Etymology

The name taekwondo is generally credited to Choi Hong Hi. The World Taekwondo Federation claims that taekwondo development was a collaborative effort by a council consisting of members from the nine original kwans, while the International Taekwon Do Federation credits Choi Hong Hi solely.In Korean, tae means to stomp or to strike or break with the foot; kwon means to strike or break with the fist; and do means way of life. Thus, taekwondo may be loosely translated as the way of the foot and the hand. The name taekwondo is also written as taekwon do, tae kwon do, or tae kwon do by various organizations.