카라테
karate[kʰa̠ɾa̠tʰe̞]
The Korean phrase for the martial art karate can be expressed as 카라테, 가라데 or 공수도.
Meaning: martial art (noun)
Ways to say it
| Korean | Romanization (Wiktionary) | IPA |
|---|---|---|
| 카라테 | karate | [kʰa̠ɾa̠tʰe̞] (SK Standard, Seoul, narrow) |
| 가라데 | garade | [ka̠ɾa̠de̞] (SK Standard, Seoul, narrow) |
| 공수도 | gongsudo | [ko̞ŋsʰudo̞] (SK Standard, Seoul, narrow) |
The term refers to the martial art known as karate.
Which one should you use?
카라테 is a phonetic transcription of the Japanese word and is common in everyday conversation. 가라데 reflects the Japanese-style pronunciation and is used when specifically discussing Japanese martial arts history or culture. 공수도 is the Sino-Korean term used for the art in more formal or traditional contexts.
How do you pronounce it?
karate
Did you know?
- Due to historical tensions, using the Sino-Korean 공수도 can sometimes be a way to distance the practice from its Japanese phonetic name 카라테.
- Because of the shared use of Chinese characters, the word 공수도 is written identically to the Japanese term for karate in traditional script.
- In Korean, the word for 'empty' in 공수도 is 공, which is the same character used in the word for 'zero' or 'void'.
Examples in context
- 난 공수도 1단이다.I'm a black belt in karate.This sentence is useful for expressing your rank in the martial art using 공수도.Tatoeba #3681040 by intertime, translation #2185161 by Hybrid
- 올림픽의 유명한 종목 중 하나인 공수도를 배우고 싶습니다.I want to learn the well-known martial art, karate, which is one of the Olympic sports.
- 카라테 동호회에 가입하여 기술을 향상시킬 수 있어요.You can enhance your skills by joining a karate club.
- 그는 카라테를 배우고 있다.geuneun karate-reul baeugo itda.He is learning karate.
- 카라테는 매우 힘든 무술이다.karate-neun maeu himdeun musul-ida.Karate is a very difficult martial art.
Example conversation
Two friends are talking about their hobbies.
- 도현 Do-hyeon지은 씨는 운동 뭐 해요?jieun ssineun undong mwo haeyo?Jieun, what exercise do you do?
- 지은 Ji-eun저는 요즘 카라테를 배워요.jeoneun yojeum karatereul baewoyo.I am learning karate these days.
- 도현 Do-hyeon정말 멋있네요!jeongmal meoshineyo!That is really cool!
- 지은 Ji-eun고마워요, 도현 씨.gomawoyo, dohyun ssi.Thank you, Dohyun.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “karate” translations and entries 카라테, 가라데, 공수도, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
