What is the difference between Karate, Tae-Kwan do, Kung-fu, Dojo, etc?

Question

What is the difference between these martial art forms?

What is the most respected form?

THANKS!!

Answer 1

karate is not a general term..though it is used that way alot.

karate is a japanese word that today means empty (kara) hand (te) ...originally it was divised in the ryukyu islands, the largest of which is okinawa. around 1922 it was introduced to japan, but the version taught was "kids karate" with alot of the more dangerous aspects left out. (long story)

okinawan karate is well rounded, teaching kata, kicks, punches, knees, elbows, joint locks, throws, and pressure points.

japanese karate however simply focuses on kata (with no break down often times) and the striking and kicking aspects of karate.

taekwondo is basically the korean version of japanese karate. it is based on shotokan karate (the style introduced from okinawa to japan)...though it quickly evolved into a unique art with the changing of the kata (forms) and addition of korean kicking techniques from the art of tae kyun.

before it was named taekwondo, it had various names, such as tang soo do(which is still used today) and...tang soo do is literally the korean pronunciation of the original meaning of karate do. kara originally meant "china" ..te "hand".

much later it was changed to mean kara (empty) te (hand)

tang soo do is the literal korean translation of karate do. tang (china...referring to the tang dynasty) soo (hand) do (way)

so originally taekwondo, soo bahk do, tang so do...were literally koreas version of japanese karate.

kung fu isnt even technically a martial art. they are more properly called wushu (martial arts) or chuan fa/quan fa (fist law...pronounced kempo in japanese) ...kung fu translates roughly as "great skill learned over time with much effort" ...but it generally refers to martial arts of chinese origin (which was what the j*p. word kempo was originally used for as well)...kung fu has many styles, as does karate and most other arts. ..it is quite similar in method to okinawan karate (karate comes indirectly from kung fu) though people say it tends to be more circular...kung fu styles range as far as your mind will allow.

dojo...is a japanese word, but it doesnt mean school. thats what it means...rather i should say thats not what it translates as...it translates as "way place" ..or "place to study the way"

they are all respected in their environment. they are all good for certain things.

it depends on what you want out of your training.

Answer 2

I would have to write a book to tell you the difference between all those styles...but in brief:

Karate is a Japanese muscle memory-based fighting style which emphasizes strikes. Tends to be very traditional.

Tae-Kwan do is a Korean martial art/sport that is better known as a sport than a fighting style, generally. It emphasizes flashy high kicks and free sparring.

Kung-fu is a Chinese martial art which may well be the great-grandaddy of Karate and Tae-Kwan Do. It also emphasizes strikes. Within Kung-fu there are hard and soft styles...the hard styles (like wing-chun, see bruce lee) emphasize meeting force with greater force and agression with equal or greater aggression. The soft styles (like tai-chi) redirect attacker's energy in alternative directions to neutralize the conflict.

And Dojo is Japanese for "school."

It doesn't matter which the most respected form is. It does matter which style meets your needs. Learn more about the styles personally from a live teacher. Then decide which style you respect more.

Answer 3

The difference, in the systems anyway, is where they are taught and what the language is. There are only so many ways to skin a cat. You will find many techniques the same from system to system. The main difference is where they are from.

Answer 4

First understand that karate and kung fu are generic terms that cover many different styles under them

For instance karate can generally be broken down into three main branches:

the original Okinawin styles, which contrary to what the fountian of mis-information ksnake says, did not come from Sholin chinese boxing, although it was influenced and has techniques from different kung fu styles. I wish he would not answer stuff he really doesn't know about.

Okinawin karate was developed from indiginous fighting methods, mixed with various kung fu techniques that were taught to the Okinawins by chinese diplomats, sailors, and merchants. Contrary to what most people think, Okinawin karate is far more then punching and kicking. It contains many locks, throws, chokes, elbows, knees, and clinch fighting techniques, although a surface examination wiill no reveal them. Okinawin karate is generally not flashy and is very self defense oriented.

Japanese karate was developed from okinawin karate, and is generally a watered down form that is intended more for sport, although can still serve well for self defense. most Jaopanese styles have far deeper longer stances then the more upright mobile stances of Okinawin karate.

the 3rd branch is the hycred styles, that run the gammit form excellent to p*** poor.

Kung fu has even more styles then karate, and to describe all of the differences would take whole books. I think maybe you should do some research on your own.

Answer 5

I prefer Tae-Kwon-Do because it is around 70-80% feet and less arms because using feet establishes distance between the fighter and is therefore safer. Dojo is the place where you work out (also dojang). Karate is more arms than Tae-Kwon-Do is. No clue about kungfu, sorry. Tae-Kwon-Do gives me confidence, makes friends, loses weight, and stays safe. Hope I helped!

Answer 6

Karate is the term used for most Asian empty-hand fighting systems. Japanese and Okinawan Karate came from Chinese Shaolin Temple Boxing. Shaolin Temple Boxing is the ancestor of almost every style of Chinese Kung Fu. Taekwondo (The foot-fist way) is a Korean style of karate that was heavily influenced by Japanese karate since the Japanese occupied Korea for a long period of time. The level of respect one has for an art is dependent on the individual.

Answer 7

1.  Karate is a general name for any Japanese based striking martial art.  As said below, there are many styles, including Okinawan and Shotokan.  

2: TKD is a Korean martial art that's based off of Shotokan Karate and an older Korean art named Taekyon.  There are two forms of TKD.  ITF (International Taekwondo Federation) and WTF (World Taekwondo Federation).  The WTF style tends to be more sports based and impractical for street fighting while the ITF style is more self-defense based.  

3. Kung fu literally means "hard work" in Chinese, but the actual context of the word means any Chinese art.  There are many forms of Kung Fu, such as Ving Tsun (Wing Chung) and various animal styles of Kung Fu.

4. Dojo isn't a style, but a place where you practice Karate, Judo, Aikido or any other Japanese martial art.  The Korean name for a dojo is a "dojang" and the Chinese name for it is a "Kwan".

And the arts aren't respected, it's the person practicing those arts.  You can have a great TKD fighter (If he's great, you can tell he's either in the ITF or he's been crosstraining.  Sorry WTF folks), a great Karate fighter or a great Kung Fu fighter.  Or you can have all of those artists be poor.

It's all up to the artist, not to the art.  Unless you're in WTF, then you can just grab their leg when they kick you.

>:D

And BTW, I'm in WTF and I crosstrain.  WTF TKD doesn't work unless you crosstrain.  Sorry.

Answer 8

I'm not sure about the differences between the martial arts, but a Dojo is the place where you learn it. It's not an art form.

Answer 9

Dojo means school. Karate is a general word covering different kinds of martial arts, like the word dog covers different breeds. I don't know much about Tae-Kwon do or Kung-fu, but I take Shotokan karate and it's helped keep me in shape, gave me more confidence, and I can take on just about anyone now. =)

Answer 10

The difference is the styles and where they are mainly based.

Karate is a fixed and hard style Japan

Tae-Kwan Do is mainly kicking , flexible and hard style Korea

Kung-fu uses both hard and soft styles and there is a wide variety of kung-fu.eg. Tiger, Eagle, Drunken,... and there are the weapons too. China

They are all respected in their own right.