There are many similarities between Karate and Taekwondo. Karate originated in Japan and Taekwondo is the Korean form of this martial art. Before Taekwondo became recognized as such an awesome sport that helps kids, teens and adults develop confidence physically and emotionally, few people knew what the word "Taekwondo" meant. Our Taekwondo America schools often use the word "karate" in signage because it was immediately identifiable as martial arts.