The words, in one place.

AnagumaAtama-kinByoyomiCastleCheckCheckmateDanDragonDropForkFuribishaGoteHandicapHisshiHorseIbishaJishōgiJōsekiKansōsenKifuKomaKyuMinoMochigomaNifuNyūgyokuPromotionResignSennichiteSenteTesujiTokinTsume, tsumeshogiTsumeroUchifuzumeYagura

Anaguma穴熊

The “bear in its hole” castle: the king in the corner behind the lance, sealed in by a silver and two golds. The strongest castle and the slowest to build. See the Anaguma page.

Atama-kin頭金

“Gold on the head”: a gold dropped directly in front of the king, protected from behind. The most basic checkmate pattern in the game.

Byoyomi秒読み

A fixed number of seconds per move once the main time is gone, reset after every move. See time controls.

Castle囲い kakoi

A formation of generals around the king built in the opening. Not a single move as in chess. See castles.

Check王手 ōte

An attack on the king. It must be answered at once by moving the king, capturing the attacker, or blocking, which a drop may do.

Checkmate詰み tsumi

Check with no answer. It ends the game.

Dan段

The upper grades of strength, counted upward from 1 dan; amateurs reach about 6 dan, professionals are graded on their own scale. Below 1 dan come the kyu grades.

Dragon龍王 ryūō

The promoted rook: a rook that also steps one square diagonally.

Drop打つ utsu

Placing a piece from your hand onto an empty square as your move. See drops.

Fork両取り ryōtori

One move that attacks two pieces at once. A dropped piece is the usual way to make one.

Furibisha振り飛車

Ranging rook: any opening where the rook swings from its starting file to the centre or the left. The king then castles on the right, usually in a Mino.

Gote後手

The second player, marked △, drawn at the top of a diagram; “White” in English. Also a move that loses the initiative.

Handicap駒落ち komaochi

The stronger player starts without some pieces: a lance, a bishop, a rook, up to six or more pieces. The traditional way to make a game between unequal players a real game.

Hisshi必至

A threat of mate that cannot be parried by any defence; the opponent must mate you first or lose. One step stronger than a tsumero.

Horse龍馬 ryūme, uma

The promoted bishop: a bishop that also steps one square straight.

Ibisha居飛車

Static rook: the rook stays on its starting file and the king castles on the left, typically in a Yagura.

Jishōgi持将棋

Impasse: both kings have entered the enemy camp and neither can be mated. The pieces are counted; see how a game ends.

Jōseki定跡

Established opening sequences, the equivalent of chess opening theory. Written with a different last character from the go term.

Kansōsen感想戦

The joint review both players hold after a game, going back over the moves together. The app keeps the board open after every online game for it.

Kifu棋譜

A game record. KIF is the Japanese file format. See notation.

Koma駒

A piece. The stand beside the board where captured pieces wait is the komadai (駒台).

Kyu級

The grades below dan, counting down toward strength: a beginner might be 10 kyu, a club player 3 kyu, and 1 kyu is one step from 1 dan.

Mino美濃囲い

The five-move castle of the ranging rook: king on 2h, silver 3h, golds 5h and 4i. See the Mino page.

Mochigoma持ち駒

Pieces in hand: what you have captured and may drop.

Nifu二歩

Two unpromoted pawns of the same side on one file. Illegal; the most common illegal move in shogi.

Nyūgyoku入玉

A king entering the enemy camp. Hard to mate there, because pawns and lances cannot attack backwards; the prelude to a jishōgi.

Promotion成り nari

Turning a piece over in the far three ranks to its stronger face. See promotion.

Resign投了 tōryō

To concede. The traditional word is makemashita (負けました), “I have lost”.

Sennichite千日手

“A thousand days’ moves”: the same position four times with the same side to move. A draw, unless one side made it happen by perpetual check, in which case that side loses.

Sente先手

The first player, marked ▲, drawn at the bottom of a diagram; “Black” in English. Also the initiative: a move that forces a reply keeps sente.

Tesuji手筋

A standard technique: a small pattern of moves that works in many positions, such as a pawn dropped behind an enemy piece, or a silver sacrificed to open a file.

Tokinと金

The promoted pawn. Moves like a gold; if captured, the opponent gets only a pawn.

Tsume, tsumeshogi詰将棋

A checkmate problem: your pieces, the defender’s king, and every other piece in the defender’s hand; mate the king with check on every move. Also, loosely, any forced mate.

Tsumero詰めろ

A threat to mate next move. Weaker than a hisshi, because it can still be defended.

Uchifuzume打ち歩詰め

Checkmate delivered by dropping a pawn. Illegal; mate by moving a pawn is fine. See drops.

Yagura矢倉囲い

The classic castle of the static rook: king on 8h behind a silver on 7g and golds on 6g and 7h. See the Yagura page.