好太王碑
The first recorded use of the term "wokou" (倭寇) is on the Gwanggaeto Stele, a stone monument erected in modern Ji'an, Jilin, China, to celebrate the exploits of Gwanggaeto the Great of Goguryeo (r. 391–413). The stele states that "wokou" ("Japanese robbers") crossed the sea and were defeated by him in the year 404. The term "wokou" is a combination of the Chinese terms "Wō" (倭), referring to either dwarfs or pejoratively to the Japanese, and "kòu" () "bandit".