Glossary
Acupuncturist Terms & Vocabulary
15 essential acupuncturist terms with plain-English definitions: the vocabulary you’ll hear in training and on day one.
Key acupuncturist vocabulary
These 15 terms come up constantly in acupuncturist training, on the job and in interviews. Knowing them helps you follow instructions, document accurately and sound prepared.
- Acupoint
- A specific needle point.
- Clean needle technique
- Sterile needling standards.
- Contraindication
- Reason not to treat.
- Cupping
- Suction cups on the skin.
- Electroacupuncture
- Needles with mild electrical current.
- Intake
- First visit assessment.
- Integrative medicine
- Combining conventional and complementary care.
- LAc
- Licensed acupuncturist.
- Meridian
- A traditional energy pathway.
- Moxibustion
- Heat from burning herbs.
- NCCAOM
- National certifying body.
- Pulse diagnosis
- Traditional pulse assessment.
- Qi
- A traditional concept of vital energy.
- Tongue diagnosis
- Traditional tongue assessment.
- Treatment plan
- Planned sessions.
Practice these terms
Test yourself with the free Acupuncturist practice test: it includes vocabulary questions built from this list. For a complete course, see Acupuncturist training.
Browse terms from every career in our career glossary.