跆 (tái) · to trample, to kick

Meanings

1 to trample
2 to kick

Characters

跆

tái

to trample/kick

Examples

HSK 7-9

跆拳道是一种以腿法为主的武术。

Táiquándào shì yī zhǒng yǐ tuǐfǎ wéizhǔ de wǔshù.

Taekwondo is a martial art focused primarily on kicking techniques.

HSK 7-9

他练习跆拳道已经十年了。

Tā liànxí táiquándào yǐjīng shí nián le.

He has been practicing taekwondo for ten years.

Tips

usage

跆 is a rare character almost exclusively encountered in 跆拳道 (taekwondo), transliterating the Korean word 태 (tae), meaning 'to strike with the foot.' The full term breaks down as 跆 (kick) + 拳 (fist) + 道 (way/path). It is a Korean martial art introduced to the Olympics in 2000.

Components

radical

足 zú

foot

Foot radical on the left fixes the action: 跆 is something done with the feet, trampling, kicking, stepping hard. The same radical drives the whole leg-and-foot vocabulary: 跑 run, 跳 jump, 踢 kick, 跟 follow.

phonetic

台 tái

platform; stage

Right side supplies the sound: tái matches tái exactly. 台 is purely phonetic here; its 'platform' meaning is not active. Best known in 跆拳道 (Taekwondo, the Korean martial art whose name reads literally 'foot-fist-way').