During the Joseon period, royal titles and styles (forms of address) had been extensive and complex. The general title of the monarch was king () until Gojong crowned himself emperor (), a title reserved for the Chinese emperor at that time. Official titles came with official forms of address, depending on who the addressee was and by whom they were addressed.
When a prince became king, he was addressed as such, his personal name becoming taboo. After the death of a king, he received several names. One is the temple name (), which was given when the spirit tablet was placed in the Jongmyo Shrine. This is the name by which historians usually refer to Joseon kings. It could end in either or (), or instead or (). The preceding syllable was an adjective suitable to describe the king. The other name was the posthumous name (). This is a longer name, made up of adjectives characterizing the king's rule. For example, King Gyeongjong's posthumous name is King Tà Ângmun Ingmu Sunin Sà Ânhyo the Great (), while his temple name is Kyà Ângjong/Gyeongjong ().
Forms of address were combined with names, titles or both, for example:
Each royal consort in the inner palace () had a certain rank, according to which their titles and forms of address were formulated.