If you’re learning Portuguese then knowing common phrases spoken in jiu-jitsu will help your training experience in Rio de Janeiro. We recommend that all visitors who train BJJ in Rio should know basic BJJ vocabulary in Portuguese as lessons are not usually taught in English.
While there will almost always be people available to help translate and clarify doubts, your overall learning experience will be much richer and enjoyable if you can speak and understand common BJJ phrases.
What follows is a list of common phrases, terms and words in Portuguese for BJJ. We’ll continually update the list as we go, so make sure to visit back to learn new words.
A note on pronunciation:
We’ve approximated the pronunciations in the final column, but don’t be perturbed if people struggle to understand you to begin with. Portuguese is a language that depends heavily on intonation and what sounds right for you might sound completely unintelligible for a native speaker. Don’t be discouraged though, try your best and people will correct you if you’re wrong. Listen carefully to how they say it and do your best to approximate what they say.
The Three Essential Phrases Everybody Needs to Know
Combate, lute and parou are the three commands used by referees in IBJJF competitions. Coaches will often use them in the gym to signal the start and end of training, so it’s essential to know what they sound like.
Combate (sounds like ‘kom-batch’) is used at the beginning of a contest and is used to start the fight. You may hear this in the gym at the start of a round of rolling.
Lute (sounds like ‘loo-tch’) is used during a match and is used to signal competitors to engage, continue to be active and avoid stalling. You will only hear this during a competition.
Parou (sounds like ‘pah-roar’) is the most important command and means to stop – this will be used during the match if the competitors go out of bounds, at moments when gis need to be readjusted, or at the end of the content should be there a submission or disqualification. Instructors may say this in the gym to end a round of training, but it is also common for them to say “tempo” (time).
IBJJF referees are not allowed to use any other commands during a match and therefore it is imperative that ALL competitors know and understand these three important words.
—
Parts of the Body
Below you’ll find the most commonly-used body parts spoken in reference to jiu-jitsu. These are the words you’ll hear during a class, and knowing the names can help when learning jiu-jitsu in Rio. We’ve included the English-Portuguese translation and a guide to pronunciation.
This post is © Train BJJ in Rio but can be licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License. Scroll to the bottom for usage terms.
Face
Eye(s)
Ear(s)
Cheek
Chin
Neck
Rosto
Olho(s)
Orelha(s)
Bochecha
Queixo
Pescoço
Hoss-toh
Oh-lyo
Oh-reh-lya
Boh-sheh-sha
Kay-show
Peh-skow-so
—
Chest
Back
Lower back
Ribs
Belly
Trunk
Peito
Costas
Lombar
Costelas
Barriga
Tronco
Pay-to
Koh-stas
Lom-bar
Kos-teh-las
Ba-hee-ga
Tron-ko
—
Elbow
Wrist
Hand
Finger
Thumb
Cotovelo
Punho
Mão
Dedo
Polegar
Ko-to-ve-lo
Poon-yo
Mao
Dee-doh
Poh-le-gar
—
Leg(s)
Knee
Groin
Thigh
Shin
Ankle
Foot
Toe(s)
Perna
Joelho
Virilha
Coxa
Canela
Tornozelo
Pé
Dedo(s) Do Pé
Pear-na
Jo-el-yo
Vee-ril-ya
Coh-sha
Ca-ne-la
Tor-no-ze-lo
Peh
Dee-do(s) Do Peh
—
Portuguese Names of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Techniques & Positions
This is a comprehensive but by no means complete list of the Portuguese words for techniques and positions found in Brazilian jiu-jitsu. Many modern positions, such as fifty-fifty or berimbolo, have no translation and are the same when spoken in either English or Portuguese.
This post is © Train BJJ in Rio but can be licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License. Scroll to the bottom for usage terms.
Closed guard
Open guard
Half guard
Spider guard
Butterfly guard
X-guard
Mount
Side control
North-south
Scarfhold
Back control
Turtle
On the knees
Standing
On top
Above
On bottom
Underneath
Guarda fechada
Guarda aberta
Meia guarda
Guarda aranha
Guarda borbolata
Guarda-X
Montada
Cem-quilos / Lateral
Meia-nove
Kesagatame
As costas
De quatro
Nos joelhos
De pé
Por cima
Acima
Por baixo
Abaixo
Gwah-da fay-shah-da
Gwah-da ah-ber-ta
May-ah gwah-da
Gwah-da ah-ra-nya
Gwah-da bor-bor-lah-ta
Gwah-da sheesh
Mon-tah-da
Ceyn kee-lows / La-te-ral
May-err noh-vee
Kesagatame
As koss-tahs
Jee kwa-tro
Nos jo-el-hyos
Jee peh
Por cee-ma
A-cee-ma
Por bai-sho
A-bai-sho
—
Sweep (noun)
Armlock
Kimura
Keylock
Triangle
Footlock (achilles)
Toehold
Kneebar
Choke
Clock choke
Loop choke
Rear naked choke
Guillotine
D’arce
Arm triangle
Neck crank
Wristlock
Throw
Double-leg
Raspagem (noun)
Chave de braço
Kimura
Americana
Triangulo
Chave de pé
Mata leão com pé
Chave de joelho
Estrangulamento
Estrangulamento de relogio
Gola rodada
Mata leão
Guilhotina
Brabão
Triangulo com mão
Cervical
Mão de vaca
Queda
Baiana
Hass-pa-jem
Shah-va jee brah-so
Kee-mura
Ah-me-ri-cana
Tree-an-goo-lo
Shah-va jee peh
Ma-ta lay-aow com peh
Shah-va jee joe-el-hyo
Ess-tran-gu-la-men-to
” ” jee heh-lo-jee-o
Goh-la hoh-dah-da
Ma-ta lay-aow
Gill-oh-chee-na
Brah-bao
Tree-an-goo-lo com mao
Cer-veh-cal
Mao jee va-kah
Kay-ee-da
Bai-ee-ah-na
==
This list of BJJ Phrases Portuguese-English is © Train BJJ in Rio but can be licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
You are free to:
Share — copy and redistribute the material in any medium or format
Adapt — remix, transform, and build upon the material
Under the following terms:
Attribution — You must give appropriate credit, provide a link to the license, and indicate if changes were made. You may do so in any reasonable manner, but not in any way that suggests the licensor endorses you or your use.
NonCommercial — You may not use the material for commercial purposes.
ShareAlike — If you remix, transform, or build upon the material, you must distribute your contributions under the same license as the original.