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

Unitree’s robots are already familiar to hundreds of millions of Chinese owing to their appearances on nationally televised Lunar New Year programs in which they have danced and performed kung fu.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 19, 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

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

He knew karate, kung fu, tae kwon do, jujitsu.

From "Native Speaker" by Chang-rae Lee

Related Words

• judo
• karate
• wrestling