What is Tang Soo Do

Tang Soo Do (Hangul: 당수도) is the Korean pronunciation of the Chinese characters 唐手道. Tang Soo Do is an organized idea, reduced to a physical expression.  Literally translated from Korean, “Tang” refers to the T’ang Dynasty of China reflecting the shared cultural background between China and Korea (617 – 907 AD). “Soo” translates to hand but implies self defense system and “Do” means path or way of life. The art of Tang Soo Do has roots in various styles of martial arts including those found in Okinawa, Japan, China, and Korea. These roots started in Korean Tae Kyon, Chinese Shaolin and Japanese Shotokan.

Most schools of Tang Soo Do use the transcription “Tang Soo Do”. However, scientific texts apply the official transcription ‘tangsudo’, written as one word. Some authors write “Tang Soo Do” and give “tangsudo” or “dangsudo” in the parenthesis.

The United Tang Soo Do Association chooses to retain the traditional and widely accepted term Tang Soo Do as the name of the martial art. The goal of the organization is to preserve the traditions, techniques and significance of this beautiful martial art.