What is "Ryu"?

Question

I hear this word in lots of martial arts, like, "What Ryu do you learn?" What is Ryu exactly?

Answer 1

Well, now a days, If you're asking about someones "Ryu" you're literally asking them about their "style" (roughly translated) of martial arts. It's almost exclusively a Japanese term, though it's no longer as traditional.

Ryu often meant to indicate "your own style", so in Japan Karate and Karate-Ryu would indicate two different techniques. The first meaning "Karate" training and the second meaning "A Karate Style" of training. But in the modern world, with Sensies teaching their own different variations on various martial arts it's clear they the term "Ryu" would almost mean "Dojo" or "School" at this point. Even in the same state, two different Shotokan schools may have very different teaching structures - while the forms and techniques may be similar the focus on execution and at what points you learn them may be diverse.

And to answer your question, about what Ryu do I learn? I guess the best way to answer that is just to say "Karate" at the moment as it's what I'm "learning" for now.

Answer 2

Ryu often has many meanings mostly it is the "mainstream" or in this case, it is the shortened name of the full name: Ryuha meaning "mainstream school (of thought)".

it can also mean: dragon, flow, water etc..

But in Martial Arts it often describes the Japanese or Okinawan disciplines of the school such as Goju Ryu (the 'hard-soft' style, which indicates both characteristic techniques and thematic elements that form a 'signature' of the style) or Koga Ryu (a type of Ninjitusu school), the word is often merged with the name and often confused with the name of the Dojo of the discipline.

in the case of the Japanese and Okinawan disciplines of Martial Arts, it often denotes the "style" of the school.

Answer 3

A "ryu" in the literal sense was a clan or family in Japan and Okinawa. As martial arts developed and evolved in those areas the practitioners associated with some of the particular groups would would use the word in their name.

Answer 4

Ryu refers to a school of training

Answer 5

Ryu refers to the specific style or teachings.

Answer 6

"Ryu" is a japanese "kango" (originally chinese) term, that
is used commonly in martial arts to describe a school or style.

The same character is also used for teaching and
school of thought individually in academic respects.
It can also be used in aesthetic schools like that of the
Ikebana (flower arrangement). Homophonetic to this
character would be the "Ryu" that represents dragon,
this is also known as "tatsu" in wago (original japanese).

Answer 7

Ryu=School. Japanese equivelent to the Korean Kwan.

Answer 8

"Ryu" refers to particular styles of traditional mainland japanese martial arts, such as Shorin-Ryu.

Answer 9

Woman

Answer 10

"ryu' translates into "style" Uechi-Ryu = Uechi-Style. Easy as that.