# Gosu

> Mediated Wiki article. Canonical URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Gosu
> Markdown URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Gosu.md
> Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gosu
> Source revision: 1356625677
> License: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/)

For other uses, see [Gosu (disambiguation)](/source/Gosu_(disambiguation)).

**Gosu** (Korean: 고수) is a [Korean](/source/Korean_language) term used to refer to a highly skilled person. In [computer gaming](/source/Computer_gaming) the term is usually used to refer to a person who dominated games like *[StarCraft](/source/StarCraft)*, *[Counter-Strike](/source/Counter-Strike_(video_game))*, *[Tekken](/source/Tekken)*, *[Warcraft III](/source/Warcraft_III)*, *[Diablo II](/source/Diablo_II)*, *[DotA](/source/Defense_of_the_Ancients)*, *[League of Legends](/source/League_of_Legends)*, *[Heroes of the Storm](/source/Heroes_of_the_Storm)*, *[Overwatch](/source/Overwatch_(2016_video_game))*, *[Overwatch 2](/source/Overwatch_(2023_video_game))*, *[Apex Legends](/source/Apex_Legends)* and others. The term was adopted by gaming communities in many countries because of a large [South Korean](/source/South_Korea) presence in [online gaming](/source/Online_game) communities.[1][2]

## Origin

The term is [Sino-Korean vocabulary](/source/Sino-Korean_vocabulary), and [cognates](/source/Cognate) in other [East Asian languages](/source/East_Asian_language) that feature the same [hanja](/source/Hanja) ([高](https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/%E9%AB%98)[手](https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/%E6%89%8B), literally "high hand") include *gāoshǒu* ([Mandarin](/source/Standard_Chinese), "expert; ace; master"), and *cao thủ* ([Vietnamese](/source/Vietnamese_language), "skilled person; master"). In the dialect of the [Gyeongnam](/source/Gyeongnam) province, *gosu* also has the meaning of "leader".[3] Figuratively meaning pro or highly skilled at something, *gosu's* pre-computing usage usually referred to [martial arts](/source/Martial_arts) or the game of [go](/source/Go_(game)).[4]

## Related terms

Though not as popular, there are also several other commonly used Korean words for describing gamers with various skill levels. *Jungsu* (Korean: 중수; Hanja: 中手; lit. 'middle hand') stands for "a moderately good player", *hasu* (Korean: 하수; Hanja: 下手; lit. 'low hand') for "a poor player" or "a person with no skill" and *[chobo](/source/Chobo)* (Korean: 초보; Hanja: 初步; lit. 'first step') for "a novice player". Hasu and chobo are the same skill level, but hasu is disrespectful or derogatory (whereas chobo is not). The English equivalent to hasu would be "noob" or "scrub" and chobo would be "beginner" or "newbie".

## Synonyms

- [leet or 1337](/source/Leet)
- [Über](/source/%C3%9Cber)
- [Pro](/source/Pro_gamer)
- Master

## See also

- [List of English words of Korean origin](/source/List_of_English_words_of_Korean_origin)
- [Pansori](/source/Pansori)
- [History of Go](/source/History_of_Go)
- [Gosu (programming language)](/source/Gosu_(programming_language))

## References

1. ["BBC NEWS - Asia-Pacific - South Korea's gaming addicts"](http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/2499957.stm). Retrieved 22 December 2016.

1. ["Online gaming addiction: signs, risk factors, and treatment - The Diamond Rehab Thailand"](https://diamondrehabthailand.com/what-is-online-gaming-addiction/). Retrieved 2024-01-15.

1. ["'고수' : 네이버 국어사전"](http://krdic.naver.com/detail.nhn?docid=2773400). Retrieved 22 December 2016.

1. ["'고수' : 네이버 국어사전"](http://krdic.naver.com/detail.nhn?docid=2774300). Retrieved 22 December 2016.

---
Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Gosu](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gosu) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gosu?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.