Creating detailed maps of East Asia, Ricci labeled the region and the dynasty ruling it as "Cauhi" or "Coresu," which were approximations of the Korean pronunciation of Goryeo. Within Korea, the kingdom was known as "Goryeo," but when Korean was written using the Hanja characters, the pronunciation evolved over time.
Gojoseon's Fall and the Birth of the Goryeo Name
This altered pronunciation became the bridge between the old kingdom and the modern identity. The Han Commanderies and the Birth of a Name To understand how Korea got its name, one must first look to the Han Dynasty of China.
Centered near present-day Pyongyang, Lelang served as a crucial administrative and cultural hub for over four centuries. The name "Goryeo" (高麗) was a conscious revival of the earlier kingdom's name, rendered in Hanja as "高" (high/glorious) and "麗" (beautiful).
Gojoseon's Fall and the Birth of the Goryeo Name
The Cartographic Crossroads: How the West Learned the Name While the name evolved internally, the definitive step in globalizing the designation came through 17th-century European cartography. " This phonetic evolution was critical because it was this specific rendering that caught the attention of foreign traders and missionaries.
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