Notation is shorthand for game input. It's used extensively throughout both this wiki and the wider Tekken community. Notation is distinct from abbreviations and jargon, which are described in the glossary.
Basic Input
| Notation | Meaning |
|---|---|
| 1 | Left Punch |
| 2 | Right Punch |
| 3 | Left Kick |
| 4 | Right Kick |
| Notation | Meaning |
|---|---|
| u | Up |
| d | Down |
| f | Forward |
| b | Backward |
| n | Neutral (no direction) |
| U | Up (Hold) |
| D | Down (Hold) |
| F | Forward (Hold) |
| B | Backward (Hold) |
| Notation | Meaning | Example | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| / | Pressed together | u/f | ||
| + | Pressed together | 1+2 | ||
| , | Followed by | 1,2 | ||
| ~ | Followed by, immediately | 1~2 | ||
| : | Followed by, frame perfectly | 1:2 | ||
| < | Followed by, with delayed input | 1<2 | ||
| ^ | Held input | 1^ | () | Indicating a move not connecting, whether whiff or blocked before other moves that connect - e.g. (d/f+1),2 to indicate that d/f+1 is blocked, but d/f+1,2 hits on normal hit |
Combo annotations
| Notation | Meaning |
|---|---|
| R! | Requires rage |
| S! | Screw |
| W! | Wall splat or wall bounce |
| F! | Floor break |
| WB! | Wall break |
| BB! | Balcony break |
Spaces and commas
Spaces are only used to separate strings, and for stance, counter-hit, and combo annotations.
Stances, e.g. "HMS u/f+4", and counter-hits, e.g "CH b+4", use spaces since otherwise their letters would press against any directional inputs and look ugly.
For this purpose, "FC" is considered a stance, but "ws" and "wr" are not, since the latter never have extra directional input. This also applies to other movement stances like "cd" whose moves don't have extra directional inputs.
Commas are used to separate inputs within a string.
Conditions
Some moves can only be done under certain conditions. In these cases, the notation for that move's "input" includes some non-input representing that condition.
| Notation | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|
| p | Successful parry | b+1+2,p,4 |
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,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,d/f,f+2 | The f and 2 can be pressed on the same frame, will still work if f is pressed earlier |
| Lee | d,D/B+4 | The D/B must be pressed and held at least one frame before the 4 |
Other notation styles
Two different notable 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.
| 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 |
| u/f | u/f | 9 |
| d/f | d/f | 3 |
| d/b | d/b | 1 |
| u/b | u/b | 7 |
| Wavu Wiki | Iron Fist | Numpad |
|---|---|---|
| U | U | |
| D | D | |
| F | F | |
| B | B | |
| U/F | U/F | |
| D/F | D/F | |
| D/B | D/B | |
| U/B | U/B |
| Wavu Wiki | Iron Fist | Numpad |
|---|---|---|
| 1~2 | [12] | LP~RP |
| u/f+4 f,F+3 | u/f4>fF3 | 9RK,66LK |
| d,D/B+4 3~3:4 | dD/B4>[33]:4 | 21RK,LK~LK:RK |
Numpad style is more common in South Korea and Japan. In Japan, LP+RP and LK+RK are often shortened to WP and WK respectively.