Hangul Day: Celebrating The Korean Alphabet

Koreans began writing in Chinese characters in the 14th century. In Korea, these characters, known as "Hanja," are still frequently found, especially on calendars. Writing using Hanja was always difficult because Korean grammar differs greatly from that of the Chinese. Therefore only the Korean elite were able to do it.

On 9 October every year, a Hangul Day celebration honors the Korean alphabet. This day in South Korea has become a national holiday.

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What is Hangul?

Korean uses the writing system known as Hangul. An alphabet with 24 letters overall, Hangul is composed of 14 consonants and 10 vowels. It is used by diaspora Koreans all over the world and is the official writing system in South Korea and North Korea (where it is known as Choson muntcha).
 

What do the shapes in Hangul represent?

Vowels in Hangul are made up of lines and points that stand in for the Earth, the Sun, and the human, while consonants are made to resemble the shape of the speaker's mouth when making the appropriate sounds. Hangul is one of the few alphabets with an explicit link between a letter's iconography and pronunciation as a functional writing system.

Who created Hangul?

In an effort to increase literacy, Sejong, the fourth monarch of the Chosun dynasty, created the Hangul system. Korea adopted Hangul as its official writing system in 1446. Nevertheless, Hanja (Chinese characters) continued to be the primary writing system of the aristocracy for another 500 years.

Most people agree that King Sejong was one of the most significant and outstanding Koreans in history. The evidence is clear in his name, which is Sejong Great King when translated literally. His most well-known contribution is the development of Hangul, the contemporary Korean script. If not for the fact that there is much more to King Sejong's legacy than this, he would have been more than deserving of his name.

Is Learning Hangul Difficult?

Hangul, in contrast to Chinese characters, is exceedingly simple to master. Consonants, vowels, and syllables make up its composition. Many of the sounds are similar to English sounds.
 

Hangul may appear to be impossible to learn at first glance. It is, nevertheless, quite simple and has a logical structure. Hangul may be learned in under 20 minutes. You'll rapidly learn it if you practice writing in Korean.
 

Written by Sondos Swed