What is difference between Kung Fu and wushu?

Question

Wiki User · Accepted Answer

Karate is Japanese and kung fu is Chinese. Both karate and kung fu have different styles, and they may be quite different. Karate has part of its origins in Chinese Kung Fu.
Karate is Japanese, and kung fu is Chinese. There are different styles of both karate and kung fu.

One of the influences in karate is the White Crane style of kung fu.
No, they are not the same. Karate is a blend of kung fu and Okinawa Wrestling and became a separate martial art.
Kung Fu originated in China. Karate was created with a merging of kung fu and Okinawa wrestling.

Kung fu, which is Chinese, features circular movements, as well as pressure point techniques and styles based around the movements of animals. Karate, on the other hand, and uses more linear techniques designed to finish a fight with one blow.

Cultural issues and the often-contentious history between China and Japan are also wrapped up in the two terms.

To amateurs and movie goers, the two Martial Arts are seen as being the same, but someone with a bit of understanding can easily differentiate the two.

The 2010 remake of The Karate Kid acknowledges the differences the mother asks the kid if he likes his karate class, his response: "It's not karate, Mom."

Wiki User · Answer

Kung fu comes from China, and is based on natural defenses and movements of animals. Taekwondo was developed in Korea, and had influences from Chinese hand fighting, native Korean grappling and kicking, and more recent influences of Japanese Judo, jujutsu, Aikido, and Karate. In general terms, like Karate, Taekwondo uses a lot of "broken," "snapping" motions, only the emphasis is kicks rather than hand strikes.

It also depends on style; if you are talking Taekwondo and northern schools of Kung Fu, the only difference, is that Kung Fu is circular, regardless of whether they are external or internal. Both the Northern Schools of Kung Fu, and Taekwondo emphasize kicks more than hand strikes, however Taekwondo has made a shift to make the legs the primary weapon in tactical strategy. One theory, that Taekwondo was in fact started by a Shaolin monk from a northern Temple, has circulated in Korea for quite some time now. There is even a Buddhist temple in Seoul that claims to be a derivative temple of the old Shaolin. Even the robes worn by the abbots do strongly resemble those historically worn by the Shaolin monks of old. Specifically, those of the north.

Modern Taekwondo, however, was a combination of the curricula from several different schools operating in Korea in the post WWII period. Some schools of Taekwondo focus more on sports, and others on family fun and kids programs, but the genuine art of Taekwondo is a balanced Martial Art program that can be used as a deadly form of self defense.

Wiki User · Answer

Wushu is an attempt to codify the multitude of styles of kung fu into a single type that can be used in competitions for forms. It is similar to what happened with the Korean Arts being merged to create Taekwondo.

Wiki User · Answer

Short answer: The term "Kara-te" was originally used to describe Chinese hand fighting, and later a modified "Karate" term for Japanese Martial Art (two different versions), which both focus on the use of hands and upper body techniques as a primary tool of self defense. The Japanese island of Okinawa refined their own hand fighting method (believed to have been brought from China) which they called "te" ("hand"), but was also later called "Karate" as a generic term for all self defense (see detailed answer below).

Conversely, Taekwondo comes from Korea, is a more recent culmination of ancient Korean skills and philosophies from a variety of sources, and uses the advantages of kicking as a primary weapon of self defense.

Note that for many years, the kata or forms used in Taekwondo were based on the Okinawa Shorin-ryu kata. Over the last 20 years these have been changed to be much less related to the Okinawan forms.

Detailed answer:

The term "Karate" is used as both a generic term to describe all striking Martial Art, especially those using mostly hands and upper body strikes. It is also used to identify specific systems of the Martial Art from either China ("Kara-te" = Chinese hand, or Tang hand) or Okinawa ("Karate-do" = the way of the empty hand). "Taekwondo" is the Korean term used to describe their native Martial Art that has an emphasis on Kicking as a primary weapon, but also contains a balance of upper body strikes, throws, and some grappling.

Both Karate and Taekwondo are primarily forms of self discipline, and self defense that promote ethics, moral culture, and a path toward spiritual enlightenment, and are both played as sports using a limited number of techniques under different rules for competition. Besides being an effective form of self defense, Taekwondo is the official sport of South Korea, however the sport aspect of any Martial Art is only a small portion of the entire curriculum.

Taekwondo is often known for a bigger emphasis on high, fast kicking and less punching, throwing, sweeping and submissions - - a false impression based mostly on viewing Taekwondo tournaments. In reality, Taekwondo does contain a balance of each area of long, medium and close-range fighting. Taekwondo was organized in the late 1940's based on ancient philosophies and fighting skills from Korea, and influenced by Chinese and Japanese systems. It was officially named in 1955. Japanese Karate, as an established and consistent curriculum dates back further in Japanese history to Okinawa, and is believed to have migrated from the Chinese hand fighting of the 7th Century.

Some people refer to Taekwondo as "Korean Karate" but that is only by using "Karate" as a loose, generic germ for Martial Art. There are actually vast differences in the weight distribution and posture in stances, internal muscular contractions for power, and mostly fighting strategy and tactics. The concept of Poomsae, Hyung, or Tul in Korean Taekwondo (prearranged forms) was borrowed from the Kata of Shotokan Karate, but the content of modern Taekwondo forms approved by the Kukkiwon (Taegeuk for geup, and Dan Poomsae), and recognized by the WTF / World Taekwondo Federation for Olympics, differ greatly from the earlier Chang Hon patterns of General Choi Hong Hi (ITF / International Taekwondo Federation), that were a rearrangement of Shotokan Karate Kata.

In early Japanese history, grappling existed with Sumo and Jujutsu with hand striking having been introduced to Okinawa (believed to have come from China), and spread throughout Japan under the term of "te" ("hand"). In order to distinguish between the Okinawa-te, and the former Chinese hand fighting of the Shaolin temples, the Okinawans used the term for ancient China (specifically anything from the Tang Dynasty), which was "Kara." The older system of Chinese hand fighting was thus referred to as "Kara-te" (Chinese hand, or "Tang-hand"). In time, the term "Kara-te" (pronounced "Karla-tay") became a common layman's term for all Japanese Martial Art systems. This offended some Japanese Martial Artist, so Karate expert Gichin Funakoshi suggested changing the Chinese characters to mean another definition in the Japanese language of "Kara" for "empty." Thus, "Karate-do" became the name of Japanese "Empty Hand Art."

The Korean term "Tae" (pronounced like the vowel in "tack") means to stomp or smash with the foot, and is borrowed from the name of the ancient Korean method of Kicking called "Tae Kkyeon" (태껸) which served as the impetus for Taekwondo. "Kwon" (pronounced like the vowel in the number "one") means to strike with the hand or fist. "Do" (pronounced "doe") comes from the ancient Chinese term of "Tao" and is the "art" of respect for and appreciation of life, the "way" living in harmony with nature, and the "path" of right behavior. As a collective term, it translates as "the way of the hand and foot," but this is a rudimentary translation of the parts, and is not the definition of the whole term of "Taekwondo."

Taekwondo is a martial art that was developed by the Koreans with tactical preferences for kicks over hands (although both are included), while Karate is a Japanese development of hand fighting which was refined in Okinawa, and likely brought there from early hand fighting in China.

Taekwondo is derived from ancient culture and philosophy developed during early feudal time in Korea. The technical content of Taekwondo is based on the same principles of Karate, but the emphasis on Kicking was borrowed from a native Korean Martial Art known as Tae Kkyeon (aka: "Tae kyon" the "kicking method). Taekwondo utilizes a balance of striking, throwing and grappling with the kicking being the primary weapon whereas Karate tends to focus on the hand, knee and elbow strikes, and uses some kicks as a supplement. Many of the postures, stances, and movements of the body in Taekwondo differ dramatically from Karate, and the inner muscular contractions for developing power is quite different.

Apart from that, a great portion of any Martial Art is the core principles of philosophy, culture, and Codes of Conduct. In this regard, Taekwondo and Karate are virtually identical when taught by genuine Masters of the Art.
Short answer: The term "Kara-te" was originally used to describe Chinese hand fighting, and later a modified "Karate" term for Japanese Martial Art (two different versions), which both focus on the use of hands and upper body techniques as a primary tool of self defense. The Japanese island of Okinawa refined their own hand fighting method (believed to have been brought from China) which they called "te" ("hand"), but was also later called "Karate" as a generic term for all self defense (see detailed answer below).