The Minimum
1. Horse Stance
2. Front Stance
3. Back Stance
4. Cat Stance
The Japanese Additions
5. Heisoku-dachi (閉足立, Feet together stance)
6. Musubi-dachi (結び立, Joining stance)
Heels together, toes open at about 45 degrees.
7. Musubi-dachi-heiko (結び立-平行)
From musubi-dachi, open heels until both outer edges of feet are parallel.
8. Hachiji-dachi (八字立, natural stance, literally “stand like the character 八”)
9. Uchi hachiji-dachi (内八字立, literally “stand like the upside-down character 八”)
The feet are shoulder width apart, toes facing inwards at 30-45 degrees, knees tense.
10. Heikō-dachi (平行立, parallel stance)
11. Seisan-dachi (十三立, universal stance)
12. Renoji-dachi (レの字立, stand like the character レ)
Feet are at the shoulder width.
13. Teiji-dachi (丁字立, stand like the character 丁)
Similar to renoji–dachi, but if the front foot is brought back, its heel will touch the middle of the rear foot, thus the foot print is shaped like the character 丁 (or letter T).
14. Chokusen-seisan-dachi (直線十三立, straight line universal stance)
15. Sagi-ashi-dachi (鷺足立 Heron-foot stance) also known as Tsuru-ashi-dachi (鶴足立 Crane-foot stance)
16. Naihanchi-dachi (内歩進立)
The feet are wider than the shoulder width, with their outer edges parallel.
17. Sanchin-dachi (三戦立 Three Battles stance)
The stance is fixed and tensed in the same way as Naihanchin-dachi.
18. Hangetsu-dachi (半月立, Halfmoon stance)
A version of sanchin used in some karate styles, particularly Shotokan.
19. Moto-dachi (基立, Foundational stance)
The stance is shin length and around two fist widths wide, with both legs slightly bent, the front foot facing straight forward and the back foot pointed outward at about 20-30 degrees.
20. Kosa-dachi (交差立, Crossing stance)
From Moto-dachi, bring the back leg forward so that the back knee is tucked in to the back of the front knee, with only the toes and ball of the back foot on the floor.
21. Han Zenkutsu-dachi (半前屈立, half zenkutsu), also known as Sho Zenkutsu-dachi (小前屈立, short zenkutsu)
Shortened and raised zenkutsu–dachi, this stance is slightly lower than moto-dachi.
22. Han-Kokutsu-dachi (半後屈立, half kokutsu), also known as Sho Kokutsu-dachi (小後屈立, short kokutsu)
Shortened and raised kokutsu–dachi.
23. Kiba-dachi (騎馬立, horse stance or rider stance)
This stance is not used in all styles of karate because of strong tension that it requires, instead it is often replaced by Shiko-dachi.
24. Shiko-dachi (四股立, square stance, often called horse stance where kiba–dachi is not used)
Same as Kiba-dachi but the toes face out at about 45 degrees.
25. Zenkutsu-dachi (前屈立, forward stance)
This is a long frontal stance where the weight is mostly on the front leg.
27. Nekoashi-dachi (猫足立, cat foot stance)
All weight rests on the back leg, which is bent at the knee.
28. Iaigoshi-dachi (居合腰立, Kneeling stance)
29. Fudō-dachi (不動立, unshakable stance) also called Sōchin-dachi (壯鎭立) after kata Sōchin
30. Kōkutsu-dachi (後屈立, back long stance)
This is a mirror image of zenkutsu–dachi, where the rear leg is bent strongly at the knee and the front leg is either straight or slightly bent, depending on the style.
31. Sōkutsu-dachi (側屈立, side long stance)
Often conflated with kōkutsu-dachi, this is a variant of kōkutsu where the head faces the direction perpendicular to the line on which the feet stand.