I think everyone knows this, but just to be sure, Taekwondo (태권도) is a Korean martial art. Just for your information, Kung Fu is a Chinese martial art and Karate is a Japanese martial art. Since this is a Korean blog, I’m going to be discussing Taekwondo (태권도). 태 = means to strike with your foot. 권 = means to strike with your fist. 도 = means ‘way’ or ‘method’. Therefore Taekwondo (태권도) means the way of the foot and hand. The name Taekwondo (태권도) is an accurate description of this martial art, because fighters are allowed to use both their arms and legs.

Taekwondo (태권도) is composed of a philosophical triad of ideals. These principles are called 삼제, which means three elements. The three elements are 천 = sky, 지 = earth, and 인 = person. Taekwondo (태권도) is more than just beating people up. Well, at least that’s how it was first practiced. Today, Taekwondo () is mainly looked upon as a competitive sport. Taekwondo (태권도) has the distiction of being one of the martial art forms included in the Olympics. There is also the WTF or the World Taekwondo Federation, in addition to the ITF or the International Taekwondo Federation.

Taking a Taekwondo class can help you learn a couple of Korean commands. In that regard, you’ll be exposed to both the culture and the language!

Here are some of the commands:

준비 = ready!

시작 = Begin!

차렷 = Attention!

그만 = Finnish!

경례 = Bow!