Mario Kart

Rainbow Road

A track that appears in almost every game to date. Despised sometimes because there is sometimes no fence between the tracks, resulting in many players falling off the track.

Blue Shell

An item that detonates and hits the player in first place, but not before hitting a few on it's way there. In some games, a warning beep is played before it's arrival.

Green Shell

A Koopa Troopa shell that can be used to hit players. However, it does not hit on target, and the player must aim it carefully. Sometimes comes in 3.

Red Shell

A powered-up version of the Green Shell that hits the player in front of it (or in back) on target (though few times it can miss). Sometimes comes in 3.

Banana

An item that is used to slip opponents up. Often it is easy to avoid, but it can be used to block shells (excluding the Blue Shell). Sometimes comes in 3.

Blooper

An enemy that is used as an item to partially block the opponents' viewpoint while the owner races along.

Lightning Bolt

An item that shocks opponents, decreasing their size, excluding the owner.

Bullet Bill

An item that turns the owner into a Bullet Bill, moving at fast speed. It usually is used to get into a higher place, and can mess up players who don't expect it.

Mushroom

An item that increases the player's speed for a short period of time. Sometimes comes in 3.

Golden Mushroom

Powered-up version of the Mushroom that can increase the player's speed temporarily more. It can be reused about 12 times.

Fire Flower

An item that allows players to throw fireballs at opponents. Like the Green Shell, it does not hit it's target immediately. Introduced in Mario Kart 7.

Boo

An enemy that is used as an item to steal other players' items. Only appears in Mario Kart DS.

Tanooki Tail

An item that can slap players and mess them up, or avoid shells. Introduced in Mario Kart 7.

Lucky Number

An item that gives players a number of items (depending on the game) to throw at opponents. Introduced in Mario Kart 7.

Kart

A car that the players drive in.

Track

The main area(s) of the game. Players must get to the finish line first (or second/third) in order to succeed.

Place

The status of the player in terms of how much it is in front or back of players. Ranges from 1st-12th or 1st-8th, depending on game.

Speed Marks

Marks on the track that speed up the player.

Drifting

A technique that can be used to speed up the player, or just look cool.

Lap

The amount of times a player has gone around the track. Usually there are 3, though sometimes there are 5. Sometimes tracks are too long and go into sections.

Section

Introduced in Mario Kart 7, these are the alternative to laps when tracks are too long to go over.

Super Mario Kart

The first game in the series. Released on the SNES, with 8 characters to choose from.

Mario Kart 64

The second game in the series. This one replaced Koopa Troopa with Wario, and added memorable levels. Released on the Nintendo 64.

Mario Kart: Super Circuit

The third game in the series. Released on GBA. It had the same characters from it's predecessor, and had new tracks. Included old tracks from Super Mario Kart.

Mario Kart: Double Dash

The fourth game in the series. It introduced the idea of having two players control a kart instead of one, an idea that hasn't been brought up again since then. It also introduced 11 new characters along with the 8 originals.

Mario Kart DS

The fifth game in the series. It brought back most of the same ideas from the previous 4 games, along with new karts and tracks. As usual, there were 8 normal characters, but there was 3 unlockable ones.

Mario Kart Arcade GP

An unnumbered game in the series. It introduced third-party characters, and introduced double-teaming as well. Many of the things from these game were implemented in Mario Kart Wii.

Mario Kart Wii

The sixth game in the series. It added many new characters and beloved features, such as Wario's Gold Mine and Diddy Kong. Also introduced the Wii Wheel.

Mario Kart 7

The seventh game in the series (quite obviously.) It introduced many new items like the Tanooki Tail and the Lucky Number, as well as underwater karting and gliders. It also introduced tracks inspired by Wii Sports, like Wuhu Loop and Maka Wuhu.

Mario Kart 8

The eight game in the series (quite obviously.) It introduced anti-gravity tracks, new characters, slow motion replays, and DLC. It is also infamous for Luigi's Death Stare.

Bowser's Castle

Another track that appears in almost every game. It is based on most Mario games, and is usually in the Special Cup.

Mushroom Cup

The first cup in the game. It usually has the easiest new tracks in it, and most players start off on it.

Flower Cup

The second cup in the game. It sometimes cannot be unlocked without the Mushroom Cup finished. It features the second easiest new tracks.

Star Cup

The third cup in the game. At most times it needs to be unlocked by completion of the Mushroom Cup or Flower Cup. It features the second hardest new tracks.