The meaning of "yoi" in martial arts


This is something that has confused me for a while. I am no Japanese student,
but I do shotokan karate. We are often told to get into a "ready" stance by
the sensei using the command "yoi". Wikipedia seems to treat "yoi" as used in
the context as interchangeable with shizentai (natural stance). Most karate
sites do also translate the meaning as "ready". However, when I try to find
the appropriate kanji, the only "yoi" I find is 良, which (as far as I can
tell) means good, but has no translation equivalent to "ready" in English. Is
the command as used in karate represented by a different kanji or does this
same kanji have that meaning in some contexts?




The correct word for it is _yōi_ (用意), but perhaps you failed to perceive
vowel length and/or your sensei isn't a native speaker.

In many martial arts we start a match with:

> 用意――はじめ！ _Ready......Fight!_

Or in track race:

> 位置について――用意――ドン！ _On your mark......Get set......(bang!)_




The correct word for it is _yōi_ (用意), but perhaps you failed to perceive
vowel length and/or your sensei isn't a native speaker.

In many martial arts we start a match with:

> 用意――はじめ！ _Ready......Fight!_

Or in track race:

> 位置について――用意――ドン！ _On your mark......Get set......(bang!)_

