"Mix-up"
A situation in which a player forces the opponent to guess whether they are going to attack mid or low (a "true mix-up").

While there are also situations that force a player to guess between high and mid or high and low, these are not known as "true mix-ups". A mix-up between high and mid can be dealt with by blocking while standing to negate both options, while a mix-up between high and low can be dealt with by ducking, which will avoid high attacks and block or low parry (performed by crouching forward; see our guide to attacking and defending for more) low attacks.
 

"Okizeme" (起き攻め)
Often shortened to "oki" and also known as "wake-up", "wake-up game" or "ground game"; refers to pressuring the opponent while they are on the ground, forcing them to think about how to get up safely. In some cases, "okizeme" and "wake-up" may be used to distinguish between the aggressor and the opponent in this situation; the former referring to the aggressor pressuring the opponent while they are on the ground and the latter referring to the opponent getting up safely.

The word "okizeme" is a portmanteau of the Japanese words "okiru" (起きる; "to wake up") and "semeru" (攻める; "to attack" or "to strike").
 

"Parry"
A move that deflects the opponent's attack and, in most cases, gives the player plus frames. A low parry can be performed by any character and puts the opponent in a bound state (introduced in Tekken 6), leaving them open for a combo.
 

"Playstyle"
The general strategy or game plan used by a player during play (e.g. "Kamau has an offensive playstyle"), or the general strategy or game plan best suited for a particular character (e.g. "Asuka's playstyle involves a lot of turtling").
 

"Plus frames"
Used to indicate when a player has frame advantage (see our guide to frame data for more). A move that gives the player frame advantage after it hits or is blocked is described as "plus on hit/block."
 

To "poke"
To steadily inflict minor damage on the opponent with short, quick and (usually) mid or low attacks at close range to disrupt their pressure or force them into advancing impatiently, setting up more damaging attacks and/or combos as a result.
 

To "punish"
To attack your opponent after blocking their move (a "punish" or more specifically a "block punish") or avoiding their move (a "whiff punish"), during the recovery of that move.
 

"Rage"
Introduced in Tekken 6, a state in which—once left with low health—a character is given a boost in damage and, since Tekken 7, access to special attacks known as rage arts and rage drives (see our guide to attacking and defending for more on these).
 

"Range"
The reach of a given attack. Attacks with long range are said to "have good range" or simply "have range", while attacks with short range are said to "have bad range" or "lack range."
 

"Recovery"
The final stage in the animation of a move, during which the character returns to their neutral state after performing the move.
 

"(Attack) reversal"
A move that involves a character parrying the opponent's attack or grabbing the opponent's limb during an attack and returning an attack of their own.
 

"Round"
A segment of a match in which a player must completely deplete the opponent's health bar or (in timed rounds) finish with more health than the opponent at the end of the specified time. A round may be timed up to 99 seconds or have infinite time.
 

To "rush down"
To play in an aggressive or offensive manner; usually involves a lot of poking, sidestepping, mix-ups and dictating play with moves that are plus on block (see our guide to frame data for more). An aggressive or offensive style of play is therefore known as "rushdown."
 

"Sabaki"
An attack that automatically reverses attacks from the opponent during certain points of its animation.
 

"Safe (on block/hit)"
Used to describe an attack that cannot be punished after it hits or is blocked. Safe attacks may leave the character in plus frames, neutral frames or minus frames (see our guide to frame data for more).
 

"Set"
A contest in which a player must win a given number of matches against the opponent to win. Sets are usually specified as FTn (first to win n matches).
 

"Start-up"
The first stage in the animation of a move, during which the character leaves their neutral state and begins to perform the move (if the move is an attack, the stage of the animation prior to the attack landing is its start-up).
 

"String"
A series of multiple hits in an attack. Some strings may be blocked, evaded or interrupted at certain hits, while others jail. Strings that are guaranteed to connect with the opponent on each hit are known as "natural combos."
 

"Tier list"
A ranking system for characters based on the advantages/disadvantages and practicality of their respective moves in a number of situations. Tier lists are almost always unofficial and generally arrived at based on one's own opinion. As such, characters may be described as "low-tier", "mid-tier", "S-tier" (where characters are given letter grades with S being the highest, typically followed by A, B and C) and so on.

TEKKEN 254 has its own Tekken 7 tier list, which can be found in our character guide.
 

"Toe kick" (Recovery kick)
A type of getup kick done specifically from the knockdown position (on the ground with the face up and feet towards the opponent; see our guide to notations for more). The character uses their right foot to kick the opponent's toe before rolling backwards and standing up (on hit) or standing straight up (on block).
 

To "turtle"
To play in a defensive manner; often characterised by good spacing and inflicting damage primarily through block punishment and whiff punishment.
 

"Unsafe (on block/hit)"
Used to describe an attack that can be punished after it hits or is blocked. Unsafe attacks will always leave the character in minus frames (see our guide to frame data for more).
 

To "wavedash"
To perform multiple crouch dashes (f, n, d, d/f) in quick succession to close distance quickly and pressure the opponent (see our guide to movement for more).
 

To "whiff"
To fail to make contact with the opponent with an attack, i.e. to miss the opponent.