태권도
taegwondo[tʰɛk͈wʌ̹ndo̞]
The English phrase taekwondo is translated into Korean as 태권도 (taegwondo).
태권도 is a noun referring to the specific Korean martial art.
Meaning: a martial art (noun)
How do you pronounce it?
taegwondo
Did you know?
- The name 태권도 was officially coined in 1955 by the martial artist Choi Hong Hi. Before this, various different names were used for the various styles of Korean martial arts.
- The word 태권도 uses Sino-Korean characters, meaning its roots are actually tied to Chinese characters rather than being purely native Korean words.
- The final syllable 도 in 태권도 refers to a 'way' or 'path', a concept shared with Japanese martial arts like 'judo' or 'aikido'.
Examples in context
- 나는 태권도를 배우고 있어요.I am learning Taekwondo.
- 태권도 도장에서 많은 친구들을 사귀어요.I make many friends at the Taekwondo training center.
- 우리 팀은 영국에 가서 태권도 경기를 할 거예요.Our team will go to England to compete in a Taekwondo match.
- 태권도를 배우고 싶어요.taekwondo-reul bae-u-go sip-eo-yo.I want to learn taekwondo.
- 제 동생은 태권도를 잘해요.je dong-saeng-eun taekwondo-reul jal-hae-yo.My younger sibling is good at taekwondo.
- 어렸을 때 태권도를 배웠어요.eo-ryeot-eul ttae taekwondo-reul bae-wot-eo-yo.I learned taekwondo when I was young.
Example conversation
Minji and Minjun are talking about hobbies at a cafe.
- 민지 Min-ji민준 씨는 운동 좋아해요?Min-jun ssi-neun un-dong jo-a-hae-yo?Minjun, do you like exercising?
- 민준 Min-jun네, 저는 태권도를 좋아해요.Ne, jeo-neun taekwondo-reul jo-a-hae-yo.Yes, I like taekwondo.
- 민지 Min-ji와, 정말 멋지네요!Wa, jeong-mal meot-ji-ne-yo!Wow, that is really cool!
- 민준 Min-jun민지 씨도 같이 할래요?Min-ji ssi-do gat-i hal-lae-yo?Do you want to do it together, Minji?
Sources
- Wiktionary, “taekwondo” translations and entries 태권도, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries 태권도, CC BY-SA 4.0.
