So you’ve learned the pieces (or you’re working on it), and now you’re watching a shogi video or playing an app… and suddenly people are saying things like “sente,” “gote,” “oute,” and “tsumi.”
Don’t worry—shogi has its own little “starter dictionary,” and once you know a handful of terms, everything starts making way more sense.
This post is a friendly guide to simple shogi-related vocabulary for English speakers: what the words mean, how to say them, and when you’ll hear them.
Quick pronunciation cheat (so you feel confident saying the words)
Japanese sounds are pretty consistent:
- a = “ah” (like father)
- i = “ee” (like see)
- u = soft “oo” (like food, but lighter)
- e = “eh” (like met)
- o = “oh” (like go)
If you see a long vowel like ō, hold it a little longer:
- shō = “shohh” (not “show” like a TV show)
1) The game basics: “What are we even looking at?”
Shōgi (しょうぎ) — “show-gee”
That’s the whole game: Japanese chess.
Ban (盤) — “bahn”
The board. You might hear:
- shōgiban = shogi board
Koma (駒) — “koh-mah”
A piece (any shogi piece).
Komadai (駒台) — “koh-mah-dai”
The little piece stand next to the board where captured pieces sit (because in shogi you can reuse them!).
Masu (マス) — “mah-soo”
A square on the board. (This is usually written in katakana, not kanji.)
2) Who’s who: first player, second player
Sente (先手) — “sen-teh”
The first player (the one who moves first).
Gote (後手) — “goh-teh”
The second player.
You’ll hear these constantly in videos and commentary, like:
- “Sente is attacking.”
- “Gote defended well.”
Helpful tip: In many diagrams, sente is at the bottom and gote is at the top, because pieces point toward the opponent.
3) Turns and moves
Te (手) — “teh”
This word is everywhere. In shogi, te often means:
- a move
- or a turn
Example:
- “Good te!” = good move.
Teban (手番) — “teh-bahn”
Whose turn it is—the side to move.
4) Capturing and the “drop” rule (the most shogi thing ever)
Toru (取る) — “toh-roo”
To take/capture a piece.
Example idea:
- “I can toru that pawn.” = “I can capture that pawn.”
Mochigoma (持ち駒) — “moh-chee-goh-mah”
Pieces you’ve captured and are holding “in hand.”
These are the pieces you’re allowed to drop back onto the board.
Utsu (打つ) — “oo-tsoo”
To drop a piece onto the board.
This is one of the biggest differences from chess:
- In shogi, when you capture a piece, it becomes yours.
- Later, you can drop it back in to help you attack or defend.
You might hear:
- “Nice drop!”
That’s “ii uchi!” sometimes (more on uchi below).
Uchi (打ち) — “oo-chee”
This is related to utsu. In shogi writing and commentary, uchi often means a drop.
So “pawn drop” might be talked about like:
- “fu-uchi” (pawn drop)
5) Promotion words
Naru (成る) — “nah-roo”
To promote.
Nari (成り) — “nah-ree”
Promotion / promoted state (you’ll hear it as a noun).
Narazu (不成) — “nah-rah-zoo”
Choosing not to promote when promotion is optional.
This pops up a lot in puzzles and game records:
- “Narazu is important here” = “Don’t promote here (yet)!”
6) Check and checkmate
Ōte / Oute (王手) — “oh-teh”
Check.
This is one of the most common shouted words in casual play.
You might hear someone say “Oute!” when they give check.
Tsumi (詰み) — “tsoo-mee”
Checkmate. The king is trapped and there’s no legal escape.
Tsumeru (詰める) — “tsoo-meh-roo”
To mate / to finish with checkmate (or to “tighten the net”).
7) Game results and “end of game” words
Tōryō / Toryo (投了) — “toh-ryoh”
Resignation.
In many shogi apps or broadcasts, you’ll see this when a player gives up.
Sennichite (千日手) — “sen-nee-chee-teh”
A repetition draw (same position repeats multiple times under the rules).
Jishōgi / Jishogi (持将棋) — “jee-shoh-gee”
An impasse-type result, when both sides’ kings are deep in enemy territory and the game is judged by points (this is more “rules-y,” but you’ll hear it sometimes).
8) Study words you’ll see in books, videos, and apps
Kifu (棋譜) — “kee-foo”
A game record (moves written down).
If someone says:
- “Let’s review the kifu,”
they mean, “Let’s go through the moves.”
Tesuji (手筋) — “teh-soo-jee”
A clever tactical technique—like a “good trick” or a smart sequence.
Jōseki / Joseki (定跡) — “joh-seh-kee”
An opening pattern people study.
Yose (寄せ) — “yoh-seh”
The endgame—the phase where you try to convert your advantage into a win.
Tsume shōgi (詰将棋) — “tsoo-meh show-gee”
Shogi checkmate puzzles. Great for training!
9) Common shorthand you’ll hear (especially in notation)
Even if you know the full piece names, people often use short forms:
- Fu = pawn
- Kaku = bishop
- Hi = rook
- Kin = gold
- Gin = silver
- Kei = knight
- Kyō = lance
- Gyoku / Ō = king
So someone might say:
- “Hi is hanging!” = “The rook is in danger.”
A mini “conversation” you might hear at a shogi club
“Sente has a nice tesuji here.”
“Yeah, and that pawn drop—fu-uchi—was strong.”
“Now it’s oute… is it tsumi?”
“Pretty close. I think gote should toryo soon.”
Translated into plain English:
- First player found a good tactic.
- A pawn drop was powerful.
- Check happened—might be checkmate.
- Second player is probably going to resign.
Quick cheat sheet (the “most useful” words)
If you only memorize a few, make it these:
- sente = first player
- gote = second player
- koma = piece
- toru = capture
- mochigoma = captured pieces you can use
- utsu / uchi = drop a piece
- naru / nari = promote
- oute = check
- tsumi = checkmate
- toryo = resign
- kifu = game record