Entering, literally "entering body" — from iru (入る, "to enter") and mi (身, "body"). Describes stepping directly into the opponent's space, typically to their side or behind their line of force, rather than turning away or circling around. Most strongly associated with aikido (irimi-nage, and the irimi/tenkan pairing of entering vs. turning), but also used in judo, jujutsu and karate instruction to describe the entry phase of a technique. Usage context: Appears as a descriptive prefix rather than part of formal Kodokan nomenclature — e.g. "irimi o-soto-gari" names an o-soto-gari performed with a direct, deep entering step. Contrasts with tenkan (転換, turning/pivoting entry).