Asian conical hat
The Asian conical hat is a style of conically shaped sun hat worn in China, Vietnam, Korea, Japan, Taiwan, Philippines, Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Nepal, and Bhutan. It is kept on the head by a cloth or fiber chin strap, an inner headband, or both.
Regional names
English terms for the hat include Chinese hat, sedge hat, rice hat, paddy hat, bamboo hat, and coolie hat.In Southeast Asia, it is known as do'un in Cambodia; caping or seraung in Indonesia; koup in Laos; terendak or siung in Malaysia; ngop in Thailand; khamauk in Myanmar; salakót, sarók, sadók, s'laong, hallidung, kallugong, and tabungaw among other names in the Philippines; and nón tơi or nón lá in Vietnam.
In East Asia it is called dǒulì in China; kasa in Japan; and satgat in Korea.
In South Asia, it is known as jaapi in Assam ; in Bangladesh it is known as mathal.
| Country | Local name | In Native Script |
| India | Jaapi | জাপি |
| Bangladesh | Mathal | মাথাল |
| Cambodia | Do'un | ដួន |
| China | Dǒulì | 斗笠 |
| Indonesia | Caping, Seraung | |
| Japan | Kasa | 笠 |
| Korea | Satgat | 삿갓 |
| Laos | Koup | ກຸບ |
| Malaysia | Terendak, Siung | تريندق |
| Myanmar | Khamauk | ခမောက် |
| Philippines | Salakót | ᜐᜎᜃᜓᜆ᜔ |
| Taiwan | kue-le̍h-á | 瓜笠仔/kue-le̍h-á |
| Thailand | Ngop | งอบ |
| Vietnam | Nón lá, Nón tơi | ?蘿, ?? |
Use
Asian conical hats are, throughout Asia, primarily used as a form of protection from the sun and rain. When made of straw or other woven materials, it can be dipped in water and worn as an impromptu evaporative cooling device.China
In China, conical hats were typically associated with farmers, while mandarins wore tighter circular caps, especially in the winter. There were several conical hat types worn during the Qing dynasty.Japan
It is also widely understood in East Asia, most notably Japan, where they were known as kasa, as a symbol of Buddhism, as it is traditionally worn by pilgrims and Buddhist monks in search of alms.Sturdier, even metal, variants, known as Kasa , were also worn by samurai and foot-soldiers in Japan, as helmets.
Malaysia
In the Papar District of Sabah, the conical hat is worn during the sazau or sumazau dances during the harvest festival of Kaamatan by the Kadazan people, while it is also hung in homes as decoration. In the past, it was commonly worn by the Kadazan females of the Papar District for protection against sunlight and rain during their agricultural activities. Different types of siung also carry their respective meanings; for Kadazan sumandaks who are still unmarried, it is usually with feathers; the flower one usually means already married, while plain either means widowed, a grandmother or elderly. Another hint is the silver belt ; unmarried Kadazan females usually with four coins, while those married wear only two. The siung is further paired with black velvety fabric of sia with gold weave designs and a belt called ikat pinggang and dastar headdress with the same fabric.Philippines
In the Philippines, the salakót is more commonly a pointed dome-shape, rather than conical, with a spike or knob finial. Unlike most other mainland Asian conical hats, it is characterized by an inner headband in addition to a chinstrap. It can be made from various materials including bamboo, rattan, nito, bottle gourd, buri straw, nipa leaves, pandan leaves, and carabao horn. The plain type is typically worn by farmers, but nobles in the pre-colonial period crafted ornate variations with jewels, precious metals, or tortoiseshell. These are considered heirloom objects passed down from generation to generation within families.The salakót was also commonly worn by native soldiers in the Spanish colonial army. It was adopted by Spanish troops in the early 18th century as part of their campaign uniform. In doing so, it became the direct precursor of the pith helmet.