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

After one victory, he was congratulated by the Hong Kong martial-arts star Bruce Lee, who taught him kung fu techniques.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 20, 2026

"They've shown robots dancing and doing kung fu; now show us that they can be productive," Rokseth said.

From Barron's • Jan. 8, 2026

Under his leadership, the temple started opening schools outside China and formed a travelling troupe of monks who performed Shaolin kung fu shows - the temple's signature style of martial arts.

From BBC • Jul. 28, 2025

Also to Mexico, and a Korean martial arts school pulled straight out of some old Shaw Brothers kung fu movie, which doesn’t make sense culturally, but consider what we’re discussing.

From Salon • Feb. 13, 2025

Mom slipped off her suit jacket and twisted it with a kung fu grip.

From "Sir Fig Newton and the Science of Persistence" by Sonja Thomas

Related Words

• judo
• karate
• wrestling