Notation

Notation applied to the default mapping for DualShock 4 on P1. On P2, the d-pad inputs are flipped.

For terms of art relating to Tekken, see Jargon

Notation is used throughout both this wiki and the wider Tekken community as shorthand for game input, combos, move properties, and more. This page acts as both a style guide for Wavu Wiki contributors and as a reference to help readers figure out what this notation means. Most things listed here are used elsewhere, but it's not a guarantee that any off-wiki resource is written to this convention.

Summary

1

Left Punch

2

Right Punch

3

Left kick

4

Right kick

u

Up

d

Down

f

Forward

b

Backward

uf

Up and forward

df

Down and forward

ub

Up and backward

db

Down and backward

n

Neutral

U

Up (Hold)

D

Down (Hold)

F

Forward (Hold)

B

Backward (Hold)

UF

Up and forward (Hold)

DF

Down and forward (Hold)

UB

Up and backward (Hold)

DB

Down and backward (Hold)

+

Pressed together

#

Pressed together, on the same frame

,

Followed by

~

Followed by, immediately

:

Followed by, tight input window

<

>

Followed by, with delayed input

*

Held input

_

or

cc

u~n (crouch cancel)

ss

u~n_d~n (sidestep)

dash

f,f

qcf

d,df,f (quarter-circle forward)

dd/ff

qcb

d,db,b (quarter-circle backward)

dd/bb

hcf

b,db,d,df,f (half-circle forward)

bd/bdd/ff

hcb

f,df,d,db,b (half-circle backward)

fd/fdd/bb

dp

f,d,df (Dragon punch)

fdd/f

iws

Instant while standing

iwr

Instant while running

.

From stance

~

From stance transition

H

During Heat

R

Rage

P

Successful parry

J

Jumping

WR

While running (entered by f,f,f)

WS

While standing

FC

Full crouch

hFC

Half crouch

BT

Back turned

SS

Sidestep

SSL

Sidestep left

SSR

Sidestep right

SW

Sidewalk

SWL

Sidewalk left

SWR

Sidewalk right

FUFT

Face up, feet towards

FUFA

Face up, feet away

FDFT

Face down, feet towards

FDFA

Face down, feet away

CD

Crouch dash

OTG

Grounded opponent (“on the ground”)

i

Active frames (“impact frame”)

r

Recovery

+

-

Frame advantage

~

Frame range, inclusive

a

Opponent floats during recovery and recovers grounded ("airborne")

b

Opponent recovers back turned

c

Opponent recovers crouching

d

Opponent is grounded during recovery and recovers grounded ("downed")

g

Opponent can guard during recovery

s

Opponent floats during recovery and recovers standing ("stagger")

w

Frame advantage from wall crush, with opponent recovering in crouch

h

High

m

Mid

l

Low

sm

Special mid

sl

Special low

a

Aerial

H

High (hits grounded)

M

Mid (hits grounded)

L

Low (hits grounded)

SM

Special mid (hits grounded)

SL

Special low (hits grounded)

!

Unblockable (modifier)

t

Throw

pc

Powercrush

ps

Parry state

js

Jumping state, i.e. low crush

cs

Crouching state, i.e. high crush

fs

Floating state, i.e. can be juggled

is

Intangible state

gs

Grounded state

S!

Screw (or Tailspin)

T!

Tornado

W!

Wall splat

Wall bounce

WB!

Wall break

WBl!

Wall Blast

WBo!

Wall Bound

F!

FB!

Floor break

FBl!

Floor Blast

BB!

Balcony break

CH

Counter hit

CL

Clean hit

(?)

Whiffed or blocked moves

(x?)

Repeat string ? times

[?; ?]

Damage dealt; recoverable damage

Examples

1+2

Left punch and right punch, pressed together.

1,2

Left punch, followed by right punch.

df+1

Down forward and left punch, pressed together.

f,n,d,df#2

Forward, then neutral, then down. Then down forward and 2 pressed on the same frame.

FUFT.3+4

3+4 when grounded in face up, feet towards position.

f+3,F FLY.2

f+3,F~2

f+3,F (which transitions to FLY) followed by FLY.2.

CH 2,2,3

2,2,3 where the first hit is a counter hit

CH (1,2),4

1,2,4 where the last hit is a counter hit

i10

Active on frame 10.

i16~18

Active on frames 16 to 18.

js9

Jumping state from frame 9.

ps2~10

Parry state on frames 2 to 10.

r24 ZEN

24 frames of recovery, transitioning to ZEN.

,i15~17

Active on frames 15 to 17, where the count is from the start of this move, not the start of the whole string.

,cs1~

Crouching state from frame 1, where the count is from the start of this move, not the start of the whole string.

+7

Attacker recovers 7 frames earlier than defender.

-2c

Attacker recovers 2 frames later than defender, with defender forced into crouch.

h,m

High, followed by mid.

a,t

Aerial hit, followed by throw.

m!,m!

Unblockable mid with two hits.

L,l,L

Three lows, where the first and third ones hit grounded.

b+2,f~n(x3) ws2,4

b+2,f~n repeated 3 times, then ws2,4.

[50] 3,2 1+4

3,2 then 1+4, dealing 50 damage in total.

f+2,1 W! f+4,3 d+3

f+2,1 which wall splats, then f+4,3 d+3.

1,(2),4 S!

1,2,4 where the second hit whiffs, and where the last hit causes a screw.

CH (1,2),4 <d+2

1,2,4 where the last hit is a counter hit, followed by a delayed d+2.

Style

Spaces

Spaces should not be used within a single move or string's notation. In particular, do not put spaces after commas or dots. This is so that readers can better gauge the flow of a combo at a glance by the spaces.

Without this convention, it'd be necessary to have some “next move in sequence” symbol for readability, which would be super noisy.

Stances

Stances in this context are anything that gives access to new moves. While things like Rage, Meter, Starburst, or a successful parry might not be considered stances, they are notated as if they were. Strings that loop (e.g. Ganryu's d+2,2,2...) can also be notated in this way.

The dot is optional for moves with no directional input. Without the dot, the stance is written in lowercase, e.g. “ws2” instead of “WS.2”, but never "WS2". Don't write e.g. “wsb+1” or “WSb+1”, only “WS.b+1”.

Stances don't have to be abbreviated. If they aren't, the stance is written out in brackets, e.g. one can write “b+1+2,(Successful parry).4” to be more explicit than “b+1+2,P.4”. This is preferred for uncommon stances that most readers won't know any abbreviation for.

For short movement stances without any transitions, it's preferable to write the full input, e.g. f~n,1,2,1,2 is preferable to “(Rush Step).1,2,1,2”; but “CD.df+4,2” can be preferable to “f,n,d,df+4,2”.

Character-specific stances

Character	Abbreviation	Meaning	Input
Akuma	EX	Requires and consumes 1 bar of meter	(resource)
Akuma	Super	Requires and consumes 2 bars of meter	(resource)
Alisa	CLK	Clockwork	ws3
Alisa	DES	Destructive Form	d+1+2
Alisa	DBT	Dual Boot	DES.f+3+4
Alisa	SBT	Boot	f+3+4
Anna	CJM	Chaos Judgment	b+3
Armor King	SHS	Shadow Step	d+1+4
Bob	BAL	Spinner Ball	f+3+4
Claudio	STB	Requires and consumes Starburst	(resource)
Devil Jin	FLY	Fly Stance	3+4
Eddy	HSP	Handstand	f+1+2
Eddy	RLX	Negativa	d+3+4
Eliza	EX	Requires and consumes 1 bar of meter	(resource)
Eliza	Super	Requires and consumes 2 bars of meter	(resource)
Eliza	MG	Moon Glide	f+4
Feng	STC	Shifting Clouds	f+3+4
Feng	KNP	Kenpo	b+3+4
Ganryu	TCH	Tachi Stance	3+4
Ganryu	SIT	SIT	d+3+4
Geese	EX	Requires and consumes 1 bar of meter	(resource)
Geese	Super	Requires and consumes 2 bars of meter	(resource)
Geese	MAX	MAX Mode	EX.1+2+3
Gigas	GOL	Goliath	f+3+4
Gigas	SG	Golem Set Up	db+3+4
Heihachi	Rai	Raijin Stance	f+3+4
Hwoarang	LFF	Left Foot Forward	default stance
Hwoarang	LFS	Left Flamingo Stance	f+3
Hwoarang	RFS	Right Flamingo Stance	f~n+4
Hwoarang	RFF	Right Foot Forward	3+4
Jin	ZEN	Zenshin	d+3+4
Josie	SWS	Switch Stance	(from strings)
Josie	SWB	Sway Back	b+3+4
Julia	CES	Clockwise Evasive Spin	3+4
Katarina	HAR	Harrier	f+4
Kazumi	FLY	Fly stance	f+3+4
Kazuya	DVK	Devil Kazuya	R.ub.1+2
King	JGS	Jaguar Step	3+4
Kuma	HBS	Hunting Bear Stance	3+4
Kuma	ROL	roll stance	FC.df+1+2
Kunimitsu	KAT	Katon	1+2
Kunimitsu	SET	Setsunagake	f+3
Lars	DEN	Dynamic Entry	f+3
Lars	SEN	Silent Entry	f+3~f
Law	DSS	Dragon Sign Stance	d+1+2
Lee	HMS	Hitman Stance	3+4
Lee	INF	Infinite Kicks	(string)
Lee	MS	Mist Step	f~n
Lee	Sway	Sway	MS.b~n
Lei	SNA	Snake	3+4
Lei	DGN	Dragon	3+4,1
Lei	PAN	Panther	3+4,2
Lei	TGR	Tiger	3+4,3
Lei	CRA	Crane	3+4,4
Lei	PHX	Phoenix Illusion	b+1+4
Lei	DRU	Drunken Master	f+3+4
Lei	sSNA	Sitting Snake	db+1
Lei	f,n	Rush Step	f,n
Lei	KND	Knockdown (Play Dead in-game Disambiguation)	d+3+4
Lei	PLD	Play Dead (Play Dead in-game)	d+2+3
Lei	FCD	Face Down (Sidewind in-game)	d+1+2
Lei	SLD	Slide (Sidewind in-game)	d+1+4
Leo	BOK	Bokuhō (a.k.a. FoBu)	d+1+2
Leo	KNK	Kinkei (a.k.a. Jin Ji Du Li)	f+4
Leroy	HRM	Hermit	3+4
Lidia	CFO	Cat Foot One	f+3+4
Lidia	CFT	Cat Foot Two	b+3+4
Lidia	HAE	Heaven and Earth	CFO.n,f
Lidia	TAW	Pouncing Tiger, Stalking Wolf	CFT.n,f
Ling	AOP	Art of Phoenix	d+1+2
Ling	RDS	Rain Dance Stance	b+3+4
Ling	HYP	Hypnotist	db_ub+1+2
Lucky Chloe	TWST	Twist	db+3
Lucky Chloe	SCT	Scoot	f,F+4
Marduk	VTS	Vale-Tudo Stance	3+4
Master Raven	HAZ	Haze	3+4
Miguel	SAV	Savage Stance	3+4
Negan	INT	Intimidation	3+4
Shaheen	SNK	Sneak	df,DF
Steve	FLK	Flicker	b+3+4
Steve	PAB	Peekaboo	f+3+4
Steve	ALB	Albatross	3+4
Steve	DCK	Ducking	f+3_4
Yoshimitsu	KIN	Kincho	1+2
Yoshimitsu	MED	Meditation	3+4
Yoshimitsu	FLE	Flea	d+1+2
Yoshimitsu	IND	Indian Stance	d+3+4
Yoshimitsu	BDS	Bad Stomach	db+1+2
Yoshimitsu	DGF	Manji Dragonfly	u+1+2
Zafina	SCR	Scarecrow	3+4
Zafina	MNT	Mantis	d+3+4
Zafina	TRT	Tarantula	d+1+2

Held motion inputs

Motion inputs must specify when the final directional input is a hold. This clarifies that the attack input can't be pressed on the same frame. It also often indicates that the input can't be fully buffered.

Character	Move	Explanation
Bryan	f,n,b+2	The b and 2 can be pressed on the same frame, will still work if b is pressed earlier
Heihachi	f,F+2	The second F must be pressed and held at least one frame before the 2
Heihachi	d,df,f+2	The f and 2 can be pressed on the same frame, will still work if f is pressed earlier
Lee	d,DB+4	The DB must be pressed and held at least one frame before the 4

Move properties

Frame advantage

Any number with a “+” or “-” in front it indicates frame advantage, usually from the attacker's perspective. If both players recover at the same time, write “+0”, not “0” or “-0” or “±0”.

A letter indicates how the defender recovers.

Multiple numbers indicate that there are differing states of the defender's recovery.

A number in brackets indicates when the opponent can do a tech recovery. This is not strictly speaking the frame advantage, since it doesn't count how long the tech recovery itself takes. This number should not have a letter modifier.

If there is no number in brackets, then the opponent can't do a tech recovery.

Example 1. Kazumi's df+1,2 is "-13c" on block. This means:

• The opponent recovers crouching 13 frames before Kazumi has recovered.
• The opponent can't do a tech recovery.

Example 2. Lee's 2,1,3 is "+20a (+11)" on hit. This means:

• The opponent is airborne for 20 frames after Lee has recovered and recovers grounded.
• The opponent can do a tech recovery 11 frames after Lee has recovered.

Example 3. Kazuya's df+2 is "+13 +59a" on counter-hit. This means:

• The opponent is standing for 13 frames after Kazuya has recovered.
• The opponent is airborne for the next 46 frames.
• The opponent can't do a tech recovery.

If a move has multiple active frames, the frame advantage is for the first active frame. However, if a move has many active frames and often doesn't connect on the first, then the frame advantage for the last active frame is also written down, separated by "~". For example, King's f,F+1+2 is "-5~+14" on block.

Active frames

Any number with an “i” in front of it indicates the frames where an attack can hit, also known as the active frames or startup.

If a move has multiple active frames, the first and last active frame are separated by "~". For example, "i23~25" means the move hits from frame 23 to frame 25.

If a move is part of a string, the first frame is not the start of the string, but the start of the move. In this case, the number starts with a "," to try and clarify this. For example, Lee's 1,2 is ",i12", meaning the active frames of the 2 are 12 frames after the active frames of the 1. This is useful for knowing how much time there is to interrupt the string when the previous move whiffed.

If a move has multiple hits, the active frames for each hit are separated by a space. For example, Lee's f+1+2 is "i13 i29~30", meaning the first hit is active on frame 13 and the second hit is active on frames 29 and 30.

If a move has a motion input, the time to do that input is not taken into account, so these moves are slower in practice. For example, Heihachi's EWGF is i11 but needs at least 3 extra frames to input, so the fastest it can be done with perfect input is 14 frames.

	Active
	Startup
	Recovery

Frame

Input

State

1

f

2

n

3

d

4

d/f2

5

6

7

8

9

10

11

12

13

14

15

⋯

States

Any number following “pc”, “ps”, “is”, “js”, “cs”, “fs”, or “gs” indicates the frames on which the move has a particular state.

The first and last frame of the state are separated by a "~". If either are unknown or unimportant, they're left blank. For example, most hopkicks are "js9~", meaning jumping state from frame 9 until an unknown or unimportant frame.

The ranges are inclusive. For example, "pc8~19" means powercrush from frame 8 to 19, including frame 8 and 19.

If a move is part of a string, the first frame is not the start of the string, but the start of the move. In this case, the number starts with a "," to try and clarify this. For example, Lee's 2,1,4 is ",cs16~", meaning crouching state from frame 16 of the 4.

If a move has multiple states, each is separated by a space. For example, Lee's d+3+4 is "cs25~45 js45~", meaning crouching state from frame 25 to 45, then jumping state from frame 45.

Recovery

Any number written with an "r" in front of it indicates the recovery frames for a move, also known as the whiff frames. This is the time after the active frames where the attacker can't guard.

If followed by a stance abbreviation, this indicates that the move recovers in that stance. For example, "r24 ZEN" means 24 frames of recovery and a transition to Zenshin.

For projectiles, the recovery is from when the projectile is launched, so the active frames and recovery overlap.

Other styles

There's a lot of notation out in the wild. The following should be avoided in Wavu Wiki articles, but are noted for being used elsewhere.

xx

Cancel into next move. For example, “d+4xxdp1” or “d+4 xx dp1” means “d+4 then cancel to dp+1”, which is better written as “d+4,dp+1” or “d+4,f,d,df+1”.

/

Diagonal directional input, e.g. d/f is the same as df.

ar

Airborne. Same as fs.

Input

Two other input notation styles are Iron Fist (also known as official or in-game notation) and numpad (also known as anime notation). Numpad style is so-named because the directional inputs are based on their position on a numpad.

Iron Fist is used sparingly on Wavu Wiki, mainly where there isn't enough space for normal letters and numbers to fit.

Wavu Wiki	Iron Fist	Numpad
1	1	LP
2	2	RP
3	3	LK
4	4	RK
1+2	1+2	LP+RP
1+2+3	1+2+3	LP+RP+LK
1+2+3+4	1+2+3+4	LP+RP+LK+RK

Wavu Wiki	Iron Fist	Numpad
u	u	8
d	d	2
f	f	6
b	b	4
n	n	5
uf	u/f	9
df	d/f	3
db	d/b	1
ub	u/b	7

Wavu Wiki	Iron Fist	Numpad
U	U	8*
D	D	2*
F	F	6*
B	B	4*
UF	U/F	9*
DF	D/F	3*
DB	D/B	1*
UB	U/B	7*

Wavu Wiki	Iron Fist	Numpad
1~2	[12]	LP~RP
uf+4 f,F+3	u/f4>fF3	9RK,66*LK
d,DB+4 3~3:4	dD/B4>[33]:4	21*RK,LK~LK:RK

Numpad style is more common in South Korea and Japan and in a lot of fighting games other than Tekken. LP+RP and LK+RK are often shortened to WP and WK respectively, or sometimes PP and KK.

One reason English Tekken communities use this unusual (when compared to other fighting games) notation is that there aren't many moves with motion inputs, much less any more complicated than quarter circles, so there isn't a huge advantage in adopting numpad notation. On the other hand, the majority of Tekken moves are just strings of attack button inputs—sometimes starting with a single directional input—so using numbers for the attack buttons makes it more succinct than using LP, RP, LK, and RK.

(Of course, Tekken also uses a lot of combined attack button inputs and they still end up rather verbose with this notation, e.g. 1+2+3+4 to do a ki charge. This could be addressed by instead assigning LK to 4 and RK to 8 so that combined attack inputs could be written unambiguously as the sum itself. Then e.g. 1+2 would be 3, and the ki-charge input, i.e. 1+2+4+8, would just be 15. (Don't expect anyone to understand you if you do this.))

See also

• Wavu:TZ Archive