Someone who does Taekwondo?

andyjeffries

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How do you refer to someone who does Taekwondo?

I'd always understood the correct term was Taekwondoin. I saw today though that the UK Telegraph (major national newspaper in the UK) suggests the term Taekwonda. I've heard others combining English and Korean to come up with Taekwondoist. On a related topic, I'm a stickler for not pluralising Korean words - so 1 Taekwondoin, 1000000 Taekwondoin. Am I the only one, or do others pluralise Korean words when used in English sentences?

What do you guys use?

Also, they suggest Taekwondo is played rather than fought. When I was younger (a child) I always used to consider "playing" an insult to be often met with "if you think it's playing, you step in the ring with one of us". Recently (with the advent of the UFC) I do consider it playing a game with a ruleset rather than fighting.

What do you guys think - player or fighter?
 

granfire

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I guess since some other games including players are so much more important than life and death (like college football, or football/soccer for the rest of the world) I think we can go with 'player' :)

I suppose calling a TKD person a taekwondoka would be undue influence of japanese language into the Korean national pride?
 

dancingalone

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I use TKDist myself. It is utilitarian in the sense that most anyone will instantly understand what I mean. I'm not sure the same is true for 'taekwondoin'. Personally, taekwondoin smacks too much of 'a gaggle of geese' or 'a murder of crows' to me. It just sounds pretentious in my ear, but I concede plenty of thoughtful, grounded people on this board use the word.

Perhaps someone can explain the etymology of 'taekwondoin' to me.
 
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andyjeffries

andyjeffries

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Perhaps someone can explain the etymology of 'taekwondoin' to me.

I'd look forward to this too. I am aware of -bun and -saram meaning person/people so would have expected one of those at the end, but I don't know what -in means.

I've tried googling for it and can't find anything (and my Korean dictionaries are at home).

If any native speakers (or knowledgeable fellows/fellowesses) can help answer this...
 

terryl965

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TKD'ist is what I use as well, I have heard the word taeKwondoin used alot by people but that is them. I am not sure there is a correct way of saying it, I am also sure that TKD is not a game but has been developed as one. When I think as played this means game to me, even though we do the sport aspect I still believe TKD can be used as a Self Defense art.
 

Balrog

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I refer to myself first as a Taekwondo student and second as a Taekwondo instructor.
 

chrispillertkd

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What do you guys use?

Taekwon-Doin.

Also, they suggest Taekwondo is played rather than fought. When I was younger (a child) I always used to consider "playing" an insult to be often met with "if you think it's playing, you step in the ring with one of us". Recently (with the advent of the UFC) I do consider it playing a game with a ruleset rather than fighting.

What do you guys think - player or fighter?

Uh, Taekwon-Doin. :)

Pax,

Chris
 

chrispillertkd

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I use TKDist myself. It is utilitarian in the sense that most anyone will instantly understand what I mean. I'm not sure the same is true for 'taekwondoin'. Personally, taekwondoin smacks too much of 'a gaggle of geese' or 'a murder of crows' to me. It just sounds pretentious in my ear, but I concede plenty of thoughtful, grounded people on this board use the word.

Do you use "karate-ist" instead of karateka when referring to karate practitioners?

Perhaps someone can explain the etymology of 'taekwondoin' to me.

A friend of mine who lives in Korea told me this once. I cannot, of course, locate the e-mail. I'll look a bit more and see if it turns up.

Pax,

Chris
 

dancingalone

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Do you use "karate-ist" instead of karateka when referring to karate practitioners?

No, but I would understand it if someone used "karate-ist". With that said, my antipathy for "taekwondoin" comes from an apparent misunderstanding on my part. I did not realize "in" was Korean. I thought it was an affectation made by an English speaker. And if "in" is Korean, then I withdraw my opposition to the term.
 
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andyjeffries

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I did not realize "in" was Korean. I thought it was an affectation made by an English speaker. And if "in" is Korean, then I withdraw my opposition to the term.

It definitely is a Korean term. If you google for &#53468;&#44428;&#46020;&#51064; you'll have lots of hits. I don't know what &#51064; means though. I'm now at home so have access to one (rather rubbish) Korean dictionary (I don't know where my decent one is). &#51064;&#44036; (ingan) means "Man" so assuming -in is an abbreviated form then "Taekwondo Man" would be reasonable.

Knowing the Koreans and their love of brevity, I'd imagine they are thinking of Man as in Human not Male (of course, given their sexist society I wouldn't be surprised).
 

puunui

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Perhaps someone can explain the etymology of 'taekwondoin' to me.

The "in" in Taekwondoin is pronounced "jin" in Japanese. Japanese usage examples would be Nihonjin (Japanese person) or Gaijin (person from another country). I believe "in" means "person". I don't know why "in" is used in Korea instead of "ka", like Karateka or Judoka. But that is how Taekwondo practitioners are referred to there.

I tend not to use "ist"; no one I know uses that term in daily life. I use in or practitioner or student. Some people use the term "player", but I try to stay away from that one because some others may take it the wrong way and go off and we certainly don't need another "sport vs. martial art" argument. I also tend to avoid the word "sport" for the same reason, and say "competition" instead.
 

puunui

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I suppose calling a TKD person a taekwondoka would be undue influence of japanese language into the Korean national pride?


I have seen Taekwondoka written before. I can't say that I have seen that usage in Korean language books though or used by native Korean speakers. I am sure there is a translation for the Japanese term ka into Korean, and perhaps it is ka or ga. And I don't know about the undue influence part but I don't think that it is used all that frequently in Korean language situations, if at all.
 

puunui

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What do you guys think - player or fighter?


Sometimes I use fighter, but but there are those who oppose the use of fighter because they consider fighting to be armed military conflicts and not tournaments. I think player offends others because they think of Taekwondo as a martial art and not a sport, which is a dirty word and low concept to them. So I instead use "competitor", and no one seems to have a problem with that word.
 

ralphmcpherson

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I have always said tkdist but thats just because its what Ive heard others say. I tend not to use the term 'player', mainly because many of the guys who do the refereeing in my club say "feet together", "bow", "sparring stance" and then "fight" as the commands when we spar. Some say "sijak" to start the sparring, but many these days just say "fight". I also hear a lot of instructors yell at the kids when they just throw their kicks and punches with no real intent on making good contact, and they will say "you are fighting, not playing a game", so Ive always sort of had issues with the term "playing", although Ive heard the koreans at our club say 'playing' regularly.
 

ATACX GYM

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I use TKDist myself. It is utilitarian in the sense that most anyone will instantly understand what I mean. I'm not sure the same is true for 'taekwondoin'. Personally, taekwondoin smacks too much of 'a gaggle of geese' or 'a murder of crows' to me. It just sounds pretentious in my ear, but I concede plenty of thoughtful, grounded people on this board use the word.

Perhaps someone can explain the etymology of 'taekwondoin' to me.

I use TKDist most often myself...sometimes I use it to make the distinction between TKD players because 'players' carries a strong connotation of purely sport orientation.I do compete in tournies--undefeated,thanks--but my focus is self-defense.
 

Daniel Sullivan

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How do you refer to someone who does Taekwondo?

I'd always understood the correct term was Taekwondoin. I saw today though that the UK Telegraph (major national newspaper in the UK) suggests the term Taekwonda. I've heard others combining English and Korean to come up with Taekwondoist. On a related topic, I'm a stickler for not pluralising Korean words - so 1 Taekwondoin, 1000000 Taekwondoin. Am I the only one, or do others pluralise Korean words when used in English sentences?

What do you guys use?

Also, they suggest Taekwondo is played rather than fought. When I was younger (a child) I always used to consider "playing" an insult to be often met with "if you think it's playing, you step in the ring with one of us". Recently (with the advent of the UFC) I do consider it playing a game with a ruleset rather than fighting.

What do you guys think - player or fighter?
Taekwondoin is both singular and plural to my knowledge; kind of like moose. So far as I know, it has the same connotation as the general usage of karateka.

Otherwise, taekwondoist serves nicely.

Or trampling-foot-striking-fist-wayist. :p

Daniel
 

miguksaram

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Ok....woke my wife up for this one. ha.ha.ha. She is unaware of the term of Takwondoin in proper Korean language. I mean proper meaning that sometimes there are terms used in Taekwondo that are related to TKD (slang if you will) and not to common Korean language.

If you were to refer to someone who does Taekwondo you would say Taekwondotaewayo (I think that is how you would spell it). 'In' may be an offshoot of 'jin' from the Japanese language which Glenn pointed out. 'Saram' usually mean person (Example Miguksaram=America person).

Even using 'in' as in Taekwondoin you would not use it in a plural since like Taekwondoins, as there are no plural words in Korean language. You don't say Doboks isseyo? (Do you have dobok?) You would just say Dobok isseyo?
 

puunui

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Even using 'in' as in Taekwondoin you would not use it in a plural since like Taekwondoins, as there are no plural words in Korean language. You don't say Doboks isseyo? (Do you have dobok?) You would just say Dobok isseyo?


Where it comes up the most is in relation to forms - Palgwaes, Taegueks, poomsaes, tuls, hyungs, etc. But so many people say it like that, it is difficult to correct them all. And some will get really angry if you try to point the above out to them. :)
 

miguksaram

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Where it comes up the most is in relation to forms - Palgwaes, Taegueks, poomsaes, tuls, hyungs, etc. But so many people say it like that, it is difficult to correct them all. And some will get really angry if you try to point the above out to them. :)
I have been and still am guilty of doing that. I have been trying my best to adhere to the right way of saying that.
 

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