Guksa

Guksa is a Korean term that can have multiple meanings depending on the hanja used to write it. In modern Korean, the most common meaning is related to national history.

When written as 國史, guksa means national history or the history of a country, specifically Korea. In education and scholarship, it refers to the study of a nation’s past and to the academic field of Korean history, commonly denoted as 국사 (國史) or 국사학 when referring to the discipline in universities. In everyday usage, 국사 is the subject name in school curricula that covers historical events, figures, and developments important to Korea.

When written as 國師, guksa denotes a historical title meaning “national master” or “state tutor/advisor.” In East Asian monarchies, this term was used to designate a highly trusted adviser or senior advisor to the ruler, often responsible for strategic counsel or royal instruction. In Korean historical contexts, the title appears in dynastic records and chronicles rather than as a contemporary administrative office.

Distinctions between the two meanings arise from the differing hanja characters, even though the pronunciation remains the same. In contemporary Korea, guksa most frequently appears in the sense of 국사, the field and subject of Korean history, whereas 國師 is encountered primarily in historical or literary discussions about past courts and governance. Overall, guksa reflects how Korean language encodes both a scholarly domain and a historical official role through distinct written forms.