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If the Saja Boys caught your attention in KPop Demon Hunters, there is probably one part of their darker look that was impossible to miss.
That huge black hat.
It looks dramatic.
It looks mysterious.
And it looks unmistakably Korean.
The hat is called:
갓
gat
A gat is a traditional Korean hat most strongly associated with men’s clothing during the Joseon Dynasty.
And the Saja Boys are not wearing it simply because it looks cool.
The gat carries centuries of Korean history, social meaning, and visual symbolism behind it.
Once you understand what a gat is, the Saja Boys’ supernatural styling becomes much more interesting.
What Does “Gat” Mean in Korean?
갓 (gat) is a traditional Korean hat worn by men, especially during the Joseon Dynasty.
The Korea Tourism Organization identifies the black hats worn by the Saja Boys in their demon form as traditional Korean gat, and explains that black gat were associated with Joseon-era noble scholars.
Unlike a modern cap or everyday sun hat, a gat was historically connected to a man’s clothing, social position, occasion, and sense of proper appearance.
So when you see a gat in Korean historical or fantasy content, you are not just looking at an unusual hat.
You are looking at a piece of Korean social history.
Why Are the Saja Boys Wearing Gat?
This is where KPop Demon Hunters becomes especially fun for viewers who understand Korean culture.
The name Saja Boys already connects to:
저승사자
jeoseung saja
messenger of the afterlife / Korean Grim Reaper
And Korean representations of 저승사자 are often associated with black robes and wide-brimmed traditional hats.
The Korea Tourism Organization specifically notes that jeoseung saja characters in modern Hallyu content are often recognizable through their sweeping black clothing and wide-brimmed gat.
So the Saja Boys’ styling creates several Korean cultural signals at the same time:
Saja
→ 저승사자
dark clothing
→ supernatural imagery
gat
→ traditional Korean visual identity
Put them together, and their appearance becomes much more than a K-pop fashion concept.
Was the Gat Really Worn in the Joseon Dynasty?
Yes.
The Joseon Dynasty lasted from 1392 to 1910, and different types of headwear played an important role in men’s clothing during this period.
Korea.net explains that Joseon men traditionally tied their long hair into a sangtu, or topknot, and wore hats that could reflect social class, occupation, or occasion.
The Metropolitan Museum of Art also has an authentic 19th-century Korean gat in its collection.
That surviving example is made from horsehair and cow-tail hair and is classified as a Joseon-period costume accessory.
So although the gat may look almost fantasy-like to viewers seeing it for the first time, it was a real part of Korean dress.
Why Is a Gat So Wide?
One of the most striking things about a gat is its silhouette.
It usually has:
a raised crown
a broad brim
a lightweight, delicate appearance
a dark, often semi-transparent surface
That wide brim gives the wearer an instantly recognizable shape.
Traditional gat-making is also much more complicated than the finished hat might suggest.
Modern reporting on Korean gat artisans describes a specialized process in which different craftspeople may produce different parts of the hat. The brim and crown are constructed separately before being assembled and finished.
This helps explain why an authentic handmade gat is not simply a piece of costume fabric shaped into a hat.
It is a traditional craft.
What Was a Gat Made Of?
There was not just one single material or one single type of gat.
Historical examples could use carefully worked natural materials.
For example, the 19th-century gat preserved by The Metropolitan Museum of Art uses:
horsehair and cow-tail hair
Traditional gat-making has also involved finely prepared bamboo and horsehair, depending on the hat and component.
The result can look surprisingly delicate and even slightly transparent.
That combination of a broad black shape and fine craftsmanship is part of what makes the gat visually distinctive.
Was a Gat Just a Fashion Accessory?
Not really.
This is one of the biggest differences between looking at the gat as a modern viewer and understanding it in its historical context.
Today, we might look at a hat mainly as:
fashion
sun protection
a costume accessory
personal style
But clothing in Joseon society could communicate much more.
Headwear could be connected with:
social status
occupation
age
occasion
proper public appearance
Korea.net notes that men’s hats during the Joseon period could indicate social class, occupation, and occasion.
The Korea Tourism Organization describes the black gat associated with noble scholars as symbolizing dignity, integrity, and Confucian scholarly ideals.
That is why calling it simply a “Korean hat” gives you the shape but not the full cultural meaning.
The Gat and Confucian Joseon Society
To understand the gat, it helps to understand the world in which it was worn.
Joseon society was deeply influenced by Confucian values.
Appearance, etiquette, social roles, education, and proper behavior mattered greatly.
For educated men, clothing could visually communicate respectability and status.
So the gat became connected not only with clothing, but also with the image of the scholar and gentleman.
That historical association is one reason the hat still carries such a strong presence when modern Korean entertainment uses it.
Put a gat on a character, and viewers immediately receive a visual message:
Korea. Tradition. Joseon. Authority. Mystery.
Modern K-content can then play with those associations.
Why Does the Gat Look So Powerful in K-Content?
The gat has an unusual advantage as a visual symbol.
You can recognize its silhouette almost instantly.
That is why it works particularly well in:
historical dramas
fantasy series
supernatural stories
animation
games
modern fashion inspired by traditional Korea
Long before KPop Demon Hunters, Netflix’s Korean series Kingdom helped draw international attention to traditional Joseon hats. Korea.net reported that global viewers became fascinated by the headwear seen in the series.
Now KPop Demon Hunters has introduced the visual language of the gat to another enormous international audience.
Korea’s official tourism site even points to renewed interest in gat-inspired objects following the popularity of the Saja Boys.
The gat has become something rare:
a centuries-old object that still looks immediately striking in modern pop culture.
Gat Does Not Mean “Korean Cowboy Hat”
If you have seen the gat online, you may have noticed people jokingly comparing it to a very wide cowboy hat.
The comparison is understandable.
Both have:
a crown
a wide brim
a strong silhouette
But culturally, they are completely different objects.
A gat belongs to the history of traditional Korean clothing.
It should be learned as:
갓 = gat
rather than replacing the Korean concept with the name of a familiar Western hat.
This is similar to words such as:
도깨비 = dokkaebi
instead of assuming it is exactly the same thing as a Western goblin.
Sometimes keeping the Korean word is the best way to understand the Korean culture behind it.
How Do You Pronounce 갓?
The Korean spelling is:
갓
Romanization:
gat
The final consonant ㅅ is not pronounced like a strong English s at the end.
In this position, it is pronounced with a short unreleased t-like sound.
So try:
gat
rather than:
gass
Keep the final sound short.
Korean Examples with 갓
Here are some original examples.
Seeing one in a museum
이게 갓이에요?
Ige gat-ieyo?
Is this a gat?
Talking about Joseon clothing
조선 시대에는 갓을 썼어요.
Joseon sidae-eneun gaseul sseosseoyo.
People wore gat during the Joseon period.
Notice the verb:
쓰다
sseuda
to wear something on the head
In Korean, you do not normally use the same verb for every piece of clothing.
For example:
옷을 입다
to wear clothes
but
모자를 쓰다
to wear a hat
and
갓을 쓰다
to wear a gat
That is a useful little Korean detail to remember.
Gat vs Hanbok
Another common question is whether a gat is part of hanbok.
The simplest answer is:
A gat is a traditional Korean headwear item that could be worn as part of traditional male dress.
한복
hanbok
traditional Korean clothing
갓
gat
traditional Korean hat
They are related, but they are not the same thing.
Think of hanbok as the broader clothing tradition and gat as a specific type of headwear within Korea’s traditional dress culture.
Why Is the Gat Connected to Korean Grim Reapers?
This connection is especially important for understanding the Saja Boys.
In Korean popular culture, the 저승사자 has developed a recognizable visual style.
Dark clothing.
A serious presence.
And often a traditional black hat.
The combination is so recognizable that modern viewers can understand the supernatural reference almost immediately.
The Korea Tourism Organization specifically connects this imagery with Hallyu depictions of the jeoseung saja and notes the gat as part of that recognizable look.
That makes the Saja Boys’ costume design especially clever.
Their appearance blends:
K-pop idol styling
with
traditional Korean supernatural imagery
The old and new exist in the same character design.
Related Korean Words
저승사자 — Jeoseung Saja
저승사자
jeoseung saja
messenger of the afterlife / Korean Grim Reaper
This is the cultural reference behind the name Saja Boys.
If you have not read it yet:
What Does “Saja” Mean in KPop Demon Hunters? Why They’re Called the Saja Boys
한복 — Hanbok
한복
hanbok
traditional Korean clothing
Hanbok includes many different forms of traditional clothing worn across Korean history.
상투 — Sangtu
상투
sangtu
traditional male topknot
Joseon men traditionally wore their hair in a topknot, and traditional headwear was worn over or around this hairstyle.
저승 — Jeoseung
저승
jeoseung
the afterlife
Its opposite is:
이승
iseung
this world / the world of the living
Understanding these words makes the Saja Boys name even more interesting.
Quick Korean Tip
The next time you watch a Korean historical drama, pay attention to the hats.
Do not assume everyone is wearing the same kind.
Ask yourself:
Who is wearing it?
What is their social position?
What kind of scene is this?
Traditional Korean clothing often communicates information before a character even speaks.
And when you see that unmistakable wide black hat again, you will know its name:
갓 — gat
FAQ About Gat and the Saja Boys
What is a gat in Korean culture?
A gat (갓) is a traditional Korean men’s hat strongly associated with the Joseon Dynasty. Different forms of headwear could reflect status, occupation, and occasion.
Is the Saja Boys hat a real Korean hat?
Yes. The large black hat associated with the Saja Boys’ supernatural styling is inspired by the traditional Korean gat. The Korea Tourism Organization specifically identifies it as such.
What does gat mean in Korean?
갓 (gat) is the Korean name for a traditional type of men’s hat. It is best understood using the Korean word rather than translating it into the name of a Western hat.
Who wore gat during the Joseon Dynasty?
Gat were especially associated with adult men and, depending on type and period, could communicate aspects of social status, occupation, and occasion.
What were Korean gat made from?
Materials varied, but surviving examples and traditional craft techniques include horsehair, cow-tail hair, and finely prepared bamboo.
Why do Korean Grim Reapers wear gat?
Modern Korean popular culture often portrays 저승사자 (jeoseung saja) in dark traditional-inspired clothing and wide-brimmed gat, creating a recognizable Korean supernatural visual identity.
Is a gat part of hanbok?
A gat is a traditional Korean headwear item that can be worn with traditional male clothing. Hanbok refers more broadly to traditional Korean clothing.
How do you pronounce gat?
갓 is romanized as gat. The final consonant is short and unreleased, closer to a clipped t than an English s sound.
Want to Explore Joseon Culture More?
The gat becomes much more interesting when you see it as part of the wider world of the Joseon Dynasty rather than simply as an unusual Korean hat.
If you want to explore that history visually, one resource worth looking at is:
Treasures from Korea: Arts and Culture of the Joseon Dynasty, 1392–1910
The book offers an illustrated exploration of Joseon art and culture, making it a useful companion for readers who want more context for the clothing, objects, art, and social world behind traditional Korean culture.
It is especially useful if watching K-dramas or films has made you curious about what Joseon Korea actually looked like beyond the screen.
👉 Explore Treasures from Korea: Arts and Culture of the Joseon Dynasty, 1392–1910 on Amazon
As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases at no extra cost to you.
Recommended Korean-Learning Resources
Words such as 갓, 저승사자, and 도깨비 are good examples of why Korean culture cannot always be understood through direct translation alone.
Useful resources include:
a Korean-English learner’s dictionary
an illustrated guide to Korean history
a Korean culture book for international readers
a book about Korean mythology and folklore
a Hangul workbook
a notebook for recording cultural words you notice in K-content
The goal is not simply to memorize:
갓 = hat
It is to understand:
What kind of hat is it?
Who wore it?
Why does it carry so much meaning when it appears in Korean content?
That is when vocabulary becomes culture.
Keep Learning Korean Through K-Contents
The Saja Boys’ gat is a perfect example of how KPop Demon Hunters mixes modern K-pop style with centuries of Korean culture.
At first, you see a dramatic black hat.
Then you learn its name:
갓
And suddenly you begin noticing Joseon history, traditional clothing, Confucian society, and the visual language of Korean supernatural stories hiding inside the character design.
Continue with:
What Does “Saja” Mean in KPop Demon Hunters? Why They’re Called the Saja Boys
What Is a Dokkaebi? Why Goblin’s Korean Title Does Not Really Mean “Goblin”
What Does “Gwisin” Mean in The East Palace?
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