Taegeuk (in Kukkiwon/WT Taekwondo) refers to a set of poomsae or forms used to teach taekwondo. A form, or poomsae / pattern of defense-and-attack motions. 

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Generally all students studying Kukkiwon/WT Taekwondo must learn taegeuk forms to advance to a higher level of belt. There are eight Taegeuk forms, each one more complex than the last, that display the student's mastery of the techniques learned.

 

In order to receive a black belt, the student must generally perform all taegeuk forms consecutively. 

Each Taegeuk form symbolizes a specific force of nature and is represented by trigrams similar to those found in the four corners of the South Korean flag.

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The name of each taegeuk form is a three-word phrase:

• The first word, taegeuk, refers to the principle of the "unity of opposites"

• The second word (il, ee, sam, sa, etc.) are the numbers 1 through 8 in the Sino-Korean numbering system

• The third word, jang, roughly translates from Korean as chapter or section.