() is a term used in

Korean martial arts Korean martial arts ( or ) are fighting practices and methods which have their place in the history of Korea but have been adapted for use by both military and non-military personnel as a method of personal growth or recreation. The history of ...

, such as

Taekwondo Taekwondo (; ; ) is a Korean martial art and combat sport involving primarily kicking techniques and punching. "Taekwondo" can be translated as ''tae'' ("strike with foot"), ''kwon'' ("strike with hand"), and ''do'' ("the art or way"). In ad ...

Tang Soo Do Tang Soo Do (; ) is a Korean martial arts, Korean martial art based on karate which can include fighting principles from taekkyeon, subak, as well as northern Chinese martial arts. From its beginnings in 1944 to today, Tang Soo Do is used by ...

, Kuk Sool Won, and

hapkido Hapkido ( , , ), also spelled ''hap ki do'' or ''hapki-do'' is a Korean martial art. It is a hybrid form of self-defense that employs joint locks, grappling, chokeholds, throwing techniques, kicks, punches, and other striking attacks. ...

, that refers to a formal

training Training is teaching, or developing in oneself or others, any skills and knowledge or fitness that relate to specific useful competencies. Training has specific goals of improving one's capability, capacity, productivity and performance. I ...

hall. It is typically considered the formal gathering place for students of a

martial art Martial arts are codified systems and traditions of combat practiced for a number of reasons such as self-defence; military and law enforcement applications; competition; physical, mental, and spiritual development; entertainment; and the pres ...

to conduct training, examinations and other related encounters.

Meaning

''Do'' (道) means "the way" or "art" and ''jang'' (場) means "a place", which makes the place where one practices the way. In the case of martial arts it is the place where one practices the path of that martial art, much like

dojo A is a hall or place for immersive learning, experiential learning, or meditation. This is traditionally in the field of martial arts. The term literally means "place of the Tao, Way" in Japanese language, Japanese. History The word ''d� ...

in Japanese. More specific terms such as "hapkidojang" or "taekwondojang" can be used for particular subtypes of . The word (道場) originates from

Buddhism Buddhism, also known as Buddhadharma and Dharmavinaya, is an Indian religion and List of philosophies, philosophical tradition based on Pre-sectarian Buddhism, teachings attributed to the Buddha, a wandering teacher who lived in the 6th or ...

. The is a place where

meditation Meditation is a practice in which an individual uses a technique to train attention and awareness and detach from reflexive, "discursive thinking", achieving a mentally clear and emotionally calm and stable state, while not judging the meditat ...

and practice takes place in the temple; the same Chinese characters for also mean a bodhimanda or (in Japanese) a

Decoration

The walls can be decorated with a variety of items ranging from the national and federation flag to pictures and calligraphy and boards with the names of techniques practiced in the on it. In general, Korean are usually heavily decorated. In dojangs where the practice of the art may involve much falling, there will usually be mats on the floor. In older days the floor could also be covered with the sacks rice was stored in, but in modern days there are a variety of mats available. At the beginning of class, students may line up according to their rankthe highest-ranking students at the front (first row) left and the lowest-ranking students at the back (last row) right from the point of view of the instructor facing the students (from the point of view of a student, facing the front of the : the highest-ranking students at the front right and the lowest-ranking students at the back left). If several students are of the same rank, age or age of rank may determine their places in line.

Usage

The Korean word for

gym A gym, short for gymnasium (: gymnasiums or gymnasia), is an indoor venue for exercise and sports. The word is derived from the ancient Greek term " gymnasion". They are commonly found in athletic and fitness centres, and as activity and learn ...

is more commonly translated as ''Che Yuk Gwan'' (체육관, 體育館), which means "sports place". refers to the actual place in the gym where practice takes place. The equivalent Japanese term for "" is ''

dōjō A is a hall or place for immersive learning, experiential learning, or meditation. This is traditionally in the field of martial arts. The term literally means "place of the Way" in Japanese. History The word ''dōjō'' originates fro ...

'' (道場), which means "place of the way", while the Chinese equivalent is ''wuguan'' and ''mou kwen'' in

Mandarin Mandarin or The Mandarin may refer to: Language * Mandarin Chinese, branch of Chinese originally spoken in northern parts of the country ** Standard Chinese or Modern Standard Mandarin, the official language of China ** Taiwanese Mandarin, Stand ...

and

Cantonese Cantonese is the traditional prestige variety of Yue Chinese, a Sinitic language belonging to the Sino-Tibetan language family. It originated in the city of Guangzhou (formerly known as Canton) and its surrounding Pearl River Delta. While th ...

respectively (武館), which means "martial hall", though Chinese words for dojo/dojang is also translated in Mandarin as ''daochang'' and Cantonese as ''dou cheung'' via Chinese characters used for Korean/Japanese martial arts schools established in China, Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan.

References

{{Korean martial arts Korean martial arts