Jargon

See also: Notation

Jargon refers to terms of art relating to Tekken.

a

air combo n.

See Juggle.

active frame n.

The frame where a move can hit the opponent. See also Frame#Moves.

ak n.

Short for Armor King.

ali kick n.

A name for King's d+3+4.

ancient power n.

A name for Devil Jin's b+1+3_b+2+4, named after a similar move Ogre has in previous games.

attack n.

A move that has active frames.

b

bad breath n.

A name for Nina's db,d,df,f,uf,db+2+3, Yoshimitsu's db+1+2,1_2, and Armor King's R.f,n,d,df+1+2.

ballerina spin n.

A visual hitstun for some moves that give large frame advantage and wall splat (without knockdown outside of wall).

bazooka kick n.

A name for Lee's d,DB+4.

bdc n.

Short for backdash cancel.

bigs n.

(Should generally be avoided. See body size.) Characters with large hitboxes that aren't Kuma: typically Gigas, Jack-7, and Marduk; might include Fahkumram.

bk n.

Short for Blazing Kick, Lee's d,DB+4.

block stun n.

The time after blocking a move where the defender can't act.

bo prep.

Best of. Indicates the number of matches in the set. For example, bo3 means “best of 3”. See also § ft.

The set usually ends early if there's a decisive winner before every match is played, e.g. if a player wins the first 2 matches in a bo3, the third is usually skipped.

Mostly the same as “ft” (i.e. “first to”) but focusing on a different number: a ft2 is a bo3, a ft3 is a bo5, etc. However, with “best of” a set with an even number of matches can also be represented (which might be used in e.g. a round robin format), and the way draws are handled in both cases is unclear for different reasons: two draws and a win is clearly decisive in a bo3, but not in a ft2; and a win and a draw might be considered decisive in a ft2 but never a bo3.

bow and arrow n.

A name for Julia's FC.df+4,3.

bracket n.

The thing that says who plays against whom in each round of a tournament as per its format, usually double elimination.

break n. & v.

—n. Short for throw break. May also refer to chickening a reversal.

—v. To perform a throw break or chicken a reversal.

c

cabinet n.

A name for an arcade machine.

cali roll n.

Short for California Roll, Xiaoyu's BT.f+3+4, and a name for Lucky Chloe's BT.f+3+4.

cancans n.

A name for Asuka's, Devil Jin's, and Jin's d+3+4. Might also refer to other fast low high launchers, including strings such as Hwoarang's d+4,4 and Zafina's d+4,3.

capo n.

Short for Capoeira, the fighting style used by Eddy. Might also refer to Lucky Chloe.

canned adj.

Coming out of a string, or in an obvious sequence such as after a stance transition. Often derogatory, e.g. “canned mixups” referring to easy to enforce threats where the only counter play is guessing.

cc n. & v.

Short for crouch cancel.

cd n. & v.

Short for crouch dash.

ch n. & v. & adj.

Short for counter hit.

—n. A situation that occurs when an attack hits an opponent during the startup or active frames of their own attack. Also occurs if an attack hits during the active frames (but not startup) of a throw. Does not occur if the player being hit is also in powercrush.

The frame data or properties of a move when the above occurs.

—v. To get a counter hit with an attack.

—adj. Only occurs on counter hit. “That's a ch launcher.”

chainsaws n.

Alisa's Destructive Stance and moves done from it.

cheese n. & v.

—n. Moves or tactics that are much easier to use than they are to defend against.

—v. To use the above moves or tactics.

chicken v.

To break a reversal by pressing either f+1+3 for a caught left limb or f+2+3 for a caught right limb.

clef cannon n. (also g-clef cannon)

Originally Michelle's 1,1,1 string from T1, it is now used colloquially to refer to any i10 3-hit string that will combo on counter hit from the 1st hit and knock the opponent down.

connect v.

To have a move either hit or be blocked by an opponent, i.e. not to whiff a move.

Sometimes also used to say that a move didn't get blocked, i.e. it hit—confusing everybody.

crouch n. & v.

—n. A family of stances (full crouch and half crouch) that give access to new moves.

The state of crushing highs.

—v. To enter the above stances or state.

crush n. & v.

—n. A state in which certain attacks are guaranteed to be avoided or absorbed.

—v. To avoid or absorb an attack with such a state.

d

deathmatch n.

A long set of matches between two players, often until one player can no longer continue playing, or until either player is promoted or demoted.

demoman n.

Short for Demolition Man, Paul's d+4,2:1+2.

debug n.

Short for Debugger, Jack-7's b,db,d,df+1.

dempsey roll n.

A name for Steve's R.PAB.df+3+4,F and its followups.

dewgf n.

Short for dashed electric wind god fist, f,F,n,d,df#2 with Devil Jin, Heihachi, or Kazuya.

dewhf n.

Short for dashed electric wind hook first, f,F,n,d,df#2 with Jin.

dick jab n.

Slang for crouch jab.

dj n.

Short for Devil Jin.

drag n.

Short for Dragunov.

duck v.

To enter crouch.

e

eat v.

To get hit by a move.

elbow n.

An attack that can't be parried by most parries. Usually animated to look like it uses an elbow.

electric n.

See EWGF and EWHF.

ender n.

A move suitable for ending a juggle, often used after a screw.

ewgf n.

Short for Electric Wind God Fist.

ewhf n.

Short for Electric Wind Hook Fist.

f

fahk n.

Short for Fahkumram.

fake n.

A threat which when properly understood is easily beaten. Mostly synonymous with cheese.

flash n.

Short for Sword Flash, Yoshimitsu's 1+4.

float v.

To hit an opponent out the air or off the ground. Can often be converted into a juggle.

flowchart n. & v.

—n. A planned sequence of moves, usually derogatory.

—v. To do the above.

frame n.

The game's understanding of time, with 60 of them occurring every second of real time.

frame trap n. & v.

—n. A move which can't be interrupted given the frame advantage, e.g. an i13 attack at +4 (where the opponent's fastest attack is i10).

—v. To use a frame trap.

ft prep.

First to. Indicates how many match wins a player needs to win the set. For example, ft2 means “first to 2”. See also § bo.

g

g-clef cannon n. (also clef cannon)

See clef cannon.

getup kick n.

See § wake-up kick.

giant swing n.

The name of Armor King and King's f,hcf+1, a throw which looks like a 1+2 break but is actually a 1 break.

h

haha step n.

A technique primarily Lei can do to move backwards quickly, utilizing b+3+4 BT transition.

harakiri n.

A name for the various moves Yoshimitsu can do where he stabs himself.

hayashida step n.

A technique Nina can do.

hei n.

Short for Heihachi.

hellsweep n.

A name for Devil Jin, Heihachi, and Kazuya's f,n,d,df+4. Often used to refer to other unreactable, high risk/reward low.

hitbox n.

The area of an attack that can hit the opponent during its active frames. For the most part, this matches the visual area occupied by the striking end of the limb doing the attack (e.g. the fist in a punch).

hit confirm n. & v.

—v. To confirm that an attack in a string hit before finishing the string for a combo.

—n. (Should be avoided. Better to be precise about how many frames the input can be delayed and still combo.) A string suitable for hit confirming.

hurtbox n.

The area where a character can be hit by an attack. For the most part, this matches the visual area occupied by the character's body.

hwo n.

Short for Hwoarang.

i

instant screw n.

A move that screws a grounded opponent. Usually guarantees a juggle afterwards, but the juggle can't make use of a screw since it's already been consumed. If the move hits a back turned opponent, it usually does a regular knockdown instead. Example: Kuma's b,f+2.

instant spin n.

See instant screw.

iwr n.

Short for instant while running.

iws n.

Short for instant while standing.

j

jackhammer n.

A name for Jack-7's f,F+1.

jail n.

A string which when the first attack is blocked forces the next attack to also be blocked.

jfsr n.

Short for Just Frame Sky Rocket, a name for Hwoarang's f,n,df#4

js n.

Short for jumping state, a state where the player will crush lows and be floated when hit.

juggle v.

To combo an opponent that's in the air.

junkyard n.

A name for Law's b+2,3, a mid low string that leads to a canned mixup. A notorious noob killer because the mixup is strong, but the second hit can be low parried and the mixup is reactable.

just frame n.

(Should be avoided. Better to be precise about the inputs required, using Template:FrameTable if necessary.) A move or technique that requires precise timing. Some insist that a just frame must be a 1 frame link, but very few things in Tekken are that. Can also refer to moves such as EWGF, which doesn't require any specific timing between inputs but requires precise timing of a single pair of directional and attack inputs.

k

kat n.

Short for Katarina

kaz n.

Short for Kazuya

kbd n.

Short for korean backdash, a name for backdash cancel.

knd or knockdown n.

(Should be avoided. Write the correct four-letter orientation with preferrably the frame advantage.) Any situation where the player falls to the ground in any orientation. Usually not convertable into a juggle.

(Should be avoided. Write the correct four-letter orientation with preferrably the frame advantage.) A move that doesn't launch, but knocks the opponent down.

(Should be avoided. Write FUFT instead.) Grounded position where the player is face-up and feet-towards the opponent.

Lei's grounded stance from the FUFT position. See Lei grounded stances.

knee n.

An attack that can't be parried by most parries. Usually animated to look like it uses a knee.

kuni n.

Short for Kunimitsu.

l

laser scraper n.

A name for Devil Jin's b,f+2,1.

launch v.

To hit the opponent into the air.

launcher n.

A move capable of launching the opponent.

low parry n. & v.

—n. A generic move that parries low attacks and sends the opponent airborne, done by pressing DF.

—v. To do the above move.

m

m4 n.

Short for magic four.

mash v.

To attack recklessly.

What your opponent accuses you of doing when they get hit by the third hopkick in a row.

match n.

A series of rounds, usually going until a player wins 3 rounds. The hierarchy goes round → match → set.

matterhorn n.

The name of Lili's d+3+4, a massively evasive mid launcher.

maven n.

Short for Master Raven.

md n. & v.

Short for micro dash.

A shorter version of a normal dash used in specific combos.

mirror n.

A match where both players use the same character.

mixup n.

A combination of moves which can't all be defended against with a single option, forcing the defender to guess. The simplest example is a low combined with a mid: the low beats standing guard, and the mid beats crouching guard.

n

nc n.

Short for natural combo.

(Should be avoided in movelists as per Movelist § Notes). A string that can't be blocked when the first move in the string hits.

ncc n.

Short for natural combo on counter hit.

(Should be avoided in movelists as per Movelist § Notes). A string that can't be blocked when the first move in the string counter hits.

o

okizeme n.

Pressure on a grounded opponent.

open n.

Without walls, e.g. “in the open”.

option select n.

Something that beats all or many of an opponent's options.

otgf, omen n.

Short for Omen Thunder God Fist.

p

p1 n.

Short for Player 1. See also P2.

The side a player is on. P1 is the left side, and P2 is the right side. Online allows both players to play on the same side with each player's camera mirrored.

This affects gameplay in two ways. The first is that some players are more comfortable doing motion inputs on one side more than the other. The second is that from crouch it's only possible to sidestep into the background. This is most notable after generic d+4 on hit, which is -2 and recovers crouching. If the opponent's mid check only tracks right, then it can't be stepped if you're on P1, but it can if you're on P2. Vice versa for any move that only tracks left.

p2 n.

Short for Player 2. See also P1.

punish v.

To hit an opponent while they're still recovering from their attack.

punisher n.

A move that's useful for punishing an opponent.

pretzel n.

The motion input for Geese's Raging Storm, db,hcb,df.

r

ra n.

Short for Rage Art.

rave spin n.

The name of Lei's db+4,4.

rd n.

Short for Rage Drive.

rdc n.

Rolling Death Cradle, one of King's chain grabs.

reversal n.

A parry that can be chickened.

(Rarely used in Tekken, but common in other fighting games.) A move with early frames in some state (invincibility, parry, powercrush, crush, evasion) that make it effective for challenging the opponent's frame advantage. “Their earliest reversal in the stance is a low crush, and they are minus enough in this situation that the low crush won't work, thus you can use any type of move to put them out of stance safely.”

round n.

The smallest unit of a format, played until one player dies or time runs out. The hierarchy goes round → match → set.

rush step n.

Lei's f~n, a movement stance that gives access to Razor Rush (punch string) and Wolf Rush (kick string).

s

s1, s2, s3, s4, etc. n.

The “s” is short for season. Refers to the broadly yearly patches that make major changes to the game.

sabaki n.

Any move that will auto-parry punches during its startup.

set n.

A series of matches. The hierarchy goes round → match → set. In a tournament context, the number of matches played is decided by its format. See also § bo and § ft. In a casual context, a set is as long as the players want it to be.

slack kick n. (also slicer)

Originally a move used by Bruce (since T2) and Bryan (since T3), it is now used as a colloquial term to refer to WR moves that grant you plus frames on block and send your opponent rolling back on hit/counter hit.

slicer n. (also slash kick)

See slash kick.

slide n.

Slide is a long-range Low attack that sends your character sliding across the ground feet-first at the opponent. Only available from Full Crouch and is a move shared by Law, Lee, and Shaheen. The input is FC.df,d,df+3.

snake dash n. & v.

—n. A technique for doing multiple crouch dashes in a row by cancelling the previous one with a sidestep.

—v. To do the above technique.

stagger n.

A move that when blocked changes its recovery (to something that looks like a stagger) and prevents any string extensions from being done. Usually over -23 on block and so punishable by a delayed hopkick.

sticky n.

Pressure that's difficult to escape with backdashes.

t

t7, tk7 n.

Short for Tekken 7.

ttt2, tag2 n.

Short for Tekken Tag Tournament 2.

tombstone n.

A throw shared by Jack-7, King, and Armor King that looks like the wrestling move. Jack's does less damage and has a different break.

turn n.

The situation where the frame advantage is significant enough that attacking for the player at the disadvantage is inadvisable, and thus it is the other player’s “turn”. This occurs when almost any safe move is blocked, so the game often plays out with a back and forth flow of each player taking a turn to attack. However, it should be understood that a turn can be challenged or stolen, even at -9, if the advantaged player is doing slow enough moves, and that it’s not a binary thing—every extra frame of advantage can end up making the difference between winning or losing an exchange.

u

unsafe n.

A move that can be punished on block (and very rarely on hit). For the most part, this is any move that is -10 or worse, since most opponent's fastest attack is i10. However, such a move can be safe if it has a lot of pushback and the opponent has no moves that are fast enough and can reach. Conversely, a move that is normally safe at -6 can be unsafe against Yoshimitsu if flash has enough range (although it's more typical for a -8 move to be punished by NSS flash, since that has more range), and a -8 move can be unsafe against Xiaoyu if b+1 has enough range.

unga n.

Also “unga bunga” and other simian sounds. Mostly pejorative term for a play style based on high risk aggression, disrespecting frames, and/or hard reads.

w

wake-up kick n.

A kick done from a grounded position, primarily those done by pressing 3 or 4.

y

yoshi n.

Short for Yoshimitsu.

Uncategorized

<Char>cord n.

A Discord server dedicated to the character, e.g. Leicord for the Lei Discord.