Chima (clothing)

Chima is a type of skirt worn together with jeogori, or a short jacket in hanbok, Korean traditional clothing. It is also referred to as sang (裳) or gun (裙) in hanja in the Korean language.

Basic forms of ancient chima can be seen in murals of Goguryeo kingdom (37 BC–668 AD), built approximately during the 4th or 6th century. Women in the upper class wore a long chima which falls down to the floor while women in the lower class wore a shorter chima which length reaches to the calf of the leg. In addition, Goguryeo women also wore saekdong chima that is a colorfully striped skirt by patchworking, and a chima in form of gored skirt, made by sewing several pieces of fabric without gathering.