Japanese with Manga

Training for a judo match with 稽古

Vocabulary Explanation: Training with 稽古

Manga panel from 俺物語!! showing example of Training for a judo match with 稽古.
俺物語!! » Volume 2 » Page 56

Members of the judo team plea for Takeo to help them in their upcoming match against a rival high school. Takeo quickly accepts their request, but Sunakawa considers how this will impact Takeo’s new relationship with Yamato.

砂川(すなかわ):
「おまえ試合(しあい)の稽古(けいこ)するんだったら　しばらく大和(やまと)さんに会えなくなっちゃうんじゃない？ １(いっ)か月(げつ)くらい？」
“When you're training for the match, won't you be unable to see Yamato for a while? For about a month.”

Here, 稽古(けいこ) is used to describe training for a judo match.

Key Points

1稽古(けいこ) = “training” (specifically for martial arts / traditional arts)
  • 稽古(けいこ) refers to disciplined, structured training in martial arts and traditional arts.
  • Unlike 練習(れんしゅう) as general practice, 稽古(けいこ) emphasizes learning from past techniques and traditional methods.
  • Pattern: 試合(しあい)の稽古(けいこ)をする “to train for a match”.
2Conditional form: ～するんだったら
  • ～んだったら is a casual conditional meaning “if you’re going to~” or “when you~”.
  • Here: 試合(しあい)の稽古(けいこ)するんだったら “if you’re going to train for the match”.
3Negative potential + contraction: 会(あ)えなくなっちゃう
  • 会(あ)えなくなっちゃう is a casual contraction of 会(あ)えなくなってしまう.
  • Pattern: [potential negative form] + なる “to become unable to~”.
  • The ちゃう (from てしまう) adds a sense of regret or unfortunate outcome.
4Seeking confirmation: じゃない？
  • じゃない？ at the end of a sentence seeks confirmation or agreement.
  • It’s casual and can be translated as “won’t you?” “don’t you think?” or “right?”
  • The speaker (Sunakawa) is prompting Takeo to consider the situation.
  • さん is an honorific suffix attached to a person’s name to show respect and social distance, roughly equivalent to “Mr.”, “Ms.”, or “Mrs.” in English, though it’s used far more broadly and doesn’t specify gender or marital status.

Vocabulary

(Match)

試合(しあい) means a match or contest in sports, martial arts, or games.

(Practice)

稽古(けいこ) means practice or training, especially in martial arts, performing arts, and other traditional disciplines. It can also mean a lesson or training session in one of those arts.

(To meet)

会(あ)う means to meet or see someone in person.

See Also

俺物語!! © its respective creators. It is used here for educational commentary.