Home      Discussion      Topics      Dictionary      Almanac
Signup       Login
Hanbok

Hanbok

Overview
Hanbok (South Korea
South Korea
South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea and often simply referred to as Korea, is a country in East Asia, located on the southern half of the Korean Peninsula. It is neighbored by China to the west, Japan to the east, and North Korea to the north. Its capital is Seoul, the second largest...

) or Chosŏn-ot (North Korea
North Korea
North Korea, officially the Democratic People's Republic of Korea , is a state in East Asia, occupying the northern half of the Korean Peninsula. Its capital and largest city is Pyongyang. The Korean Demilitarized Zone serves as the buffer area between North Korea and South Korea...

) is the traditional Korea
Korea
Korea is a civilization and formerly unified nation currently divided into two states. Located on the Korean Peninsula, it borders China to the northwest, Russia to the northeast, and is separated from Japan to the east by the Korea Strait....

n dress. It is often characterized by vibrant colors and simple lines without pockets. Although the term literally means "Korean clothing", hanbok today often refers specifically to hanbok of Joseon Dynasty
Joseon Dynasty
Joseon , was a Korean sovereign state founded by Taejo Yi Seong-gye that lasted for approximately five centuries. It was founded in the aftermath of the overthrow of the Goryeo Kingdom at what is today the city of Kaesong...

 and is worn as semi-formal or formal wear during traditional festivals and celebrations. Modern hanbok does not exactly follow the actual style as worn in Joseon dynasty since it went through some major changes during the twentieth century for practical reasons.

Throughout history, Korea had a dual clothing tradition, in which rulers and aristocrats adopted different kinds of foreign styles, while the commoners continued to use a distinct style of indigenous clothing that today is known as Hanbok.


Traditional women's hanbok consists of jeogori
Jeogori
The jeogori is a basic upper garment of hanbok, Korean traditional garment, which has been worn by both men and women. It covers the arms and upper part of the wearer's body.-Etymology:...

, a blouse shirt or a jacket and chima
Chima (clothing)
Chima is a type of skirt worn together with jeogori, or a short jacket in hanbok, Korean traditional clothing. It is also referred to as sang or gun in hanja, Chinese characters adapted for Korean language....

, a wrap-around skirt, which is usually worn full.
Discussion
Ask a question about 'Hanbok'
Start a new discussion about 'Hanbok'
Answer questions from other users
Full Discussion Forum
 
Encyclopedia
Hanbok (South Korea
South Korea
South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea and often simply referred to as Korea, is a country in East Asia, located on the southern half of the Korean Peninsula. It is neighbored by China to the west, Japan to the east, and North Korea to the north. Its capital is Seoul, the second largest...

) or Chosŏn-ot (North Korea
North Korea
North Korea, officially the Democratic People's Republic of Korea , is a state in East Asia, occupying the northern half of the Korean Peninsula. Its capital and largest city is Pyongyang. The Korean Demilitarized Zone serves as the buffer area between North Korea and South Korea...

) is the traditional Korea
Korea
Korea is a civilization and formerly unified nation currently divided into two states. Located on the Korean Peninsula, it borders China to the northwest, Russia to the northeast, and is separated from Japan to the east by the Korea Strait....

n dress. It is often characterized by vibrant colors and simple lines without pockets. Although the term literally means "Korean clothing", hanbok today often refers specifically to hanbok of Joseon Dynasty
Joseon Dynasty
Joseon , was a Korean sovereign state founded by Taejo Yi Seong-gye that lasted for approximately five centuries. It was founded in the aftermath of the overthrow of the Goryeo Kingdom at what is today the city of Kaesong...

 and is worn as semi-formal or formal wear during traditional festivals and celebrations. Modern hanbok does not exactly follow the actual style as worn in Joseon dynasty since it went through some major changes during the twentieth century for practical reasons.

Throughout history, Korea had a dual clothing tradition, in which rulers and aristocrats adopted different kinds of foreign styles, while the commoners continued to use a distinct style of indigenous clothing that today is known as Hanbok.

Basic composition and clothes



Traditional women's hanbok consists of jeogori
Jeogori
The jeogori is a basic upper garment of hanbok, Korean traditional garment, which has been worn by both men and women. It covers the arms and upper part of the wearer's body.-Etymology:...

, a blouse shirt or a jacket and chima
Chima (clothing)
Chima is a type of skirt worn together with jeogori, or a short jacket in hanbok, Korean traditional clothing. It is also referred to as sang or gun in hanja, Chinese characters adapted for Korean language....

, a wrap-around skirt, which is usually worn full. The ensemble is often called chima jeogori
Chima jeogori
Chima jeogori is a term for a women's outfit consisting of a chima skirt and jeogori top. Men wear baji jeogori: baji and jeogori. It is not a national costume per se, but a form of hanbok, the traditional Korean form of dress.In Japan, some schools for the Korean minority use a girls' uniform...

. Men's hanbok is comprised of jeogori and baggy pants called baji
Baji
Baji is a type of beaten rice eaten in Nepal. It is one of the most widely consumed foods of Nepal. Rice is a staple of Nepal’s, and most of South Asia’s, diet. The grain is incorporated into everyday life, festivals, and rituals. Chiura is a common snack among farmers and workers in rural Nepal....

.

Jeogori



Jeogori
Jeogori
The jeogori is a basic upper garment of hanbok, Korean traditional garment, which has been worn by both men and women. It covers the arms and upper part of the wearer's body.-Etymology:...

is the basic upper garment of the hanbok, which has been worn by both men and women. It covers the arms and upper part of the wearer's body. The basic form of a jeogori consists of gil, git, dongjeong, goreum and sleeves. Gil (길) is the large section of the garment in both front and back side and git (깃) is a band of fabric that trims the collar. Dongjeong (동정) is a removable white collar placed over the end of the git and is generally squared off. The goreum (고름) are coat strings (ribbons of fabric) attached to the breast part to tie the jeogori. Women's jeogori may have kkeutdong (끝동), a different colored cuff
Cuff
A cuff is an extra layer of fabric at the lower edge of the sleeve of a garment covering the arms. In US usage the word may also refer to the end of the leg of a pair of trousers...

 placed on the end of the sleeves.
There are two jeogori that may be the earliest surviving archaeological finds. One from a Yangcheon Heo Clan tomb is dated 1400-1450 , while the other was discovered inside a statue of Buddha at Sangwonsa Temple (presumably left as an offering) that has been dated to the 1460s.

The form of jeogori has changed over time. While men's jeogori remained relatively unchanged, women's jeogori dramatically shortened during Joseon dynasty, reaching its shortest length at the late nineteenth century. However, due to reformation efforts and practical reasons, modern jeogori for women is longer than its earlier counterpart. Nonetheless the length is still above the waist line. Traditionally, goreum were short and narrow, however modern goreum are rather long and wide. There are several types of jeogori according to fabric, sewing technique, and shape.

Po


Po
Po (clothing)
The po is a generic term referring to an outer robe or overcoat in hanbok, Korean traditional clothing, which was worn mostly by men since the Goryeo period until the Joseon period.-See also:*Jeogori*Dopo*Durumagi*Sagyusam*Jeonbok*Hanbok...

is a generic term referring to an outer robe
Robe
A robe is a loose-fitting outer garment. A robe is distinguished from a cape or cloak by the fact that it usually has sleeves. The English word robe is borrowed from French...

 or overcoat
Overcoat
An overcoat is a type of long coat intended to be worn as the outermost garment. Overcoats usually extend below the knee, but are sometimes mistakenly referred to as topcoats, which are short coats that end at or above the knees. Topcoats and overcoats together are known as outercoats...

, which was worn mostly by men since the Goryeo
Goryeo
The Goryeo Dynasty or Koryŏ was a sovereign state established in 918 by King Taejo. It united the Later Three Kingdoms in 936 and ruled most of the Korean peninsula until it was removed by the Joseon dynasty in 1392...

 period until the Joseon period. Durumagi
Durumagi
Durumagi is a variety of po, or overcoat in hanbok, Korean traditional garment to protect the cold. Durumagi means to tighten, and some believe it's a cognate of the Mongolian word xurumakoi. It had been widely worn as an outer robe over jeogori and baji...

is a variety of po that was worn to protect the cold. It had been widely worn as an outer robe over jeogori and baji. It is also called jumagui, juchaui, or juui.

Jokki and magoja


Jokki (조끼) is a type of vest while magoja
Magoja
Magoja is a type of upper garment in hanbok, Korean traditional costume which is worn over jeogori . It is also called magwae and was originally a male garment, but later became a unisex clothing...

is an outer jacket. Although jokki and magoja were created at the end of the Joseon Dynasty in which the Western culture began to affect Korea, the garments have been considered parts of traditional clothing. Each is additionally worn over jeogori for warmth and style. Magoja was an originally Manchu
Manchu
The Manchu people are a Tungusic people who originated in Manchuria . During their rise in the seventeenth century, with the help of Ming rebels , they conquered the Ming Dynasty and founded the Qing Dynasty, which ruled China until the Xinhai Revolution of 1911, which established a...

 style clothing, but was introduced to Korea after Heungseon Daewongun, the father of King Gojong returned from from his political exile in Manchuria
Manchuria
Manchuria is a historical name given to a vast geographic region in northeast Asia. Depending on the definition of its extent, Manchuria either falls entirely within China, or is divided between China and Russia...

 in 1887. Magoja derived from
magwae that he wore at that time to protect cold weather of the region. It was good to keep warmth and easy to wear, so that magoja became popular in Korea. It is also called "deot jeogori" (literally "an outer jeogori") or magwae.

Magoja does not have
git, band of fabric that trims the collar, goreum (tying strings) unlike jeogori and durumagi
Durumagi
Durumagi is a variety of po, or overcoat in hanbok, Korean traditional garment to protect the cold. Durumagi means to tighten, and some believe it's a cognate of the Mongolian word xurumakoi. It had been widely worn as an outer robe over jeogori and baji...

(overcoat). Magoja was originally a male garment, but later became a unisex clothing. The magoja for men has seop (섶, overlapped column on the front) and its length is longer than women's magoja, so that its both sides of the bottom are open. A magoja is made of a silk and is adorned with one or two buttons which are usually made from amber. In a male magoja, buttons are attached to the right side on contrary to women's magoja.

At first, women wore the magoja for style rather than as a daily outfit and especially Kaeseong people used to wear it a lot. It is made of a silk and the color for women tends to be a neutral color to harmonize with other garments such as jeogori and chima
Chima
Chima is a town and municipality in the Santander Department in northeastern Colombia....

 which are worn together. In spring and autumn, a pastel tone is used for the women's magoja, so that wearers could wear it over a jeogori for style. As for men's magoja worn during spring and summer, jade, green, gray, dark grey were used.

Before Joseon dynasty


Origin of Hanbok traces to a widely used style of nomadic clothing in the Scytho-Siberian cultural sphere of northern Asia in ancient times. The earliest evidence of this common style of northern Asia can be found in the Xiongnu
Xiongnu
The Xiongnu were a confederation of nomadic tribes from Central Asia with a ruling class of unknown origin and other subjugated tribes. The bulk of information on the Xiongnu comes from Chinese sources. What little is known of their titles and names comes from Chinese transliterations from their...

 burial site of Noin Ula in northern Mongolia
Mongolia
Mongolia is a landlocked country in East and Central Asia. It borders Russia to the north and the People's Republic of China to the south, east and west. Although Mongolia does not share a border with Kazakhstan, its western-most point is only 24 miles from Kazakhstan's eastern tip. Ulan Bator,...

, and earliest evidence of hanbok's basic design features can be traced to ancient wall murals of Goguryeo.

Reflecting its nomad
Nomad
Nomadic people are communities of people who move from one place to another, rather than settling permanently in one location. There are an estimated 30-40 million nomads in the world. Many cultures have traditionally been nomadic, but traditional nomadic behavior is increasingly rare in...

ic origins in northern Asia, hanbok was designed to facilitate ease of movement and also incorporated many shamanistic motifs. From this time, the basic structure of hanbok, namely the jeogori jacket, baji pants, and the chima skirt, was established. Short, tight trousers and tight, waist-length jackets were worn by both men and women during the early years of the Three Kingdoms of Korea
Three Kingdoms of Korea
The Three Kingdoms of Korea refer to the ancient Korean kingdom of Goguryeo, Baekje and Silla, which dominated the Korean peninsula and parts of Manchuria for much of the 1st millennium CE...

 period. The basic structure and these basic design features of hanbok remains relatively unchanged to this day.

Toward the end of the Three Kingdoms period
Three Kingdoms of Korea
The Three Kingdoms of Korea refer to the ancient Korean kingdom of Goguryeo, Baekje and Silla, which dominated the Korean peninsula and parts of Manchuria for much of the 1st millennium CE...

, noblewomen began to wear full-length skirts and hip-length jackets belted at the waist and noblemen began to wear roomy trousers bound in at the ankles and a narrow, tunic
Tunic
A tunic is any of several types of clothing for the body, without sleeves of any kind, and of various lengths reaching from the shoulders to somewhere between the hips and the ankles...

-style jacket cuffed at the wrists and belted at the waist.

Although most foreign influence on Hanbok didn't last or was superficial, Mongolian clothing is an exception as the only foreign influence that made significant visible changes to Hanbok. After Goryeo
Goryeo
The Goryeo Dynasty or Koryŏ was a sovereign state established in 918 by King Taejo. It united the Later Three Kingdoms in 936 and ruled most of the Korean peninsula until it was removed by the Joseon dynasty in 1392...

 Dynasty (918–1392) signed peace treaty with the Mongol Empire
Mongol Empire
The Mongol Empire was an empire from the 13th and 14th century spanning from Eastern Europe across Asia. It is the largest contiguous empire in the history of the world...

 in the thirteenth century, Mongolian princesses who married into Korean royal house brought with them Mongolian fashion which began to prevail in both formal and private life. As a result of this influence, the chima skirt was shortened, and jeogori was hiked up above the waist and tied at the chest with a long, wide ribbon, the goruem (instead of being belted) and the sleeves were curved slightly. Cultural exchange was not one way however. Goryeo had significant cultural influence on the Mongol court of Yuan Dynasty, the most visible of which was adoption of women's hanbok by the aristocrats, queens and concubines of the Mongol court.

During and after Joseon dynasty


The early Joseon dynasty
Joseon Dynasty
Joseon , was a Korean sovereign state founded by Taejo Yi Seong-gye that lasted for approximately five centuries. It was founded in the aftermath of the overthrow of the Goryeo Kingdom at what is today the city of Kaesong...

 appeared to continue the women's fashion for baggy, loose clothing, such as those seen on the mural from the tomb of Bak Ik (1332–1398). However, by the sixteenth century, the jeogori had shortened to the waist, and appears to have become closer fitting, although not to the extremes of the bell-shaped silhouette of the 18th and 19th centuries .

Today's hanbok is the direct descendant of hanbok as worn in the Joseon dynasty period, specifically the late nineteenth century. Hanbok had gone through various changes and "fashion fads" during the five hundred years under the reigns of Joseon kings and eventually evolved to what we now mostly relate to as a typical hanbok.

Women's everyday wear


During Joseon Dynasty jeogori
Jeogori
The jeogori is a basic upper garment of hanbok, Korean traditional garment, which has been worn by both men and women. It covers the arms and upper part of the wearer's body.-Etymology:...

 (shirt or blouse) of women's hanbok became gradually tightened and shortened. Although prior to sixteenth century jeogori was baggy and its length reached below the waist line, after the Imjin War economic hardship on the peninsula may have influenced the closer-fitting styles that would use less fabric. By the latter half of the dynasty the close-fitting, short jeogori reached such an extreme that they scarcely covered the breasts and therefore women had to wear another piece of cloth which was called heoritti or heorimari. Although heoritti was originally meant to be worn as an undergarment it became fashionable to expose heoritti by the late eighteenth century and the trend continued well into the end of nineteenth century. The common and lowborn classes, however, often eschewed the heoritti altogether, as a way of indicating that they had given birth to a son . This also may have assisted with breastfeeding.

A clothes reformation movement, which aimed to lengthen
jeogori, experienced quite a success in the early twentieth century and has continued to influence the shaping of modern hanbok. Modern jeogori are much longer, although still halfway between the waistline and the breasts. Heoritti are sometimes exposed for aesthetic reasons. At the end of nineteenth century, Daewon-gun
Daewon-gun
The Daewongun, or formally Heungseon Heonui Daewonwang and also known to period western diplomats as Prince Gung, was the title of Yi Ha-eung , regent of Joseon during the minority of King Gojong in the 1860s and until his death a key political figure of late Joseon Korea.Daewongun literally...

 introduced
Magoja
Magoja
Magoja is a type of upper garment in hanbok, Korean traditional costume which is worn over jeogori . It is also called magwae and was originally a male garment, but later became a unisex clothing...

, a Manchu
Manchu
The Manchu people are a Tungusic people who originated in Manchuria . During their rise in the seventeenth century, with the help of Ming rebels , they conquered the Ming Dynasty and founded the Qing Dynasty, which ruled China until the Xinhai Revolution of 1911, which established a...

-style jacket, to Korea, which is often worn over
jeogori to this day.

Women's skirt became fuller during Joseon dynasty. In seventeenth and eighteenth century the fullness of the skirt was concentratrated around the hips, thus shaping a silhouette similar to Western bustles. The fullness of the skirt reached its extreme around 1800. During nineteenth century fullness of the skirt was achieved around the knees and ankles thus giving
chima a triangular silhouette, which is still the preferred style to this day. Many undergarments such as darisokgot, soksokgot, dansokgot, and gojengi were worn to achieve a desired silhouette.

Men's everyday wear


Men's hanbok saw little change compared to women's hanbok. The form and design of
jeogori and baji hardly changed.

However, men's lengthy outwear, equivalent of modern overcoat went through quite a dramatic change. Before late nineteenth century,
yangban
Yangban
The Yangban were part of the traditional ruling class of dynastical Korea during the Joseon Dynasty. The Yangban were either landed or unlanded gentry who comprised the Confucian idea of a "scholarly official." In reality, however, they were basically administrators and petty bureaucrats who...

men almost always wore jungchimak when going abroad. Jungchimak had very lengthy sleeves and its lower part had splits on both sides and occasionally on the back so as to create fluttering effect when walking. To some this was considered fashionable, and to some, namely stoic scholars it was nothing but pure vanity. Daewon-gun successfully banned jungchimak as a part of his clothes reformation program and jungchimak eventually disappeared.

Durumagi, which was previously worn underneath jungchimak and basically a house dress substituted jungchimak as the formal outwear for yangban men. Durumagi
Durumagi
Durumagi is a variety of po, or overcoat in hanbok, Korean traditional garment to protect the cold. Durumagi means to tighten, and some believe it's a cognate of the Mongolian word xurumakoi. It had been widely worn as an outer robe over jeogori and baji...

differs from its predecessor in that it has tighter sleeves and does not have splits on either sides and the back. It is also slightly shorter in length. Men's hanbok has remained relatively the same since the adoption of durumagi.

Hanbok for government officials



Gwanbok
Gwanbok
Gwanbok is a Korean general term referring to all business attires of government officers given by government. It began to be worn since Silla period until Joseon Dynasty. There were several types of gwanbok according to status, rank, and occasion such as jobok, jebok, sangbok, gongbok, yungbok,...

is a Korea
Korea
Korea is a civilization and formerly unified nation currently divided into two states. Located on the Korean Peninsula, it borders China to the northwest, Russia to the northeast, and is separated from Japan to the east by the Korea Strait....

n term which refers to all formal attires of government officials. It began to be worn since Silla period until Joseon Dynasty
Joseon Dynasty
Joseon , was a Korean sovereign state founded by Taejo Yi Seong-gye that lasted for approximately five centuries. It was founded in the aftermath of the overthrow of the Goryeo Kingdom at what is today the city of Kaesong...

. There were several types of
gwanbok which differs in color and design according to the wearer's status, rank, and occasion such as jobok, jebok, sangbok, gongbok, yungbok, and gunbok.

Jobok was the gwanbok worn for special occasions such as national festivals, or announcement of royal decrees. Jebok was the gwanbok worn while an ancestor veneration ritual called jesa was held. Sangbok was worn as a daily official clothing while gongbok was worn when officers had an audience with the king at the palace. Yungbok was related to military affairs.

However, as the term in a narrow scope only denote the
gongbok and sangbok, it means dallyeong, robe with a round collar.

Foreign influence


Some of Chinese styled clothing, hanfu, was adopted by the upper class but its use was always segregated apart from the tradition of hanbok, and without having lasting influence, it was eventually replaced by Western influence. With increasing cultural ties between China and Korea since the latter half of the Three Kingdoms period, the aristocratic class and rulers started adopting hanfu, traditional style of Chinese clothes very different from Hanbok. Unlike the aristocrats, the majority of commoners continued to use Hanbok, and many aristocrats also continued to use Hanbok for less formal occasions or at the comfort of their homes. Beginning in the late 19th century, use of hanfu was entirely replaced by new Western imports such as the Western suit
Suit
Suit or suits may refer to:Garments:*Suit , a set of garments with matching pieces, including at least a coat and trousers**Boilersuit, or coverall, a loose-fitting one-piece garment**Diving suit, for use under water, including:...

 and dress
Dress
A dress is a garment consisting of a skirt with an attached bodice or with a matching bodice giving the effect of a one-piece garment.Dress may also refer to:*Clothing in general*Costume, fancy dress...

. Today, formal and casual wears are usually based on Western styles, while Hanbok is still used for traditional purposes. Sino-Korean Confucian robes are occasionally used in conjunction with every-day Hanbok and western-style suits during the performance of rites at ancestral halls and Confucian shrines.

Material and Color


The upper classes wore hanbok of closely woven ramie
Ramie
Ramie is a flowering plant in the nettle family Urticaceae, native to eastern Asia. It is a herbaceous perennial growing to 1–2.5 m tall; the leaves are heart-shaped, 7–15 cm long and 6–12 cm broad, and white on the underside with dense small hairs—this gives it a silvery appearance; unlike...

 cloth or other high-grade lightweight materials in warm weather and of plain and patterned silks the rest of the year. Commoners were restricted by law as well as resources to cotton at best.

The upper classes wore a variety of colors, though bright colors were generally worn by children and girls and subdued colors by middle-aged men and women. Commoners were restricted by law to everyday clothes of white, but for special occasions they wore dull shades of pale pink, light green, gray, and charcoal. The color of chima showed the wearer's social position and statement. For example, a navy color indicated that a woman had son(s). Only the royal family could wear a clothing with geumbak
Geumbak
Geumbak is a Korean traditional craft for applying extremely thin gold leaf on hanbok , or other fabrics for decoration. Artisans who specialize in the technique are called geumbakjang and among them, Kim Deokhwan has been designated as the title holder of the 119th Important Intangible Cultural...

-printed patterns (gold leaf) on the bottom of chima.

Head dresses



Both male and female wore their hair in a long braid
Braid
A braid is a complex structure or pattern formed by intertwining three or more strands of flexible material such as textile fibers, wire, or human hair...

 until they were married, at which time the hair was knotted; man's hair was knotted in a topknot called
sangtu (상투) on the top of the head and the woman’s hair was rolled into a ball shaped form and was set just above the nape of the neck.

A long pin, or
binyeo (비녀), was thrust through the knotted hair of the woman as both a fastener and a decoration. The material and length of the binyeo varied according to the wearer’s class and status. Women wore a jokduri on their wedding day, and wore an ayam for protection from the cold. Men wore a gat, which varied according to class and status.

Before nineteenth century women of high social backgrounds and
gisaeng wore wigs (gache
Gache
Gache is a big wig worn by Korean women. Women of high social backgrounds and gisaeng wore wigs . Like their western contemporaries Koreans considered bigger and heavier wigs to be more aesthetic...

). Like their Western counterparts, Koreans considered bigger and heavier wigs to be more desirable and aesthetic. Such was the women's frenzy for the gache that in 1788 King Jeongjo
Jeongjo of Joseon
King Jeongjo was the 22nd ruler of the Joseon Dynasty of Korea. He made various attempts to reform and improve the nation of Joseon. He was preceded by his grandfather King Yeongjo and succeeded by his son King Sunjo...

 prohibited and banned, by royal decree, the use of
gache, as they were deemed contrary to Confucian values of reserve and restraint.

In nineteenth century
yangban women began to wear jokduri
Jokduri
A jokduri is a type of Korean traditional coronet worn by women for special occasions such as weddings. The crown is also called jokdu or jokgwan and is used mostly as an accessory. It consists of the outer crown which is covered with black silk, and the inner which is filled with cotton and hard...

, a small hat that substituted gache. However gache enjoyed vast popularity in gisaeng circles well into the end of the century.

Children's hanbok


In old days,
Kkachi durumagi
Kkachi durumagi
Kkachi durumagi is a children's colorful overcoat in hanbok, Korean traditional clothing, which was worn on Seolnal, New Year's Day in the Lunar calendar. It was worn mostly by young boys and literally means "a magpie's overcoat". The clothes is also called obangjang durumagi which denotes "an...

(literally "a magpie's overcoat") were worn as seolbim (설빔), new clothing and shoes worn on Seolnal, New Year's Day in the Lunar calendar
Lunar calendar
A lunar calendar is a calendar that is based on cycles of the moon phase. The only widely used purely lunar calendar is the Islamic calendar or Hijri calendar, whose year always consists of 12 lunar months...

, while at present, it is worn as a ceremonial garment for
doljanchi
Doljanchi
Dol or doljanchi is a Korean tradition that celebrates the birthday of a one-year-old baby. This ceremony blesses the child with a prosperous future and has taken on great significance in Korea...

, celebration for a baby's first birthday. It is a children's colorful overcoat
Overcoat
An overcoat is a type of long coat intended to be worn as the outermost garment. Overcoats usually extend below the knee, but are sometimes mistakenly referred to as topcoats, which are short coats that end at or above the knees. Topcoats and overcoats together are known as outercoats...

. It was worn mostly by young boys.The clothes is also called
obangjang durumagi which means "an overcoat of five directions". It was worn over jeogori
Jeogori
The jeogori is a basic upper garment of hanbok, Korean traditional garment, which has been worn by both men and women. It covers the arms and upper part of the wearer's body.-Etymology:...

(a jacket) and jokki (a vest) while the wearer could put jeonbok
Jeonbok
The jeonbok is a type of sleeveless long vest in hanbok, Korean traditional clothing, which was worn by military personnel. It does not have overlapped column on the front side, and was worn over dongdari ....

(a long vest) over it. Kkachi durumagi was also worn along with headgear
Headgear
Headgear, headwear or headdress is the name given to any element of clothing which is worn on one's head.Headgear serve a variety of purposes:...

 such as
bokgeon
Bokgeon
Bokgeon is a type of gwanmo , Korean traditional headgear made from a black fabric. Although it had been worn by a few Confucian scholars until the late Joseon period, it later became a decorative headgear for baby boys' dol which is a way of celebrating the birthday of a one-year-old baby....

(a peaked cloth hat), hogeon
Hogeon
A hogeon is a type of gwanmo , Korean traditional headgear for young boys aged one year to five years old. It was worn along with durumagi or jeonbok . Hogeon was worn on holidays such as Seolnal , Chuseok , or celebrations for their birthdays like doljanchi...

(peaked cloth hat with a tiger pattern) for young boys or gulle
Gulle
A gulle is a type of sseugae , Korean traditional headgear, worn by children aged one year to five years old during the late Joseon period. It was mostly worn by young girls in the upper class for warmth and style. Gullae was usually made with silk and in summer, it was made with sa , a type of...

(decorative headgear) for young girls.

Modern hanbok for children consists of only two or three pieces and can be put on easily. They are usually made of less expensive fabrics since they are only worn once or twice a year during bigger holidays like Chuseok
Chuseok
Chuseok , originally known as Hangawi , is a major harvest festival and a three-day holiday in Korea celebrated on the 15th day of the 8th month of the lunar calendar. Like many other harvest festivals, it is held around the Autumn Equinox...

 and Seolnal. Children are also dressed up in hanbok on their first birthday,
dol.

Occasions



Hanbok is classified according to its purposes: everyday dress, ceremonial dress and special dress. Ceremonial dresses are worn on formal occasions, including a child's first birthday, a wedding or a funeral. Special dresses are made for shamans and officials.

See also

  • List of Korean clothing
  • Chima jeogori
    Chima jeogori
    Chima jeogori is a term for a women's outfit consisting of a chima skirt and jeogori top. Men wear baji jeogori: baji and jeogori. It is not a national costume per se, but a form of hanbok, the traditional Korean form of dress.In Japan, some schools for the Korean minority use a girls' uniform...

  • Gache
    Gache
    Gache is a big wig worn by Korean women. Women of high social backgrounds and gisaeng wore wigs . Like their western contemporaries Koreans considered bigger and heavier wigs to be more aesthetic...

  • Gat (clothing)
    Gat (clothing)
    A gat is a type of Korean traditional hat worn by men along with hanbok during the Joseon Dynasty. It is made from horsehair, with a bamboo frame, and is partly transparent in black color....

  • Dol janchi
  • List of Korea-related topics

External links