Etymology of the names of Korea
There are various
names of Korea
in use today that are all derived from those of ancient Koreanic kingdoms and dynasties. The choice of name often depends on the language, whether the user is referring to either or both modern Korean countries, and even the user's political views on the
Korean conflict
.
The name
Korea
is an
exonym
, derived from
Goryeo
or
Kory?.
Both
North Korea
and
South Korea
use the name in English. However, in the
Korean language
, the two Koreas use different terms to refer to the nominally unified nation:
Joseon
(
朝鮮
,
朝鮮
) in North Korea and
Hanguk
(
韓國
,
韓國
) in South Korea.
[
citation needed
]
History
[
edit
]
The earliest records of Korean history are written in
Chinese characters
called
hanja
. Even after the invention of
hangul
, Koreans generally recorded native Korean names with hanja, by
translation
of meaning,
transliteration
of sound, or even combinations of the two. Furthermore, the pronunciations of the same character are somewhat different in Korean and the various Korean dialects, and have changed over time.
For all these reasons, in addition to the sparse and sometimes contradictory written records, it is often difficult to determine the original meanings or pronunciations of ancient names.
Ancient history
[
edit
]
Gojoseon
[
edit
]
Until 108 BC, northern Korea and part of
Manchuria
were controlled by
Gojoseon
. In contemporaneous
Chinese
records, it was written as
朝鮮
, which is pronounced in modern Korean as
Joseon
(
朝鮮
). Historically, these characters have been read in the Korean language as 됴션
Dyosyen
; 朝鮮
Joseon
is a very recent spelling, reformed to reflect recent changes in the phonology of the Korean language. The prefixing of
Go-
(
古
), meaning "old" or "ancient," is a historiographical convention that distinguishes it from the later
Joseon Dynasty
. The name Joseon is also now still used by North Koreans and
Koreans living in China
and
Japan
to refer to the peninsula, and as the official Korean form of the name of
Democratic People's Republic of Korea
(Joseon)
. Cognates of 朝鮮
Joseon
are also used in many Asian languages, such as Japanese, Vietnamese, and Chinese, to refer to the Korean Peninsula.
[
citation needed
]
Possibly the
Chinese characters
phonetically transcribed a native Korean name, perhaps pronounced something like "Jyusin". Some speculate that it also corresponds to Chinese references to
肅愼
(
肅愼
,
Suksin (ethnic group)
),
稷愼
(
직신
, Jiksin) and
息愼
(
食神
, Siksin), although these latter names probably describe the ancestors of the
Jurchen people
.
[1]
[2]
Other scholars believe
朝鮮
was a
translation
(like Japanese
kun'yomi
) of the native Korean
Asadal
(
阿斯達
), the capital of Gojoseon:
asa
being a hypothetical
Altaic
root word for "morning", and
dal
meaning "mountain", a common ending for Goguryeo place names (with the use of the character
鮮
"fresh" to transcribe the final
-dal
syllable possibly having been based on the pronunciation of the ancient ancestor of Middle Korean
d?l-
> Modern Korean 달
dal-
"sweet").
[3]
An early attempt to translate these characters into English gave rise to the expression "The Land of the Morning Calm" for Korea,
[4]
which parallels the expression "The Land of the Rising Sun" for Japan. While the wording is fanciful, the essence of the translation is valid.
[
citation needed
]
Around the time of Gojoseon's fall, various chiefdoms in southern Korea grouped into confederacies, collectively called the
Samhan
(
三韓
,
三韓
, "Three
Han
").
Han
is a native Korean root for "leader" or "great", as in
maripgan
("king", archaic),
hanabi
("grandfather", archaic), and
Hanbat
("Great Field", archaic name for
Daejeon
).
[
citation needed
]
Han
was transliterated in Chinese records as
韓
;
han
(
한
),
幹
;
gan
(
間
),
刊
;
k?n
(
間
), and
干
;
g?n
(
間
). The Korean name Han is etymologically disconnected from both the Chinese state 韓; han, despite sharing the same Chinese character, and the Han (漢; han) dynasty along with the associated ethnicity.
Beginning in the 7th century, the name "
Samhan
" became synonymous with the
Three Kingdoms of Korea
.
[5]
According to the
Samguk sagi
and
Samguk yusa
,
Silla
implemented a national policy, "Samhan Unification" (
삼한一統
;
三韓一統
), to integrate
Baekje
and
Goguryeo
refugees. In 1982, a memorial stone dating back to 686 was discovered in
Cheongju
with an inscription: "The Three Han were unified and the domain was expanded."
[5]
During the
Later Silla
period, the concepts of Samhan as the ancient confederacies and the Three Kingdoms of Korea were merged.
[5]
In a letter to an imperial tutor of the Tang dynasty,
Ch'oe Ch'i-w?n
equated Byeonhan to Baekje, Jinhan to Silla, and Mahan to Goguryeo.
[6]
By the
Goryeo
period, Samhan became a common name to refer to all of Korea.
[5]
In his Ten Mandates to his descendants,
Wang Geon
declared that he had unified the Three Han (Samhan), referring to the Three Kingdoms of Korea.
[5]
[6]
Samhan continued to be a common name for Korea during the
Joseon
period and was widely referenced in the
Annals of the Joseon Dynasty
.
[5]
In China, the Three Kingdoms of Korea were collectively called Samhan since the beginning of the 7th century.
[7]
The use of the name Samhan to indicate the Three Kingdoms of Korea was widespread in the
Tang dynasty
.
[8]
Goguryeo was alternately called
Mahan
by the Tang dynasty, as evidenced by a Tang document that called Goguryeo generals "Mahan leaders" (
馬韓酋長
;
馬韓酋長
) in 645.
[7]
In 651,
Emperor Gaozong of Tang
sent a message to the king of Baekje referring to the Three Kingdoms of Korea as Samhan.
[5]
Epitaphs of the Tang dynasty, including those belonging to Baekje, Goguryeo, and Silla refugees and migrants, called the Three Kingdoms of Korea "Samhan", especially Goguryeo.
[8]
For example, the epitaph of Go Hyeon (
고현
;
高玄
), a Tang dynasty general of Goguryeo origin who died in 690, calls him a "Liaodong Samhan man" (
搖動 三韓人
;
遼東 三韓人
).
[7]
The
History of Liao
equates Byeonhan to Silla, Jinhan to Buyeo, and Mahan to Goguryeo.
[6]
The "Han" in the names of the
Korean Empire
,
Daehan Jeguk
, and the
Republic of Korea
(South Korea),
Daehan Minguk
or
Hanguk
, are named in reference to the Three Kingdoms of Korea, not the ancient confederacies in the southern Korean Peninsula.
[5]
[6]
Goryeo
[
edit
]
Around the beginning of the
Common Era
, remnants of the fallen Gojoseon were re-united and expanded by the kingdom of
Goguryeo
, one of the
Three Kingdoms of Korea
. It, too, was a native Korean word, probably pronounced something like "Guri", transcribed with various hanja characters:
高句麗
,
高勾麗
, or
高駒麗
(
高句麗
, Goguryeo),
高麗
(
高麗
, Goryeo),
高離
(
고리
, Gori), or
句麗
(
句麗
, Guryeo). The source native name is thought to be either *
Guru
("walled city, castle, fortress"; attested in Chinese historical documents, but not in native Korean sources) or *
Gauri
("center, middle"; cf. Middle Korean
*gaβ?nd?y
and Standard Modern Korean
gaunde
가운데
).
[
citation needed
]
The theory that Goguryeo referenced the founder's surname has been largely discredited (the royal surname changed from
Hae
to
Go
long after the state's founding).
[
citation needed
]
Revival of the names
[
edit
]
In the south, the Samhan resolved into the kingdoms of
Baekje
and
Silla
, constituting, with Goguryeo, the
Three Kingdoms of Korea
. In 668, Silla unified the three kingdoms, and reigned as
Later Silla
until 935. The name
Samhan
became synonymous with the Three Kingdoms of Korea beginning in the 7th century, and by the Goryeo period it became a common name to refer to all of Korea.
[5]
The succeeding dynasty called itself
Goryeo
(
Korean
:
高麗
;
Hanja
:
高麗
;
MR
:
Kory?
), and regarded itself as the successor to
Goguryeo
(
Korean
:
高句麗
;
Hanja
:
高句麗
;
MR
:
Kogury?
).
[9]
[10]
[11]
[12]
The name Goryeo was the shortened form of Goguryeo and was first used during the reign of
Jangsu
in the 5th century. Through the
Silk Road
trade routes,
Persian and Arab merchants
brought knowledge about Silla and Goryeo to
India
and the
Middle East
. Goryeo was transliterated into
Italian
as "Cauli", the name
Marco Polo
used when mentioning the country in his
Travels,
derived from the
Chinese
form
G?oli
.
In 1392, a new dynasty established by a military coup revived the name
Joseon
(
朝鮮
,
朝鮮
,
Chos?n
), after the ancient state Gojoseon. The alternative name for this nation could have been Hwaryeong, but in the end, Taejo of Joseon decided to go with Joseon. The hanja for Joseon have been translated into English as "morning calm" and sometimes rather as "morning freshness" or "morning radiance"
[13]
and Korea's English nickname became
"The Land
of the Morning Calm";
however, this interpretation is not often used in the Korean language, and is more familiar to Koreans as a
back-translation
from English. Only the interpretation as "morning freshness" is plainly viable, with "morning calm" and "morning radiance" being rather fanciful interpretations. The nickname "Land of the Morning Calm" was coined by
Percival Lowell
in his book, "Choson, the Land of the Morning Calm," published in 1885.
In 1897, the nation was renamed
Daehan Jeguk
(
大韓帝國
,
大韓帝國
, literally, "Great Han Empire", known in English as
Korean Empire
).
Han
had been selected in reference to
Samhan
, specifically the Three Kingdoms of Korea, not the ancient confederacies in the southern Korean Peninsula.
[5]
[6]
So,
Daehan Jeguk
(
大韓帝國
,
大韓帝國
) means it is an empire that rules the area of Three Kingdoms of Korea. This name was used to emphasize independence of Korea, because an empire cannot be a subordinate country.
20th century
[
edit
]
When the Korean Empire came under
Japanese rule
in 1910, the name reverted to
Joseon
(officially, the Japanese pronunciation
Ch?sen
). During this period, many different groups outside of Korea fought for independence, the most notable being the
Daehan Minguk Imsi Jeongbu
(
大韓民國 臨時政府
,
大韓民國臨時政府
), literally the "Provisional Government of the Great Han People's State", known in English as the
Provisional Government of the Republic of Korea
(
民國
=
民
'people' +
國
country/state' = 'republic' in East Asian capitalist societies).
[a]
Korea became independent after
World War II
(1945) and the country was then
divided
.
In 1948, the South adopted the provisional government's name of
Daehan Minguk
(
大韓民國
,
大韓民國
; see above), known in English as the
Republic of Korea
,
[14]
though commentators have noted that the English name is not a direct translation of the Korean one.
[15]
[16]
Meanwhile, the North became
Chos?n Minjuju?i Inmin Konghwaguk
(
조선민주주의인민공화국
,
朝鮮民主主義人民共和國
), translated in English as the
Democratic People's Republic of Korea
. Each component of the name was carefully selected.
Chos?n
was the natural choice for the short form, "Korea", since it had been used throughout the colonial period to denote the Peninsula. For the long form of the name,
Konghwaguk
was used for republic because of its leftist connotations over
Minguk
. North Koreans wanted to adopt something that had already been used in the
Eastern Bloc
to borrow legitimacy. A choice was presented between a "
People's Republic
" and a "
Democratic Republic
", because they had been used in the names of the short-lived
Ukrainian People's Republic of Soviets
and the
Finnish Democratic Republic
, respectively. "People's Republic" was favored by
Pak Hon-yong
of the
Communist Party of Korea
and it had already been used by the temporary
People's Republic of Korea
(PRK) formed in Seoul after liberation. "Democratic Republic", on the other hand, was associated with
Mao Zedong
's concept of
New Democracy
, which influenced
Kim Tu-bong
of the
New People's Party of Korea
. After his party merged with the
Workers' Party of North Korea
, the concept found its way to
Kim Il Sung
's parlance. Kim began to speak of a "Democratic People's Republic". This was echoed by what the true authorities of the country, the
Soviet Civil Administration
, prescribed, albeit in different order: "People's-Democratic Republic" (
Russian
:
Народно-Демократическая Республика
). Thus the name of the country became the "Korea(n) Democratic People's Republic" in Korean and "Korean People's-Democratic Republic" in Russian so that both parties could claim that they were behind the coining.
[14]
Current usage
[
edit
]
East Asia
[
edit
]
Korea
[
edit
]
Today, South Koreans use
Hanguk
(
韓國
,
韓國
) to refer to just South Korea
[17]
or Korea as a whole,
Namhan
(
南韓
,
南韓
; "South Han") for South Korea, and
Bukhan
(
北韓
,
北韓
; "North Han") for North Korea. South Korea less formally refers to North Korea as
Ibuk
(
以北
,
以北
; "The North"). South Koreans often refer to Korea as "uri nara" (
우리나라
), meaning "our nation" or "our country". In addition, the official name for the Republic of Korea in the Korean language is "Daehan Minguk" (
大韓民國
,
大韓民國
; which is usually translated as "The Republic of Korea").
North Koreans use
Chos?n
,
[18]
Namchos?n
(
南朝鮮
,
南朝鮮
; "South Chos?n"), and
Pukchos?n
(
北朝鮮
,
北朝鮮
; "North Chos?n") when referring to Korea, South Korea, and North Korea, respectively. The term
Pukchos?n
, however, is rarely used in the north, although it may be found in pre-war sources, such as the
Song of General Kim Il-sung
. In the 1970s,
Kim Il Sung
suggested that in the event of a North Korean takeover of South Korea, "Koryo" (
Korean
:
高麗
) could become the Korean name of the country.
[19]
[20]
In the tourist regions in North Korea and the official meetings between South Korea and North Korea,
Namcheuk
(
南側
,
南側
) and
Bukcheuk
(
北側
,
北側
), or "southern side" and "northern side", are used instead of
Namjos?n
and
Bukhan
.
The
Korean language
is called
Hangukeo
(
韓國語
,
韓國語
, referring to the Korean language) or
Hangukmal
(
韓國말
,
韓國말
, referring to spoken Korean only) in the South and
Chos?nmal
(
朝鮮말
,
朝鮮말
) or
Chos?n?
(
朝鮮語
,
朝鮮語
) in the North. The Korean script is called
hangeul
(
한글
) in South Korea and
Chos?n'g?l
(
朝鮮글
) in North Korea. The
Korean Peninsula
is called
Hanbando
(
韓半島
,
韓半島
) in the South and
Chos?n Bando
(
朝鮮半島
,
朝鮮半島
) in the North.
Greater China
[
edit
]
In
Chinese
-speaking areas such as
China
,
Hong Kong
,
Macau
and
Taiwan
, different naming conventions on several terms have been practiced according to their political proximity to whichever Korean government although there is a growing trend for convergence.
In the Chinese language, the Korean Peninsula is usually called
Chaoxi?n Band?o
(
simplified Chinese
:
朝?半?
;
traditional Chinese
:
朝鮮半島
) and in rare cases called
Han Band?o
(
simplified Chinese
:
?半?
;
traditional Chinese
:
韓半島
). Ethnic Koreans are also called
Chaoxi?nzu
(
朝?族
), instead of
Dahan minzu
(
大韓民族
). However, the term
Hanguo ren
(
??人
) may be used to specifically refer to South Koreans.
Before establishing diplomatic relations with South Korea, the
People's Republic of China
tended to use the historic Korean name
Chaoxi?n
(
朝?
"Joseon" or "Chos?n"), by referring to South Korea as
Nan Chaoxi?n
(
南朝?
"South Joseon"). Since diplomatic ties were restored, China has used the names that each of the two sides prefer, by referring to North Korea as
Chaoxi?n
and to South Korea as
Hanguo
(
??
"Hanguk"). The Korean language can be referred to as either
Chaoxi?ny?
(
朝??
) or
Hanguoy?
(
???
). The
Korean War
is officially called the
Kangm?i Yuanchao Zhanzh?ng
(
抗美援朝??
"War to Resist America and Aid Korea") although the term
Chaoxi?n Zhanzh?ng
(
朝???
) is also used in unofficial contexts.
Taiwan
, on the other hand, uses the South Korean names, referring to North Korean as
B?ihan
(
北韓
"North Han") and South Korean as
Nanhan
(
南韓
"South Han"). The
Republic of China
previously maintained diplomatic relations with South Korea, but has never had relations with North Korea. As a result, in the past,
Hanguo
(
韓國
) had been used to refer to the whole Korea, and Taiwanese textbooks treated Korea as a unified nation. The
Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of China
under the
Democratic Progressive Party
Government considered North and South Koreas two separate countries. However, general usage in Taiwan is still to refer to North Korea as
B?ihan
(
北韓
"North Han[guk]") and South Korea as
Nanhan
(
南韓
"South Han[guk]") while use of
朝鮮
? which in Taiwan is not pronounced
Chaoxi?n
but
Chao
xi?n
? is generally limited to ancient Korea. The Korean language is usually referred to as
Hany?
(
韓語
).
Similarly, general usage in
Hong Kong
and
Macau
has traditionally referred to North Korea as
Bak Hon
(
北韓
"North Han") and South Korea as
Nam Hon
(
南韓
"South Han"). Under the influence of official usage, which is itself influenced by the official usage of the
People's Republic of China
government, the mainland practice of naming the two Koreas differently has become more common.
In the Chinese language used in
Singapore
and
Malaysia
, North Korea is usually called
Chaoxi?n
(
朝?
"Chos?n") with
B?i Chaoxi?n
(
北朝?
"North Chos?n") and
B?ihan
(
北?
"North Han") less often used, while South Korea is usually called
Hanguo
(
??
"Hanguk") with
Nanhan
(
南?
"South Han[guk]") and
Nan Chaoxi?n
(
南朝?
"South Chos?n") less often used.
In
Hokkien
speaking areas of chinese communities in countries like Taiwan and around
Southeast Asia
, Korea is called
Han-kok
(
韓國
"Hanguk") where North Korea is referred to as
Pak-han
(
北韓
"North Han") and South Korea as
Lam-han
(
南韓
"South Han").
The above usage pattern does not apply for Korea-derived words. For example, Korean
ginseng
is commonly called
G?oli sh?n
(
高麗參
, "Koryo ginseng").
Japan
[
edit
]
In
Japan
, North Korea is called
Kita-Ch?sen
(
北朝鮮
) and South Korea
Kankoku
(
韓?
).
However,
Japan-based North Koreans
claim the name
Kita-Ch?sen
is derogatory, as it only refers to the northern part of Korean Peninsula, whereas the government claims sovereignty over its whole territory.
[21]
Pro-North people such as
Chongryon
use the name
Ky?wakoku
(
共和?
; "the Republic") instead, but the ambiguous name is not popular among others. In 1972, Chongryon campaigned to get the Japanese media to stop referring to North Korea as
Kita-Ch?sen
. This effort was not successful, but as a compromise most media companies agreed to refer to the nation with its full official title at least once in every article, thus they used the lengthy
Kita-Ch?sen (Ch?sen Minshu-shugi Jinmin Ky?wakoku)
(
北朝鮮(朝鮮民主主義人民共和?)
; "North Korea (Democratic People's Republic of Korea)"). By January 2003, this policy started to be abandoned by most newspapers, starting with
Tokyo Shimbun
, which announced that it would no longer write out the full name,
[22]
followed by
Asahi
,
Mainichi
, and
Nikkei
.
[23]
For Korea as a whole,
Ch?sen
(
朝鮮
; "Joseon") is commonly used. The term Ch?sen, which has a longer usage history, continues to be used to refer to the Korean Peninsula, the Korean ethnic group, and the Korean language, which are use cases that would not cause confusion between Korea and North Korea. When referring to both North Korean and South Koreans, the
transcription
of
phonetic English
Korean
(
コリアン
,
Korian
) may be used because a reference to a Ch?sen national may be interpreted as a North Korean national instead.
The
Korean language
is most frequently referred to in Japan as
Kankokugo
(
韓?語
) or
Ch?sengo
(
朝鮮語
). While academia mostly prefers
Ch?sengo
,
Kankokugo
became more and more common in non-academic fields, thanks to the economic and cultural presence of South Korea. The language is also referred to as various combined terms, such as
Kankoku-Ch?sen-go
(
韓?朝鮮語
),
Ch?sen-Kankoku-go
(
朝鮮?韓?語
), "Kankokugo (Ch?sengo)" (
韓?語(朝鮮語)
), etc. Some people refer to the language as
Koriago
(
コリア語
), using the European name for Korea. This term is not used in ordinary Japanese, but was selected as a compromise to placate both nations in a euphemistic process called
kotobagari
. Likewise, when
NHK
broadcasts a language instruction program for Korean, the language is referred to as
hangurugo
(
ハングル語
; "hangul language"); although it is technically incorrect since
hangul
itself is a writing system, not a language.
[b]
Some argue that even
Hangurugo
is not completely neutral, since North Korea calls the writing system
Chos?n'g?l
, not
hangul
.
Urimaru
(
ウリマル
), a direct transcription of
uri mal
(
우리말
, "our language") is sometimes used by Korean residents in Japan, as well as by
KBS World Radio
. This term, however, may not be suitable to ethnic Japanese whose "our language" is not necessarily Korean.
Uri
(우리 "we/us/our") is the first-person plural pronoun and it is commonly used as a prefix in Korean terms to describe things that are Korean, such as
uri nara
(우리나라, "our country") which is yet another name Koreans give their country.
[24]
In Japan, those who moved to Japan usually maintain their distinctive cultural heritages (such as the Baekje-towns or Goguryeo-villages). Ethnic
Korean residents of Japan
have been collectively called
Zainichi Ch?senjin
(
在日朝鮮人
"Joseon People in Japan"), regardless of nationality. However, for the same reason as above, the euphemism
Zainichi Korian
(
在日コリアン
; "Koreans in Japan") is increasingly used today.
Zainichi
(
在日
; "In Japan") itself is also often used colloquially. People with
North Korean nationality
are called
Zainichi Ch?senjin
, while those with
South Korean nationality
, sometimes including recent newcomers, are called
Zainichi Kankokujin
(
在日韓?人
"Hanguk People in Japan").
Mongolia
[
edit
]
Mongolian people have their own word for Korea: Солонгос (
Solongos
). In
Mongolian
,
solongo
may mean either "
rainbow
" or "
mountain weasel
(
Mustela altaica
,
heeriyn solongo
"field/steppe
solongo
") or
Siberian weasel
(
Mustela sibirica
,
oyn solongo
"forest
solongo
")." Another theory states that the name is probably derived from the
Solon tribe
living in Manchuria, a tribe culturally and ethnically related to the Korean people.
[
citation needed
]
North and South Korea are, accordingly, Хойд Солонгос (
Hoid Solongos
) and ?мн?д Солонгос (
Omnod Solongos
). The authors of an article published in the year 2023 have related Mongolian
Solongos
for "Korea" to the Mongolic word *
solagai
(
cf.
Khalkh Mongolian солгой "left-handed, a lefty; out of tune, sounding wrong"), which may in turn be from Turkic
*s?l
"left.";
[25]
because "left" also means "east(ern)" in Mongolic languages (whereas "right" also means "west(ern)"), the authors suggest that this word may have been used to refer to "a foreign enemy force in the east," similar to Chinese 東夷
D?ngyi
.
The name of either
Silla
or its capital Seora-beol was also widely used throughout Northeast Asia as the ethnonym for the people of Silla, appearing [...] as
Solgo
or
Solho
in the language of the medieval Jurchens and their later descendants, the Manchus respectively. The plural of
Solho
("Korea, Korean; a Korean") in the Manchu language is
Solhoso
("
Koreans
, Korean people"), similar to
Solongos
in Mongolian. Manchu also has
solohi
or
silihi
for certain kinds of weasel (specifically,
suwayan solohi
"yellow
solohi
" for
Mustela sibirica
), but
nioron
for "rainbow."
The Mongolian and Manchu names for Korea and Koreans also resemble
Old Japanese
Siraki
~
Siragi
("
Silla
") and Old Korean *
Syerapeur
"Gyeongju; capital city of Silla" > Late Middle Korean
Syeveulh
"capital city (of Joseon)" > Modern Korean
Seoul
"capital city (of South Korea)."
Vietnamese-speaking areas
[
edit
]
In Vietnam, people call North Korea
Tri?u Tien
(
朝鮮
; "Chos?n") and South Korea
Han Qu?c
(
韓國
; "Hanguk"). Prior to unification,
North Vietnam
used
B?c Tri?u Tien
(
北朝鮮
; Bukchos?n) and
Nam Tri?u Tien
(
南朝鮮
; Namjoseon) while
South Vietnam
used
B?c Han
(
北韓
; Bukhan) and
Nam Han
(
南韓
; Namhan) for North and South Korea, respectively. After unification, the northern Vietnamese terminology persisted until the 1990s. When South Korea reestablished diplomatic relations with Vietnam in 1993, it requested that Vietnam use the name that it uses for itself, and
Han Qu?c
gradually replaced
Nam Tri?u Tien
in usage.
In the Vietnamese language used in the United States,
B?c Han
and
Nam Han
are most common used.
Outside East Asia
[
edit
]
English usage and spelling
[
edit
]
Both South and North Korea use the name "Korea" when referring to their countries in English. North Korea is sometimes referred to as "Democratic People's Republic of Korea" (DPRK) and South Korea is sometimes referred to as the "Republic of Korea" (ROK). The official names of both entities are also used by organizations such as
United Nations
,
International Olympic Committee
and media such as the
Associated Press
,
China Global Television Network
(CGTN), and several others.
[26]
As with other European languages, English historically had a variety of names for Korea. These included "Cauli" (Marco Polo's rendering of
Goryeo
), Caule, Core, Cory, Caoli, and Corai as well as two spellings that survived into the 19th century, Corea and Korea. The modern spelling, "Korea", first appeared in the late 17th century in the travel writings of the
Dutch East India Company
's
Hendrick Hamel
. The terms "Chosunese" or "Chosonese" were first used to refer to the people of
Joseon
in the late 19th century but were eventually phased out.
[27]
Both major English-speaking governments in the 19th and 20th centuries (the
United States
and the
United Kingdom
and its
empire
) used both "Korea" and "Corea" until the early part of the
period of Japanese occupation
.
[28]
[29]
English-language publications in the 19th century generally used the spelling Corea, which was also used at the founding of the UK's embassy in Seoul in 1890.
[30]
However, at the turn of the century, the then U.S.
minister
and
consul general
to Korea,
Horace Newton Allen
, used "Korea" in his works published on the country.
[31]
At the official Korean exhibit at the
World's Columbian Exhibition
in Chicago in 1893 a sign was posted by the Korean Commissioner saying of his country's name that "'Korea' and 'Corea' are both correct, but the former is preferred."
[32]
This may have had something to do with Allen's influence, as he was heavily involved in the planning and participation of the Korean exhibit at Chicago.
[32]
A shift can also be seen in Korea itself, where postage stamps issued in 1884 used the name "Corean Post" in English, but those from 1885 and thereafter used "Korea" or "Korean Post".
[33]
- Names of Korea on 19th century Korean stamps
-
1884 stamp reading "Corean Post"
-
1885 stamp reading "Korea"
-
1900 stamp reading "Imperial Korean Post"
By the first two decades of the 20th century, "Korea" began to be seen more frequently than "Corea" ? a change that coincided with Japan's consolidation of its grip over the peninsula. However, the spelling "Corea" was occasionally used even under full colonial rule and both it and "Korea" were largely eschewed in favor of the Japanese-derived "Chosen",
[28]
which itself was derived from "Joseon".
A theory that grew in popularity in South Korea in the early 2000s and especially during the 2002 joint
World Cup
(and endorsed by the North Korean state) was that Japan as occupier had intentionally standardized the spelling on "Korea", allegedly so that "Japan" would appear first alphabetically. However, evidence of a deliberate name change orchestrated by Japanese authorities is circumstantial, for example, a 1912 memoir by a Japanese colonial official
[
who?
]
that complained of the Koreans' tendency "to maintain they are an independent country by insisting on using a C to write their country's name."
[30]
Other languages
[
edit
]
European languages use variations of the name "Korea" for both North and South Korea. In general,
Celtic
and
Romance languages
spell it "Corea" (or variations) since "c" represents the
/k/
sound in most Romance and Celtic orthographies. However, languages that have a general preference towards representing
/k/
with "k" rather than "c", such as most
Germanic
or
Slavic languages
, generally use variants of "Korea" instead. In languages using other alphabets such as
Russian
(
Cyrillic
), variations phonetically similar to "Korea" are also used for example the Russian name for Korea is Корея, romanization Koreya or Koreja. Outside of Europe, most languages also use variants of "Korea", often adopted to local orthographies. Some Languages, especially
Romance Languages
like
Italian
,
French
and
Spanish
use spellings that start with "c": Corea, Coree and Corea respectively. "Korea" in the
Jurchen Jin
's national language (
Jurchen
) is "Sogo". "Korea" in the
conlang
Esperanto
is "Koreio". "Korea" in
Hmong
is "Kauslim" ("s" and "m" represent
tones
, not consonants).
Koreans abroad
[
edit
]
Emigrants who moved to
Russia
and
Central Asia
call themselves
Goryeoin
or
Koryo-saram
(
高麗人
;
高麗人
; literally "person or people of Goryeo"), or
Koreytsi
(
корейцы
) in
Russian
. Many Goryeoin are living in the
CIS
, including an estimated 106,852 in
Russia
, 22,000 in
Uzbekistan
, 20,000 in
Kyrgyzstan
, 17,460 in
Kazakhstan
, 8,669 in
Ukraine
, 2,000 in
Belarus
, 350 in
Moldova
, 250 in
Georgia
, 100 in
Azerbaijan
, and 30 in
Armenia
.
[34]
As of 2005, there are also 1.9 million ethnic Koreans living in China who hold Chinese citizenship and a further 560,000 Korean expatriates from both North and South living in China.
[35]
[36]
South Korean expatriates living in the U.S. may refer to themselves as
Jaemi
(-)
gyopo
(
在美僑胞
;
在美僑胞
,
lit.
'
"residents of America"
'
), or "gyopo" for short.
Names of Unified Korean sporting teams
[
edit
]
Sobriquets of Korea
[
edit
]
In traditional Korean culture, as well as in the cultural tradition of East Asia, the land of Korea has assumed a number of
sobriquets
over the centuries, including:
- 鷄林 (鷄林)
Gyerim
, "Rooster Forest", in reference to an early name for
Silla
.
- 君子支局 (君子之國)
Gunjaji-guk
, or "Land of Scholarly Gentlemen".
- 錦繡江山 (錦繡江山)
Geumsu gangsan
, "Land of Embroidered (or Splendid) Rivers and Mountains".
- 檀國 (檀國)
Danguk
, "Country of
Dangun
".
- 帶同 (大東)
Daedong
, "Great East".
- 동국 (東國)
Dongguk
, "Eastern Country".
- 東方 (東邦)
Dongbang
, literally "an Eastern Country" referring to Korea.
- 東方禮儀之國 (東方禮義之國, 東方禮儀之國)
Dongbang yeuiji-guk
, "Eastern Country of Courtesy".
- 동야 (東野)
Dongya
, "Eastern Plains".
- 東이 (東夷)
Dong-i
, or "Eastern Foreigners".
- 구이 (九夷)
Gu-i
, "Nine-i", refers to ancient tribes in the Korean peninsula.
[37]
- 凍土 (東土)
Dongto
, "Eastern Land".
- 白衣民族 (白衣民族)
Baeguiminjok
, "The white-clad race".
- 三千里 (三千里)
Three-thousand Li
, a reference to the length traditionally attributed to the country from its northern to southern tips plus eastern to western tips.
- 阿斯達 (阿斯達)
Asadal
, apparently an
Old Korean
term for Joseon.
- 請求 (靑丘)
Cheonggu
, or "Azure Hills". The color Azure is associated with the East.
- 八道江山 (八道江山)
Paldo gangsan
, "Rivers and Mountains of the Eight Provinces", referring to the traditional
eight provinces of Korea
.
- 槿花鄕 (槿花鄕)
Geunhwahyang
, "Country of Mugunghwa" refer to Silla Kingdom.
- 槿域 (槿域)
Geunyeok
, "Hibiscus Territory", or Land of Hibiscus
- 三韓 (三韓)
Samhan
, or "Three Hans", refers to
Samhan
confederacy that ruled Southern Korea. Beginning in the 7th century, Samhan became synonymous with the
Three Kingdoms of Korea
.
- 解凍 (海東)
Haedong
, "East of the Sea" (here being the West Sea separating from Korea).
- 해동三國 (海東三國)
Haedong samguk
, "Three Kingdoms East of the Sea" refers to
Three Kingdoms of Korea
- 海東盛國 (海東盛國)
Haedong seongguk
, literally "Flourishing Eastern Sea Country", historically refers to
Balhae
Kingdom of north?south period.
- 진국 (震國,振國)
Jinguk
, "Shock Country", old name of
Balhae
Kingdom.
- 진역 (震域)
Jinyeok
, "Eastern Domain".
- 診斷 (震檀,震壇)
Jindan
, "Eastern Country of
Dangun
".
- 진국 (辰國)
Jinguk
, "Country of Early Morning", refer to the Jin state of
Gojoseon
period.
[38]
See also
[
edit
]
Notes
[
edit
]
- ^
Actually Republic is
共和國
共和國
("Mutually peaceful country"), derived from the
Gonghe Regency
(共和), as can be seen in the names of the People's Republic of China and North Korea but the Republic of China and South Korea coined the latter
民國
民國
- ^
In the program, however, teachers avoid the name
Hangurugo
, by always saying
this language
. They would say, for instance, "In this language,
Annyeong haseyo
means Hello."
References
[
edit
]
- ^
敎授, 김운회 東洋大 (24 May 2005).
肅愼이 朝鮮에서 나온 아홉가지 理由
.
Pressian
(in Korean)
. Retrieved
25 December
2018
.
- ^
敎授, 김운회 東洋大 (5 September 2008).
當身은 쥬신
.
Pressian
(in Korean)
. Retrieved
25 December
2018
.
- ^
"[땅이름] 太白山과 阿斯達 / 허재영]"
(in Korean). 25 July 2006
. Retrieved
18 July
2019
.
- ^
Graham, Adam H. (25 September 2022).
"Exploring 'The Land of Morning Calm'
"
.
The New York Times
. Retrieved
23 January
2023
.
- ^
a
b
c
d
e
f
g
h
i
j
이기환 (30 August 2017).
[이기환의 痕跡의 歷史]國號論爭의 顚末…大韓民國이냐 考慮共和國이냐
.
Kyunghyang Shinmun
(in Korean)
. Retrieved
2 July
2018
.
- ^
a
b
c
d
e
이덕일.
[이덕일 사랑] 臺~韓民國
.
조선닷컴
(in Korean).
The Chosun Ilbo
. Retrieved
2 July
2018
.
- ^
a
b
c
"고현묘指名(高玄墓誌銘)"
.
韓國金石文 綜合映像情報시스템
. National Research Institute of Cultural Heritage
. Retrieved
10 September
2018
.
- ^
a
b
Deok-young, Kwon (2014).
"An inquiry into the name of Three Kingdom(三國) inscribed on the epitaph of T'ang(唐) period"
.
The Journal of Korean Ancient History
(in Korean).
75
: 105?137.
ISSN
1226-6213
. Retrieved
2 July
2018
.
- ^
Rossabi, Morris (20 May 1983).
China Among Equals: The Middle Kingdom and Its Neighbors, 10th-14th Centuries
. University of California Press. p. 323.
ISBN
9780520045620
. Retrieved
1 August
2016
.
- ^
Yi, Ki-baek (1984).
A New History of Korea
. Harvard University Press. p. 103.
ISBN
9780674615762
. Retrieved
20 October
2016
.
- ^
Kim, Djun Kil (30 January 2005).
The History of Korea
. ABC-CLIO. p. 57.
ISBN
9780313038532
. Retrieved
20 October
2016
.
- ^
Grayson, James H. (5 November 2013).
Korea - A Religious History
. Routledge. p. 79.
ISBN
9781136869259
. Retrieved
20 October
2016
.
- ^
The Korean Repository, Volume 4
. Trilingual Press. 1897. p. 79.
- ^
a
b
Tertitskiy, Fyodor (21 November 2018).
"How North Korea got its (official) name"
.
NK News
. Retrieved
8 March
2019
.
- ^
Myers, Brian Reynolds
(20 May 2018).
"North Korea's state-loyalty advantage"
.
Free Online Library
. Archived from
the original
on 20 May 2018.
- ^
Myers, Brian Reynolds
(28 December 2016).
"Still the Unloved Republic"
.
Sthele Press
. Retrieved
10 June
2019
.
Taehan minguk
. In English it is translated as Republic of Korea or South Korea, names which to us foreigners denote the state as a political entity distinct from its northern neighbor. To most people here, however,
Taehan minguk
conveys that sense only when used in contrastive proximity with the word
Pukhan
(North Korea)." "Ask South Koreans when the
Taehan minguk
was established; more will answer '5000 years ago' than 'in 1948,' because to them it is simply the full name for
Hanguk
, Korea, the homeland. That's all it meant to most people who shouted those four syllables so proudly during the World Cup in 2002.
- ^
"Hanguk"
.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
(Online). n.d
. Retrieved
19 December
2018
.
- ^
"Chos?n"
.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
(Online). n.d
. Retrieved
19 December
2018
.
- ^
Young, Banjamin R. (7 February 2014).
"Why is North Korea called the DPRK?"
.
NK News
. Retrieved
2 July
2019
.
- ^
"
"Conspiracy Theory"? ? B.R. Myers"
.
Sthele Press
. 20 August 2019
. Retrieved
24 August
2019
.
- ^
Shane Green,
Treaty plan could end Korean War
, The Age, November 6, 2003
- ^
Tokyo Shimbun
, December 31, 2002
- ^
Asahi
,
Mainichi
, and
Nikkei
- ^
Hyunjinmoon.
"
우리
(Uri) ? The Korean Notion of the Collective Self"
.
www.hyunjinmoon.com
. Retrieved
5 March
2016
.
- ^
Kang Junyoung and Yoo Byungjae (Feb 2023), "A Study on the Origin of the Name of Korea (Solongos) in Mongolia."
Mongol Studies
(몽골학) No. 72, pp. 117~148.
https://doi.org/10.17292/kams.2022.72.005
- ^
"ROK, DPRK leaders to meet April 27 in historic summit"
.
China Daily
. Agencies. 29 March 2018
. Retrieved
22 April
2018
.
- ^
The Korean Repository, Volume 1
- ^
a
b
"Korea versus Corea"
. Archived from
the original
on 25 January 2014
. Retrieved
10 August
2016
.
- ^
Korea from around 1913 using the spelling "Corean"
- ^
a
b
Demick, Barbara
(15 September 2003).
"A 'C' Change in Spelling Sought for the Koreas"
.
Los Angeles Times
. Archived from
the original
on 5 February 2024.
- ^
H. N. Allen, MD
Korean Tales: Being a Collection of Stories Translated from the Korean Folk Lore
. New York:
G. P. Putnam's Sons
, 1889.
- ^
a
b
"Korea in the White City: Korea at the World's Columbian Exhibition (1893)."
Transactions of the Korea Branch of the Royal Asiatic Society
77 (2002), 27.
- ^
KSS-Korbase's Korean Stamp Issuance Schedules
- ^
Commonwealth of Independent States Report
, 1996.
- ^
在外同胞現況 Current Status of Overseas Compatriots
, South Korea: Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade, 2009, archived from
the original
on 23 October 2010
, retrieved
21 May
2009
- ^
"The Korean Ethnic Group"
,
China.org.cn
, 21 June 2005
, retrieved
6 February
2009
- ^
Huang, Chun-chieh (2014).
Humanism in East Asian Confucian Contexts
. Verlag. p. 54.
ISBN
9783839415542
. Retrieved
23 July
2015
.
- ^
Ancient History of the Manchuria By Lee Mosol, MD, MPH
Further reading
[
edit
]
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By continent and subregion
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language family
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