Nobi

Updated: 11/10/2025, 7:10:37 PM Wikipedia source

Nobi were members of the slave class during the Korean dynasties of Goryeo and Joseon. Legally, they held the lowest rank in medieval Korean society. Nobi were sometimes considered property or chattel, and could be bought, sold, or gifted.

Infobox

Hangul

노비

Hanja

奴婢

nobi

Tables

Joseon class system

Yangban

Class

Yangban

Hangul

양반

Hanja

兩班

Status

noble class

Chungin

Class

Chungin

Hangul

중인

Hanja

中人

Status

intermediate class

Sangmin

Class

Sangmin

Hangul

상민

Hanja

常民

Status

common people

Ch'ŏnmin

Class

Ch'ŏnmin

Hangul

천민

Hanja

賤民

Status

lowborn people(nobi, paekchŏng, mudang, kisaeng, namsadang, etc.)

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Class

Class	Hangul	Hanja	Status
Yangban	양반	兩班	noble class
Chungin	중인	中人	intermediate class
Sangmin	상민	常民	common people
Ch'ŏnmin	천민	賤民	lowborn people(nobi, paekchŏng, mudang, kisaeng, namsadang, etc.)
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References

Millennial Asia
http://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/097639961000100102
Structure of Slavery in Indian Ocean Africa and Asia
https://books.google.com/books?id=J0iRAgAAQBAJ&pg=PA153
Views on Korean social history
https://books.google.com/books?id=xxi5AAAAIAAJ
Structure of Slavery in Indian Ocean Africa and Asia
https://books.google.com/books?id=J0iRAgAAQBAJ&pg=PA162
A History of Korea: From Antiquity to the Present
https://books.google.com/books?id=WJtMGXyGlUEC&pg=PA168
Structure of Slavery in Indian Ocean Africa and Asia
https://books.google.com/books?id=J0iRAgAAQBAJ&pg=PA155
Structure of Slavery in Indian Ocean Africa and Asia
https://books.google.com/books?id=J0iRAgAAQBAJ&pg=PA154
Women and Confucianism in Choson Korea: New Perspectives
https://books.google.com/books?id=UwgUa6WWFBMC&pg=PA140
Structure of Slavery in Indian Ocean Africa and Asia
https://books.google.com/books?id=J0iRAgAAQBAJ&pg=PA156
Women in Korean History 한국 역사 속의 여성들
https://books.google.com/books?id=p3yW5MdzKnUC&pg=PA267