Glossary of Terms
To help you gain a better understanding of your pattern meanings and the descriptions on the history of Korea and Tae Kwon-Do, below you will find a few of the Korean and English terms used with a short break down of their meaning.
| Word | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Buddha | The founder of Buddhism, the title was given to Gautama Siddhartha (563 – 483), a religious teacher of Northern India. |
| Buddhism | The religious teachings of Buddha, in which destroying greed, hatred and delusion, which are the causes of suffering can allow man to attain true enlightenment (a perfect state of mind and body). |
| Buddhist | A follower of Buddha and the religious system of Buddhism. |
| Choson | The ancient name for Korea, which means literally “The Land of Morning Calm” and comes from the Choson (or Yi) dynasty of Korea’s history (1392 – 1905). The name Korea comes from the Koryu dynasty of Korea’s history (935 – 1392) during which westerners had their first contact with Korea. |
| Confucian | A follower of Confucius and the system of Confucianism. |
| Confucius | Chinese philosopher (551 – 479). |
| Confucianism | The teachings of Confucius which emphasizes devotion to family (including ancestral worship), peace, harmony and justice. |
| Dynasty | A kingdom ruled by a sequence of hereditary rulers or line of powerful leaders of the same family. |
| Hangeuk | The Korean name for Korean. |
| Hangeuksaram | The Korean name for the Korean People. |
| Kobukson | Known as the “Turtle Ship” this was believed to be the first form of armoured battleship and precursor of the modern day submarine built in 1592 by the great Admiral Yi Soon-Sin. |
| Neo-Confucianism | Seen as a new way of thinking, it is new or modern form of Confucianism. |
| Patriot | A person who vigorously supports his or her country and its way of life. |
| Patriotism | The devotion to one’s own country and concern for its defence. |
| Philosopher | A student in Philosophy, a person who is wise, well learned, reasonable, patient and having a calm & stoical disposition. |
| Philosophy | A personal system of viewpoint, thought or outlook. A rational investigation of being, knowledge and the right conduct. During which language and experience are analysed in an attempt to provide new insights into problems. |
| Pseudonym | A fake or fictitious name adopted to hide the identity of a person, normally an author. Also described as a nickname. |
| Scholar | A student, trainee or pupil of the humanities. |
| Tae Guek Gee | The Korean name for the National Flag. |
| Tae Kyon | Earlier form of Korean Martial Arts using bare foot and hand fighting techniques to eliminate the opponent. Practised by the Hwarang Youth Group during the 4th, 5th and 6th Century’s. |
| Tae Kwon-Do | Korean Martial Arts based on the ancient forms of Tae Kyon, Shotokan Karate, Boxing and Wrestling. Founded in 1945 by General Choi Hong Hi (9th Dan), after the independence of Korea. Literally translated it means “The Art of Fighting with Feet and Fist“. |
| To-Wang | The highest given military honour. |
| ITF Tae Kwon-Do | ITF Tae Kwon-Do stands for the International Tae Kwon-Do Federation (ITF). The International Tae Kwon-Do Federation focuses on Tae Kwon-Do, a Korean martial arts style. The ITF was founded in 1966 by General Choi Hong Hi. |
| WTF / WT Tae Kwon-Do | WTF Tae Kwon-Do stood for the World Tae Kwon-Do Federation (WTF) and was founded in 1972. It was renamed World Tae Kwon-Do (WT) in June 2017 to avoid the “negative connotations” of the previously used initials ‘WTF’. |