Gat

Traditional Korean hat

A Gat is a Korean traditional hat worn by men along with Korean traditional clothing called hanbok during the Joseon Dynasty. Made from horsehair with a bamboo frame, and is a semi-transparent black colour.

Gats are cylindrical with a wide brim on a bamboo frame. Only married and middle class men during the late 19th century could wear a Gat, which represented their social status and protected their topknots called sangtu.

During the Joseon Dynasty, black gats were restricted to men who had passed the gwageo examination. Commoners wore a variant called paeraengi which was woven from split bamboo.

Makers of gats are called gatiljang in Korean.