Joseon Dynasty Hats And Hairstyles As Seen On Netflix's Kingdom

Kingdom seasons 1 and 2 have gained worldwide popularity for the interesting plot and action scenes. Of course, there are intense scenes of fighting zombies, but you can also see some of the history and culture of the Joseon era as well.

Many people who have watched this series might have noticed that the characters in the show are always wearing hats and that they change depending on the occasion. Let's take a look at what the different hats and hairstyles meant in the Joseon dynasty!

Korean Traditional Hats And Hairstyles

Gat (갓)

The first type of hat we'll cover is the one that's most-seen in the show, the gat (갓), which was worn by Korean men in the Joseon Dynasty. From the beginning of the 19th century onwards, it was worn with the traditional Korean hanbok.

This hat was made from the tail hair of a horse and woven with bamboo into the shape of a hat. It was woven in a thin pattern that makes it look almost translucent.

The gat has a wide brim and a cylindrical top and was only worn by the upper and middle class. The wearer must have their hair in the sangtu (상투) style, which is when the hair is tied in a tight topknot. A thin mesh cloth is tied around the head for ventilation.

The strap that goes under the chin is called the heuklip (흑립). For people in the middle class, it will be made of black cloth. For people in the Yangban, or noble class, it will be made of precious beads instead. The craftsman who created the hat was called a gatiljang (갓일장).

Jeongjagwan (정자관)

Some of you might not be familiar with this hat because it isn't seen in the series as often. This hat is the jeongjagwan (정자관), which was a hat for the nobility, was worn only when they were at home.

If they were going outside or performing official duties, they changed into to another type of hat.

Samo (사모)

The samo (사모) is another type of hat that is seen quite often, whether in the series Kingdom or other Korean period dramas. It is a rounded hat with protruding sections on both sides at the back. It was worn by government officials.

This type of hat was used in the middle and late Joseon eras. Therefore, it is different from the bokdu (복두) that nobles wore in the early Joseon period, which is a similar hat but has a square shape on both the top and brim.

If worn during a funeral ceremony, the samo will be changed from black to white.

Jeollip (전립)

This is another hat that is often seen in Korean historical dramas. During the Joseon Dynasty, this hat was worn by military officers. It was often decorated with a peacock feather and had a woven rope running around it. Sometimes, it had a red and yellow beaded strap.

Nambawi (남바위)

In season 2, because the zombies can come out even during the day in winter, we see a new type of hat called nambawi (남바위). It's a traditional fleece-lined hat worn in the winter to protect the face and ears from the cold. It was worn under other hats, like a samo.

Jurip (주립)

Another hat that could separate military officials from other civil servants is the jurip (주립), or a red hat adorned with a feather on top. The soldiers wore this type of hat along with their uniform.

Paeraengi (패랭이)

Historical Korean drama fans must have seen this kind of hat worn by the villagers or commoners. Paeraengi (패랭이) is a variation of the gat made of straw. It indicated the person wearing it belonged to a lower social class.

Gache (가체) & Tteoguji (떠구지)

When watching historical Korean dramas, you will see that most of the upper class women wear large wigs. But why do they wear these? The gache (가체) is an extravagant wig worn by queens and noblewomen who were married.

If you observe carefully, you will see that the queen in Kingdom wears another large accessory over the top of the gache, which is the tteoguji (떠구지), a wooden headpiece.

It is tied up with a red ribbon called tteoguji daengi (떠구지 댕이) and held in place with hairpins called binyeo (비녀).

Daesu Meori (대수머리)

The daesu meori (대수머리) hairstyle is like a queen's crown during the Joseon Dynasty.

As seen in Kingdom, it's decorated with many pins and ornaments. There are phoenix-shaped hairpins on both sides and pearls adorning the center by her forehead. Not only that, but there is red and gold cloth at the top along with a butterfly brooch, more phoenix pins, and three huge binyeo.

I wonder how much this would have weighed!

Saeng Meori (생머리)

Finally, we are going to introduce you to the hairstyle of the heroine of the story, the nurse! This hairstyle is called saeng meori (생머리), which is a hairstyle for court ladies. The hair was braided, folded, and tied with a daengi (댕이), or ribbon.

Historical Korean dramas like Kingdom are so fun to watch because the audience can enjoy a gripping story as well as gain knowledge of the history and culture of Korea.

We hope this post helped clear up some of your confusion about the hats and hairstyles worn during the Joseon Dynasty!