廊

Phono-semantic compound:

广 (집 엄) — semantic, indicating a building, roofed structure, or covered space.

郞 (사내 랑) — phonetic, providing the sound 랑 and suggesting the sense of a “place where people dwell or move about.”

Originally, 廊 referred to side structures attached to larger halls — auxiliary buildings adjoining the main residence or ceremonial hall.

From this architectural sense arose its use for verandas, galleries, covered passageways, and in broader usage, any small building aligned in a row.

사랑채 (舍廊) — the men’s quarter or reception hall in a traditional upper-class Korean house, where guests were received.

행랑 (行廊) — servant quarters or row of rooms by the gate, often used for attendants or storage.

회랑 (回廊) — covered cloister connecting separate structures, as seen in palaces, temples, and ancestral shrines.

줄행랑(을 치다) — idiom meaning “to run away quickly,” originating from servants fleeing down the row of gate buildings (행랑).

In Joseon architecture, 행랑(行廊) denoted the row of rooms flanking a large estate’s main gate — typically used by servants or guards. In contrast, 사랑채(舍廊) was the men’s reception quarter for guests and scholarly activities, distinct from the women’s 안채.

In palatial and temple complexes, 廊 came to denote roofed corridors connecting multiple halls, protecting visitors from sun and rain.

Examples include:

회랑(回廊) at Jongmyo Shrine (종묘), linking ancestral halls.

시전행랑(市廛行廊) of old Seoul, a row of state-controlled shops along today’s Sejong-ro.

In Western architecture, cloisters in medieval monasteries — stone corridors surrounding a central courtyard — are conceptually equivalent to 회랑 (回廊).