Uke (受け) (IPA: [ɯke]) is in Japanese martial arts the person who "receives" a technique.

They include nage (投げ, "thrower"), tori (取り, "grabber") and shite (仕手, "doer").

Literally translated as "receiving body", it is the art of knowing how to respond correctly to an attack and often incorporates skills to allow one to do so safely.

If done correctly, the force of hitting the ground will be spread out along non-critical parts of the uke's body.

By properly doing ukemi, the uke can roll out of danger and move into their next course of action without being damaged too much by hitting the ground.