Hanwoo
한우
(most common name)

(local/other name):
• Han Uh
• Hanu
local/other name (English):
• Korean Brown
• Korean Native
local/other name (Japanese):
• Chosen

The Hanwoo is an indigenous breed; Hanwoo with brown coats are the most numerous in Korea.

The Hanwoo was, until recently, used primarily for work due to their docility. Mechanization and an expanded economy has made them now more valued for their meat.

The Hanwoo produces premium beef with exceptional marbling; intramuscular fat content averages 11.3% (to compare, Australian Angus has only 5.7%). Milk production is poor. Rice straw is their main source of roughage.

‘Hanwoo’, as a name, is used in many reference sources as an overall name for all Korean native cattle, in the same way that ‘Wagyu’ is used in Japan to encompass all Japanese cattle. DAD-IS lists the following four native breeds in Korea separately:
• Chikso
• Hanwoo
• Heugu
• Jeju Black Cattle

This page was last updated on: 2023-05-17

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