Original: Taekwondo ( í ê ë ; è æ é '' ; ) is a Korean martial art and the national sport of South Korea . In Korean , tae ( í , ) means '' to strike or break with foot '' ; kwon ( ê , ) means '' to strike or break with fist '' ; and do ( ë , ) means '' way , '' '' method , '' or '' art . ''
Simplified: In the Korean alphabet hangeul , í ( è ) signifies '' to strike with the foot '' ; ê ( æ ) to '' strike with the hand '' ; and ë ( é '' ) signifies '' way '' , '' road '' or '' route '' .