Hanbok — Lexography

Journey of meaning

2 forms

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The hanbok journey, in text

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한복 · Korean
noun · Korean
Reading: HAN-bok
Korean clothing. 한복 combines 한, “Korean,” with 복, “clothing.” A Korean institutional source places the modern naming contrast with Western-style clothing in the late nineteenth century; that dates the label’s contrast, not the origin of Korean dress.
Late 19th century · Korean hanbok naming period — The Korean Ministry of Culture says the term began to distinguish native clothing from Western-style clothing in the late nineteenth century; this is a bounded lexical period, not an exact quotation.
Korea · Korean language region — A broad Korean language reference coordinate, not a lexical birthplace or modern-border claim.
English hanbok is borrowed from Korean 한복 (韓服), literally Korean clothing. Entry — inspected etymology or definition passage
Korean 한복 is a transparent Sino-Korean compound meaning Korean clothing, while the Korean institutional source dates the modern naming contrast with Western-style clothing to the late nineteenth century. Clothing history is retained as context and not used to backdate the lexical term. Inspected lexical, historical, or regional record
Hanbok is the Korean lexical category for traditional Korean clothing; its forms changed over time, but the term’s naming history is represented separately. Inspected lexical, historical, or regional record
The inspected source supports the conventional reading HAN-bok for 한복; it is presented as a reading, not as transliteration. Inspected lexical, historical, or regional record
The inspected source supports the bounded lexical or textual period shown for 한복. Inspected lexical, historical, or regional record
Korea · Korean language region is used as a broad language, speech-community, or documented contact-corridor reference for this stage; it is not presented as a lexical birthplace. Inspected lexical, historical, or regional record
hanbok · English
noun · English
Reading: HAN-bok
traditional Korean dress. English hanbok borrows the Korean compound for traditional Korean dress. The form and culturally specific referent travel together; the retained evidence does not establish the first English written use.
No secure word-specific date — The inspected Korean institutional sources do not establish the first English written use of hanbok.
English reference region — A broad Korean language reference coordinate, not a lexical birthplace or modern-border claim.
English hanbok is borrowed from Korean 한복 (韓服), literally Korean clothing. Entry — inspected etymology or definition passage
The English noun denotes traditional Korean dress. Entry — inspected etymology or definition passage
Korean 한복 is a transparent Sino-Korean compound meaning Korean clothing, while the Korean institutional source dates the modern naming contrast with Western-style clothing to the late nineteenth century. Clothing history is retained as context and not used to backdate the lexical term. Inspected lexical, historical, or regional record
Hanbok is the Korean lexical category for traditional Korean clothing; its forms changed over time, but the term’s naming history is represented separately. Inspected lexical, historical, or regional record
The inspected source supports the conventional reading HAN-bok for hanbok; it is presented as a reading, not as transliteration. Inspected lexical, historical, or regional record
The inspected sources establish the displayed form and route but do not establish a secure word-specific lexical date for hanbok. Inspected lexical, historical, or regional record
Korea · Korean language region is used as a broad language, speech-community, or documented contact-corridor reference for this stage; it is not presented as a lexical birthplace. Inspected lexical, historical, or regional record

Relationships

hanbok → hanbok: borrowing, documented. English borrows Korean 한복 directly. The source form is a transparent compound, and English keeps its Korean clothing referent rather than translating it into a generic dress term. A name and a clothing history are different chronologies: The naming period explains why the compound became salient beside Western-style clothing. It does not date the clothing itself or supply an English first-use date. Entry — inspected etymology or definition passage Inspected lexical, historical, or regional record

Inspect the evidence 10 claims

Open a claim to follow the source and our interpretation.

01English hanbok is borrowed from Korean 한복 (韓服), literally Korean clothing.
Source
hanbok — WiktionaryWiktionary contributorsEntry — inspected etymology or definition passage
Source passage
Source summary · not a quotation
The English entry traces hanbok to Korean 한복 (韓服), literally Korean clothing, and defines it as traditional Korean dress.
English entry — inspected etymology and definition
Qualification Source-supported
Directly supported by the inspected passage.
What Lexography infers
The journey is limited to the inspected passage and does not promote an omitted or uncertain route to fact.
Checked 2026-09-20. Original factual paraphrase from an inspected source passage; no full article redistributed.
02The English noun denotes traditional Korean dress.
Source
hanbok — WiktionaryWiktionary contributorsEntry — inspected etymology or definition passage
Source passage
Source summary · not a quotation
The English entry traces hanbok to Korean 한복 (韓服), literally Korean clothing, and defines it as traditional Korean dress.
English entry — inspected etymology and definition
Qualification Source-supported
Directly supported by the inspected passage.
What Lexography infers
The journey is limited to the inspected passage and does not promote an omitted or uncertain route to fact.
Checked 2026-09-20. Original factual paraphrase from an inspected source passage; no full article redistributed.
03Korean 한복 is a transparent Sino-Korean compound meaning Korean clothing, while the Korean institutional source dates the modern naming contrast with Western-style clothing to the late nineteenth century. Clothing history is retained as context and not used to backdate the lexical term.
Source
When did the name hanbok begin to be used?Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, Republic of KoreaInspected lexical, historical, or regional record
Source passage
Source summary · not a quotation
The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism says the word hanbok began to be used in the late nineteenth century to distinguish native clothing from Western-style clothing.
문화돋보기 — 한복이라는 이름은 언제부터 사용하였을까요?
Qualification Qualified
The selected route is retained with explicit scope and alternatives where the inspected sources do not agree.
What Lexography infers
Together with the direct-borrowing record, this Korean institutional account supports a late naming contrast and a stable culturally specific referent; it does not backdate the word from the history of the clothing.
Checked 2026-09-20. Institutional Korean cultural-history context; not used as a garment-history substitute for every lexical date.
04Hanbok is the Korean lexical category for traditional Korean clothing; its forms changed over time, but the term’s naming history is represented separately.
Source
When did the name hanbok begin to be used?Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, Republic of KoreaInspected lexical, historical, or regional record
Source passage
Source summary · not a quotation
The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism says the word hanbok began to be used in the late nineteenth century to distinguish native clothing from Western-style clothing.
문화돋보기 — 한복이라는 이름은 언제부터 사용하였을까요?
Qualification Source-supported
Directly supported by the inspected passage.
What Lexography infers
Lexography treats hanbok as a Korean clothing category retained in English, while keeping changes in garments separate from a claim of lexical semantic change.
Checked 2026-09-20. Institutional Korean cultural-history context; not used as a garment-history substitute for every lexical date.
05The inspected source supports the conventional reading HAN-bok for 한복; it is presented as a reading, not as transliteration.
Source
한복 — National Institute of Korean Language romanization recordNational Institute of Korean Language, Republic of KoreaInspected lexical, historical, or regional record
Source passage
Source summary · not a quotation
The National Institute of Korean Language records 한복 as hanbok, not hanpok, under the Revised Romanization examples.
용례 찾기 — 한복
Qualification Source-supported
Directly supported by the inspected passage.
What Lexography infers
Lexography retains the source-backed value at its stated scope and does not infer a stronger origin, date, or location than the inspected evidence supports.
Checked 2026-09-20. Official Korean romanization record; brief paraphrase only.
06Korea · Korean language region is used as a broad language, speech-community, or documented contact-corridor reference for this stage; it is not presented as a lexical birthplace.
Source
Glottolog 5.3 — slice 2 language reference regionsHammarström, Forkel, Haspelmath & Bank; Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary AnthropologyInspected lexical, historical, or regional record
Source passage
Reference record
Korea · Korean language region; reference coordinates 36.2 latitude, 127.8 longitude. A broad Korean language reference coordinate, not a lexical birthplace or modern-border claim.
Language reference map and country listing
Qualification Reference only
The regional record supports map orientation only; it does not prove a lexical origin coordinate.
What Lexography infers
Lexography retains the source-backed value at its stated scope and does not infer a stronger origin, date, or location than the inspected evidence supports.
Checked 2026-09-20. CC BY 4.0; rounded language/community reference coordinates, never lexical birthplaces.
07The inspected source supports the bounded lexical or textual period shown for 한복.
Source
When did the name hanbok begin to be used?Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, Republic of KoreaInspected lexical, historical, or regional record
Source passage
Source summary · not a quotation
The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism says the word hanbok began to be used in the late nineteenth century to distinguish native clothing from Western-style clothing.
문화돋보기 — 한복이라는 이름은 언제부터 사용하였을까요?
Qualification Source-supported
Directly supported by the inspected passage.
What Lexography infers
Lexography retains the source-backed value at its stated scope and does not infer a stronger origin, date, or location than the inspected evidence supports.
Checked 2026-09-20. Institutional Korean cultural-history context; not used as a garment-history substitute for every lexical date.
08The inspected source supports the conventional reading HAN-bok for hanbok; it is presented as a reading, not as transliteration.
Source
한복 — National Institute of Korean Language romanization recordNational Institute of Korean Language, Republic of KoreaInspected lexical, historical, or regional record
Source passage
Source summary · not a quotation
The National Institute of Korean Language records 한복 as hanbok, not hanpok, under the Revised Romanization examples.
용례 찾기 — 한복
Qualification Source-supported
Directly supported by the inspected passage.
What Lexography infers
Lexography retains the source-backed value at its stated scope and does not infer a stronger origin, date, or location than the inspected evidence supports.
Checked 2026-09-20. Official Korean romanization record; brief paraphrase only.
09Korea · Korean language region is used as a broad language, speech-community, or documented contact-corridor reference for this stage; it is not presented as a lexical birthplace.
Source
Glottolog 5.3 — slice 2 language reference regionsHammarström, Forkel, Haspelmath & Bank; Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary AnthropologyInspected lexical, historical, or regional record
Source passage
Reference record
Korea · Korean language region; reference coordinates 36.2 latitude, 127.8 longitude. A broad Korean language reference coordinate, not a lexical birthplace or modern-border claim.
Language reference map and country listing
Qualification Reference only
The regional record supports map orientation only; it does not prove a lexical origin coordinate.
What Lexography infers
Lexography retains the source-backed value at its stated scope and does not infer a stronger origin, date, or location than the inspected evidence supports.
Checked 2026-09-20. CC BY 4.0; rounded language/community reference coordinates, never lexical birthplaces.
10The inspected sources establish the displayed form and route but do not establish a secure word-specific lexical date for hanbok.
Source
When did the name hanbok begin to be used?Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, Republic of KoreaInspected lexical, historical, or regional record
Source passage
Source summary · not a quotation
The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism says the word hanbok began to be used in the late nineteenth century to distinguish native clothing from Western-style clothing.
문화돋보기 — 한복이라는 이름은 언제부터 사용하였을까요?
Qualification Unresolved
Normal lexical and historical sources were inspected; the retained evidence does not support a more precise date.
What Lexography infers
Lexography retains the source-backed value at its stated scope and does not infer a stronger origin, date, or location than the inspected evidence supports.
Checked 2026-09-20. Institutional Korean cultural-history context; not used as a garment-history substitute for every lexical date.