Bodhidhama arrived at the Shaolin Temple, which means 'Young Forest', and said to be the cradle of Martial Arts, established in 496 AD and 13 KM from present DENG FENG village, in the valley of Song Sung mountain, Honan Province, North East China where he found that the monks were in very poor physical condition. Bodhidharma created an exercise program for the monks which involved physical techniques that were efficient in strengthening the external and internal human organs, and eventually, could be used as a means of self-defense. The primary aim was to make Prajtara 27th Patriarch Prajnatara, the twenty-seventh patriarch of Indian Buddhism and the teacher of Bodhidharma. the monks psychophysically balanced to withstand their isolated lifestyle, demanding training and meditation requires. He taught them I Chin China (Muscle/Tendon changing classic) and Hsi Sui Chin (Marrow Washing Classic).In the process those basic 18 movements introduced by him is today known as the 18 Lohan Qi Qong Movement or “Eighteen Hands of the Lohan” - the basis of Shaolin Kung Fu system, which was forged and developed over the centuries by the Shaolin Monks.

later, Kung Fu began to spread. When it went to Okinawa, they named it 'Karate'-'Empty Hand'.

Kung Fu= Chinese

Karate= Japanese

but they are not the same. Kung Fu modified into Karate. There are a lot of history.

anyways, the main thing is, Kung Fu/Gung Fu is a Chinese martial art and Karate is a Japanese martial art.

There are perhaps dozens of different styles of "karate", and at least 200 different current styles of "kung fu".... Historically over 2000.

So, you'd have to be a little more specific.

It would generally be claimed that Chinese martial styles are the root of modern karate. Modern Japanese karate originated on Okinawa, and was imported to the mainland in the 20s, from which a variety of different styles originated.

The Okinawans were undoubtedly influenced by Chinese styles, and those people adapted what they saw and learned for their own purposes.

There is a great deal of overlapping. There are Chinese styles that emphasize kicks, those that emphasize hand techniques, grappling.... And the same can be said for karate styles as well.

Kung Fu is from China and is a general term for many martial art styles in China. Karate is from Okinawa and though there are different styles they all more or less are the same having come from the original.

The same difference that there is between apples and oranges.