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.

---

kung fu British  

/ ˈkʌŋ ˈfuː /

noun

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

---

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

Could a kung fu master beat a kickboxer?

From Slate • Jun. 14, 2026

Fans love clocking their samples from kung fu movies, shouting out “Tiger style!” from “Executioners from Shaolin,” or the definitive quote about Shaolin shadowboxing teaming up with the Wu-Tang sword style: It could be dangerous!

From Salon • May 31, 2026

Merz witnessed China's progress in the field first-hand during a visit to the country in February, when he saw displays of Chinese-made robots performing kung fu and boxing.

From Barron's • Apr. 22, 2026

He spent more than a week in Zhengzhou, China, studying kung fu and meditating with Shaolin monks.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 16, 2026

That afternoon, while Calista was in the bathroom, I told her I wanted to watch kung fu videos on Mom’s laptop, but I didn’t.

From Absolutely Almost by Lisa Graff

Related Words

• judo
• karate
• wrestling