Jujutsu, Jujitsu, Jiu-jitsu, etc.

Many of you have seen several spellings of Jujutsu. I have been asked few times what the correct spelling is. The answer is: Jujutsu

Ju= gentle, soft or pliable
Jutsu= technique

This is more of a linguistics question applying to phonetics. Kanji does not use the same lettering system that we have in the west. So, someone would have to say it aloud and would phonetically spell it out the best way possible.

In America, you will see both Jujutsu and Jujitsu. In Brazil, it is spelled Jiu-jitsu. As the rule above, it got translated in both ways. Even though Jujutsu is the correct way to spell it, we still use the other version, because it has been there for so long. From my understanding, the Gracie's are also aware of the spelling difference, but keep it the same (Jiu-jitsu).

As for myself, I use Jujitsu only because it Jujutsu was not available for my website at the time. Since we are also responsible for the Japanese language in our system, I am very aware of the differences.