It’s Not Akido, It’s Aikido
Akido is not the correct way to say Aikido. It is not Akido, it’s Ai-ki-do. Maybe it’s the way I say it. Maybe it’s my Australian Sydney Filipino accent, but a lot of people spell ‘Aikido’ as Akido.
I needed to write this very short article because how to say Aikido is one of the most common questions I get. What is Akido? Can you spell Akido for me?
I can only imagine the people writing Karati instead of Karate because that’s how we say karate in the English speaking world. I think it’s the same. It the pronunciation Aikido being misspelt.
It’s Aikido NOT Akido
Aki (秋) means autumn in Japanese and Do (道) means way. As much as it would sound poetic, ‘Akido’ doesn’t make sense for it will literally mean the way of the Autumn. Unless there is an ‘Aki Do’ movement or an art form or you are simply reading the book ‘By The Way of Autumn’. then Akido doesn’t make sense. It’s not really a word.
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What is Aikido? Let’s Break It Down
The word ‘Ai Ki Do’ in Japanese is made up of three characters or kanji (合氣道).
The first and most important is ‘Ai’ (合) which means to meet, to come together, fit, suit; join, ‘to harmonise’, or be one. In Japanese this also means ‘love’ and this is the truer translation of the word, as O Sensei used it.
The second kanji is ki (氣) which means literally steam or vapour but has come to mean in modern Japanese, the mind, the soul, the spirit. Ki can be translated as prana, life force, or for us in the western world ‘The Hold Spirit’.
Read this article to find out what is Aikido.