Kungnyŏ

Kungnyŏ (Korean: 궁녀; Hanja: 宮女; RR: Gungnyeo; lit. palace women) is a Korean term referring to women waiting on the king and other royalty in traditional Korean society. It is short for "gungjung yeogwan", which translates as "a lady officer of the royal court". Kungnyŏ includes sanggung (palace matron) and nain (assistant court ladies), both of which hold rank as officers. The term is also used more broadly to encompass women in a lower class without a rank such as musuri (lowest maids in charge of odd chores), gaksimi, sonnim, uinyeo (female physicians) as well as nain and sanggung. The term spans those from courtiers to domestic workers.