hanbok

[ han-bohk ]

noun

1. Korean traditional dress, usually consisting of loose, tied garments such as wrapped shirts and robes, long full skirts, and trousers gathered at the ankles.

Word History and Origins

Origin of hanbok¹

First recorded in 1970–75; from Korean: literally, “Korean clothing,” from Han “Korea” ( Hangul ( def ) ) + bok “clothing, clothes” (from Middle Chinese; compare Mandarin fú, Cantonese fuk )

Example Sentences

That was the first time that people would hear about or learn about the hanbok, which is the Korean dress, or Korean food.

From Los Angeles Times

But he wore a hanbok, the traditional Korean clothing that resembles a monk’s robe, and said the performance video drew millions of views on social media.

From Seattle Times

Royal palaces and other tourist sites were also packed with visitors wearing the country’s colorful traditional “hanbok” flowing robes.

From Seattle Times

After years of often contentious living in the United States, the women come back together in Huran’s old age, Insuk caring for her in the hospital while Huran imagines a different life: “Suppose it was just Huran and Insuk, and Sungho had left them alone. Suppose Huran and Insuk had sold the hanbok and bought the farm and spent the days killing chickens in their aprons and the nights curling into each other’s arms by the stove. Huran understood it’d always been them, together.”

From Los Angeles Times

They were examples of the jeogori — the sleeved top layer of the hanbok, the term for traditional Korean clothing — made by copying pieces from throughout the first half of the 20th century, as its form changed with the times.

From New York Times