or (; ) is a basic upper
garment
Clothing (also known as clothes, garments, dress, apparel, or attire) is any item worn on a human human body, body. Typically, clothing is made of fabrics or textiles, but over time it has included garments made from animal skin and other thin s ...
of the , a traditional
Korea
Korea is a peninsular region in East Asia consisting of the Korean Peninsula, Jeju Island, and smaller islands. Since the end of World War II in 1945, it has been politically Division of Korea, divided at or near the 38th parallel north, 3 ...
n
garment
Clothing (also known as clothes, garments, dress, apparel, or attire) is any item worn on a human human body, body. Typically, clothing is made of fabrics or textiles, but over time it has included garments made from animal skin and other thin s ...
, which has been worn by both men and women.
Men usually wear the with a ''
baji'' or pants while women wear the with ''
chima'', or skirts. It covers the arms and upper part of the wearer's body.
Etymology
The has been worn since ancient times and went by a variety of names such as (), (), and () in the
Three Kingdoms
The Three Kingdoms of Cao Wei, Shu Han, and Eastern Wu dominated China from AD 220 to 280 following the end of the Han dynasty. This period was preceded by the Eastern Han dynasty and followed by the Jin dynasty (266–420), Western Jin dyna ...
period (57 BC – 668 AD).
Although it is unknown when the term began to be used to refer to the garment, it is assumed to have appeared in the late
Goryeo
Goryeo (; ) was a Korean state founded in 918, during a time of national division called the Later Three Kingdoms period, that unified and ruled the Korea, Korean Peninsula until the establishment of Joseon in 1392. Goryeo achieved what has b ...
period around
King Chungnyeol's reign. The first historical document to mention the ' is in the () of
Queen Wongyeong
Queen Wongyeong (; 6 August 1365 – 27 August 1420) of the Yeoheung Min clan, was the primary wife of King Taejong of Joseon, and the mother of Sejong the Great.
She was queen consort of Joseon from 1400, and was honored as Consort Jeong () un ...
, which was a funeral ceremony for carrying the coffin out of the palace. The document written in 1420 during the second reign of
Sejong the Great
Sejong (; 15 May 1397 – 8 April 1450), commonly known as Sejong the Great (), was the fourth monarch of the Joseon, Joseon dynasty of Korea. He is regarded as the greatest ruler in Korean history, and is remembered as the inventor of Hangu ...
records () and ().
However, it is not clear whether the record is a hanja transliteration of a Korean word or
Mongolian influence. Before the
Goryeo period, such an upper garment was referred to as (; ) in
Silla
Silla (; Old Korean: wikt:徐羅伐#Old Korean, 徐羅伐, Yale romanization of Korean, Yale: Syerapel, Revised Romanization of Korean, RR: ''Seorabeol''; International Phonetic Alphabet, IPA: ) was a Korean kingdom that existed between ...
. As the was a transliteration of the Silla language, dialect forms such as and still remain to present.
Composition

Traditionally, a is made out of leather, woolen fabrics, silk, hemp or ramie.
Modern Korean designers sometimes use other materials such as lace.
There are several types of ' according to fabric, sewing technique, and shape.
The basic form of a consists of (), ''(')'', ''(')'', () and sleeves : the is the large section of the garment in both front and back side and ' is a band of fabric that trims the collar. The is a removable white collar placed over the end of the ''git'' and is generally squared off. The are coat strings attached to the breast part to tie the '. Women's may have (), a different coloured
cuff
A cuff is a layer of fabric at the lower edge of the sleeve of a garment (shirt, coat, jacket, etc.) at the wrist, or at the ankle end of a trouser leg. The function of turned-back cuffs is to protect the cloth of the garment from fraying, and, ...
placed on the end of the sleeves. The form of ' has been changed as time goes by.
History
Previously in Korea, were worn over bottom garments.
The earliest known depictions of the are on
Goguryeo
Goguryeo (37 BC – 668 AD) (; ; Old Korean: Guryeo) also later known as Goryeo (; ; Middle Korean: 고ᇢ롕〮, ''kwòwlyéy''), was a Korean kingdom which was located on the northern and central parts of the Korea, Korean Peninsula an ...
murals.
The original silhouette for
''banbok'' shared similarities with the clothing of the ancient
nomad
Nomads are communities without fixed habitation who regularly move to and from areas. Such groups include hunter-gatherers, pastoral nomads (owning livestock), tinkers and trader nomads. In the twentieth century, the population of nomadic pa ...
ic people of
Eurasia
Eurasia ( , ) is a continental area on Earth, comprising all of Europe and Asia. According to some geographers, Physical geography, physiographically, Eurasia is a single supercontinent. The concept of Europe and Asia as distinct continents d ...
due to the cultural exchanges that ancient Koreans had with the
Scythians
The Scythians ( or ) or Scyths (, but note Scytho- () in composition) and sometimes also referred to as the Pontic Scythians, were an Ancient Iranian peoples, ancient Eastern Iranian languages, Eastern Iranian peoples, Iranian Eurasian noma ...
.
The ancient had an open form, a collar which crossed to the left (), narrow sleeves, and was hip-length which were similar features found in the
Scythian clothing-style.
Some ancient also had a front central closure similar to a
kaftan
A kaftan or caftan (; , ; , ; ) is a variant of the robe or tunic. Originating in Asia, it has been worn by a number of cultures around the world for thousands of years. In Russian usage, ''kaftan'' instead refers to a style of men's long suit ...
;
this form of with a central closure is mostly found during the Goguryeo period and was worn by people of lower status. The initially closed with the front, central closure; it then changed to left closure before changing again to right closure ().
The change in collars direction from right-to-left (i.e. left closure) to left-over-right (i.e. right closure), along with the use of wide sleeves, which are found in many jackets and coats were due ancient Chinese influences; these Chinese influences on the are reflected and depicted in Goguryeo paintings.
The closure of the on the right side is an imitation of the
Chinese jackets. The closure to the right became an accepted standard since the sixth century AD.
The of
the Ruling class of Silla was influenced from Chinese fashions of
Tang influence in the
Silla Dynasty by
Kim Chun-Chu (648
CE). But the most commoners wore only a style of indigenous distinct from that of
the Ruling class of Silla.
During the
Goryeo
Goryeo (; ) was a Korean state founded in 918, during a time of national division called the Later Three Kingdoms period, that unified and ruled the Korea, Korean Peninsula until the establishment of Joseon in 1392. Goryeo achieved what has b ...
Period (918–1392), became shorter, with slimmer sleeves.
Joseon
In the
Joseon
Joseon ( ; ; also romanized as ''Chosun''), officially Great Joseon (), was a dynastic kingdom of Korea that existed for 505 years. It was founded by Taejo of Joseon in July 1392 and replaced by the Korean Empire in October 1897. The kingdom w ...
Period, lengths and style fluctuated depending on current fashion and social standing.
In the 16th century, women's were long, wide, and covered the waist. The length of women's gradually shortened. A () or () was worn to cover the chest.
This was to fit in style with a large wig and skirt.
Modern styles
In contemporary Korea, the sumptuary laws within different social classes were lifted and colours, decorations, and fabrics that were exclusive to the upper classes were open to all classes. This allowed for the growth of diverse traditional design elements in styles. However, in the 20th and 21st centuries, the traditional Korean clothing has not been worn every day by most people.
The became more reserved for special events, such as ceremonial or bridal wear, which carries onto current time.
During their own engagement celebrations, women may wear pink .
After they are married, women may wear
indigo
InterGlobe Aviation Limited (d/b/a IndiGo), is an India, Indian airline headquartered in Gurgaon, Haryana, India. It is the largest List of airlines of India, airline in India by passengers carried and fleet size, with a 64.1% domestic market ...
.
Additionally, modern silhouettes are commonly slimmer and more simplified than historical styles.
[''Encyclopedia of Clothing and Fashion.'' Ed. Valerie Steele. Vol. 1. Detroit, MI:Charles Scribner's Sons, 2005. p82-85. Web.]
Gallery
File:Hanbok-female clothing-01.jpg, ''Jeogori'' for women
File:Girl's Blouse, Korea, mid-20th century, Honolulu Museum of Art, 13783.1a.jpg
File:Korea-Seoul-Insadong-Festival parade in 2006-01.jpg
File:Korea-History-1910-1920-Korean.mother.child-Carpenter.Collection.jpg
File:Korean.music-Pansori-01.jpg
See also
*
Chima jeogori
*
Dangui
(; also written with the characters《》; ), also called (), (), (), (), and (), is a type of (upper garment) for women in , the Korean traditional clothing, which was worn for ceremonial occasions (e.g. for minor ceremonies in the pal ...
*
Dopo
*
Durumagi
*
Hanbok
The hanbok () is the traditional clothing of the Koreans, Korean people. The term ''hanbok'' is primarily used by South Koreans; North Koreans refer to the clothes as (). The clothes are also worn in the Korean diaspora. Koryo-saram—ethnic Ko ...
*
Jeonbok
*
Po
*
Sagyusam
References
*
External links
{{Commons category
Korean clothing
Tops (clothing)