this noun form is read as “tori.”

Both _Katate Tori_ and _Katate Dori_ are compound words made of _katate_ (片手;
one hand) and _tori_. However, in Japanese, the first consonant of the second
component of a compound word is often changed as k→g, s→z, t→d and h→b. This
phenomenon is called [rendaku](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rendaku) (連濁).
Note that I said “often,” not “always.” If rendaku occurs in your case, the
compound word becomes _Katate Dori_. If not, it becomes _Katate Tori_.

There are some patterns when rendaku tends to occur and when it cannot occur
as is explained in Wikipedia, but there is no absolute rule that explains
everything. In the case of _katate_ \+ _tori_ , it is certainly possible to
have rendaku here, so _Katate Dori_ is a possible form. But this does not mean
that rendaku must occur, so the form _Katate Tori_ is also possible.

Often only one form survives and the other form dies out, in which case we can
say that one form is correct and the other is incorrect in the modern
language. In some cases, the version without rendaku and the version with
rendaku both survive but mean different things. For example, both _yamakawa_
and _yamagawa_ are compound words made of _yama_ (山; mountain) and _kawa_ (川;
river), but _yamakawa_ means mountains and rivers whereas _yamagawa_ means a
river in a mountain.

But in your case, it seems that both forms are used in the same way judging
from several webpages in English I found by web search. (I checked the pages
in English because it is difficult to search this in Japanese, because when
written in Japanese, both become 片手取り, as Andrew stated in his answer.) From
this, I see no evidence that one is “more correct” than the other, whatever
“more correct” means.

