33 Karate Quiz Questions with Answers (Trivia)

33 karate quiz questions with answers, on terms, stances, kata, belt ranks and the history of the art. The full answer key sits at the end.

Each question gives three options and keeps the correct one behind a button, so a class can play it honestly and keep score. If you want the karate trivia questions and answers as a single list, the key under the scoring table repeats all 33 in order. Instructors can read the questions about karate out loud as a terminology check before a grading.

Round 1 of 3: Warm-up

These 10 questions are the ones most fans get right.

1. Karate developed on which island before it spread to mainland Japan?

A) Hokkaido
B) Okinawa
C) Taiwan

2. What does the word “karate” mean?

A) Iron fist
B) Empty hand
C) Powerful kick

3. What is the traditional karate uniform called?

A) Gi
B) Hakama
C) Obi

4. What does “kumite” mean in karate?

A) Forms
B) Stances
C) Sparring

5. What does “kata” mean in karate?

A) Free sparring
B) Prearranged forms performed solo
C) Breathing exercises

6. What is a karate school or training hall called?

A) Dojo
B) Gi
C) Obi

7. What is the usual title for a karate instructor?

A) Sensei
B) Sempai
C) Kohai

8. Who played Mr. Miyagi in the 1984 film The Karate Kid?

A) Pat Morita
B) George Takei
C) Mako

9. Which part of the hand is used for a karate chop, or shuto uchi?

A) The knuckles of the fist
B) The palm heel
C) The knife edge of the hand

10. What is the traditional bow made before and after karate practice called?

A) Kiai
B) Rei
C) Osu

Round 2 of 3: Getting tougher

Records, history and the finer points of the rules.

11. Who is known as the father of modern karate?

A) Gichin Funakoshi
B) Mas Oyama
C) Morihei Ueshiba

12. How many Heian kata are there in Shotokan karate?

A) 2
B) 5
C) 10

13. Which body governs karate as an international sport?

A) The World Karate Federation
B) The International Budo Council
C) The Japan Karate Association

14. Which of these is a karate punching technique?

A) Oi zuki
B) Gedan barai
C) Mae geri

15. What is the purpose of “kihon” in karate training?

A) Meditation
B) Free sparring
C) Practicing basic techniques

16. What is the karate term for a front kick?

A) Mawashi geri
B) Mae geri
C) Yoko geri

17. What kind of kick is a “mawashi geri”?

A) Roundhouse kick
B) Back kick
C) Front kick

18. What does the term “obi” refer to in karate?

A) The training hall
B) The belt worn with the gi
C) The bow before practice

19. What are the three main parts of traditional karate training?

A) Kata, kumite and kiai
B) Kihon, kata and kumite
C) Kihon, obi and dojo

20. At which Olympic Games did karate make its debut?

A) Rio 2016
B) Paris 2024
C) Tokyo 2020

21. Which two disciplines were contested in Olympic karate at Tokyo 2020?

A) Kata and board breaking
B) Kata and kumite
C) Kumite and weapons forms

22. Who founded the full contact style Kyokushin?

A) Gichin Funakoshi
B) Chojun Miyagi
C) Mas Oyama

23. What is the highest dan rank in most karate systems?

A) 5th dan
B) 12th dan
C) 10th dan

Round 3 of 3: Hard mode

The last 10, for people who really know their karate.

24. What is the name of the first black belt grade in karate?

A) Nidan
B) Sandan
C) Shodan

25. Who founded the Goju-ryu style of karate?

A) Kenwa Mabuni
B) Hironori Otsuka
C) Chojun Miyagi

26. Shotokan is named after “Shoto.” What was Shoto to Gichin Funakoshi?

A) His pen name
B) His home village
C) His first teacher

27. Before the 1930s, the “kara” in karate was usually written with a character that meant what?

A) Empty
B) China
C) Sky

28. What is “tameshiwari” in karate?

A) Meditation before training
B) A formal grading exam
C) Breaking boards, tiles or bricks

29. Which of these is a karate knee strike?

A) Mawashi geri
B) Ushiro geri
C) Hiza geri

30. Which of these is a basic karate block?

A) Gyaku zuki
B) Soto uke
C) Shuto uchi

31. Which karate stance is the long front stance, with the front knee bent and most of the weight forward?

A) Zenkutsu dachi
B) Kiba dachi
C) Neko ashi dachi

32. Which karate drill practices one attack answered by one block and counter?

A) Ippon kumite
B) Jiyu kumite
C) Sanbon kumite

33. Which term describes countering after the opponent has already attacked?

A) Sen no sen
B) Tai sabaki
C) Go no sen

Results

# of Correct Answers	Percentage Range	Label	Description
0-	0-49%	White BeltArmchair Athlete	You've got some learning to do, but don't worry, there's always the next game!
-	50-64%	Yellow BeltRookie Runner	Not bad! Keep practicing, and you'll be a sports trivia champ in no time.
-	65-79%	Green BeltMidfield Maestro	Impressive! You're getting closer to the top, keep up the good work.
-	80-94%	Blue BeltAll-Star Striker	Wow, you really know your sports trivia! You're a force to be reckoned with.
-33	95-100%	Black BeltLegendary Champion	Unbelievable! You're a true sports trivia master. Your knowledge knows no bounds!

Karate Quiz Answers: The Full Answer Key

Every question in this karate quiz with its correct answer, in the order the questions appear above. Check your score against the table, or use the list as a set of karate trivia questions and answers for a quiz night of your own.

#	Question	Answer
1	Karate developed on which island before it spread to mainland Japan?	B) Okinawa
2	What does the word "karate" mean?	B) Empty hand
3	What is the traditional karate uniform called?	A) Gi
4	What does "kumite" mean in karate?	C) Sparring
5	What does "kata" mean in karate?	B) Prearranged forms performed solo
6	What is a karate school or training hall called?	A) Dojo
7	What is the usual title for a karate instructor?	A) Sensei
8	Who played Mr. Miyagi in the 1984 film The Karate Kid?	A) Pat Morita
9	Which part of the hand is used for a karate chop, or shuto uchi?	C) The knife edge of the hand
10	What is the traditional bow made before and after karate practice called?	B) Rei
11	Who is known as the father of modern karate?	A) Gichin Funakoshi
12	How many Heian kata are there in Shotokan karate?	B) 5
13	Which body governs karate as an international sport?	A) The World Karate Federation
14	Which of these is a karate punching technique?	A) Oi zuki
15	What is the purpose of "kihon" in karate training?	C) Practicing basic techniques
16	What is the karate term for a front kick?	B) Mae geri
17	What kind of kick is a "mawashi geri"?	A) Roundhouse kick
18	What does the term "obi" refer to in karate?	B) The belt worn with the gi
19	What are the three main parts of traditional karate training?	B) Kihon, kata and kumite
20	At which Olympic Games did karate make its debut?	C) Tokyo 2020
21	Which two disciplines were contested in Olympic karate at Tokyo 2020?	B) Kata and kumite
22	Who founded the full contact style Kyokushin?	C) Mas Oyama
23	What is the highest dan rank in most karate systems?	C) 10th dan
24	What is the name of the first black belt grade in karate?	C) Shodan
25	Who founded the Goju-ryu style of karate?	C) Chojun Miyagi
26	Shotokan is named after "Shoto." What was Shoto to Gichin Funakoshi?	A) His pen name
27	Before the 1930s, the "kara" in karate was usually written with a character that meant what?	B) China
28	What is "tameshiwari" in karate?	C) Breaking boards, tiles or bricks
29	Which of these is a karate knee strike?	C) Hiza geri
30	Which of these is a basic karate block?	B) Soto uke
31	Which karate stance is the long front stance, with the front knee bent and most of the weight forward?	A) Zenkutsu dachi
32	Which karate drill practices one attack answered by one block and counter?	A) Ippon kumite
33	Which term describes countering after the opponent has already attacked?	C) Go no sen

After testing your karate knowledge, consider creating a unique dojo name with our karate dojo name generator.

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FAQ

How many questions are in this karate quiz?

There are 33 questions with three options each, and the correct answer sits behind the reveal button under every question.

Where can I find the karate trivia questions and answers together?

The answer key below the scoring table lists all 33 questions in order with the correct answer beside each one.

Are these karate questions hard?

They get harder round by round. Round 1 covers the basic words every beginner learns, round 2 moves into techniques, kata and history, and round 3 reaches grading level terms and the roots of the main styles.

Can I use this quiz in a dojo?

Yes. It works as a terminology check before a grading: read the question and the three options out loud, let students note a letter, then go through the answer key together.

What is a good score on this karate quiz?

Half or better is solid. The scoring table turns your total into a rank that runs through the belt colors from White Belt to Black Belt.

What are good questions to ask about karate?

The ones with one clear answer: what karate means, what kata and kumite are, what a dojo is, who founded the main styles. The quiz above follows that pattern.

What does the word karate mean?

Empty hand. The art is practiced without weapons, and the name reflects that. Karate-do adds the character for way or path.

What are the main styles of karate?

Shotokan, Goju-ryu, Shito-ryu and Wado-ryu are the four styles usually named as the main branches. Kyokushin is a later full contact style with a large following of its own.

Who is called the father of modern karate?

Gichin Funakoshi, who brought karate from Okinawa to mainland Japan in the 1920s and founded the tradition that became Shotokan.