kung fu

American  

[kuhng foo, koong] / ˈkʌŋ ˈfu, ˈkʊŋ /

noun

1. an ancient Chinese method of self-defense by striking blows at vulnerable areas of an attacker's body using fluid movements of the hands and legs.

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kung fu British  

/ ˈkʌŋ ˈfuː /

noun

1. any of various Chinese martial arts, some focusing on unarmed combat, others involving the use of weapons

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Etymology

Origin of kung fu

From the Chinese word gōngf ú literally, skill

Compare meaning

How does kung-fu compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:

• kung fu vs. karate

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

kung fu

The kitchen scenes are a combo platter of boot camp, frat house hazing ritual and kung fu movie.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 6, 2026

He joined Han's martial arts school as a teenager, drawn by his love of kung fu films.

From Barron's ● Jun. 28, 2026

Could a kung fu master beat a kickboxer?

From Slate ● Jun. 14, 2026

And her explanation of why she loves anime is very similar to the philosophies that drew RZA to kung fu movies and, eventually, Asian philosophies and martial arts.

From Salon ● May 31, 2026

Hedge began retelling the story, but in his version Piper was a kung fu assassin and there were a lot more Boreads.

From "The House of Hades" by Rick Riordan

Related Words

• judo
• karate
• wrestling