How Hangul works

Hangul was made on purpose in 1443, and its basic consonant shapes copy the tongue, lips, teeth and throat that make each sound.

Most writing systems grew slowly over centuries, and nobody can say who invented them. Korean writing is an exception. In the twelfth lunar month of 1443, King Sejong of the Joseon dynasty finished a new set of 28 letters and called it Hunminjeongeum, which means the correct sounds for teaching the people. Three years later, in 1446, a book of the same name explained what each letter stands for and why it has its shape. Before then, Koreans wrote with Chinese characters, which took years to learn and did not fit the Korean language well. Today the script is called Hangeul (often spelled Hangul in English), and South Korea celebrates Hangul Day on 9 October to mark the 1446 book.

An alphabet in blocks

Hangul is an alphabet. Each letter stands for one consonant or one vowel, the way English letters do. What makes it look different is that the letters are not written in a long line. They are grouped into square blocks, one block per syllable. The word for the script itself is two blocks. The first block holds three letters, h, a and n. The second holds g, eu and l. A reader sees two square shapes, but inside them are six letters. Once you know the 24 basic letters and the few ways they stack, you can sound out any Korean word, even one you have never seen.

Consonants drawn from the mouth

The 1446 book says the five basic consonants are pictures of the speech organs. The letter for g (named giyeok) shows the back of the tongue rising to block the throat. The letter for n (nieun) shows the tip of the tongue touching the ridge behind the upper teeth. The letter for m (mieum) is the shape of the mouth. The letter for s (siot) is a tooth. The round letter (ieung) is the throat. Try it yourself: say g and feel the back of your tongue press up, then say n and feel the tip touch the gum. Other consonants were made by adding strokes to these five for a stronger sound. The letter for k is the g letter with one extra stroke, because k is said with more breath.

Vowels from heaven, earth and person

The vowels use a different idea. Their three starting shapes are a round dot for heaven, a flat line for earth and a standing line for a person. Every other vowel is a long line with one or two short strokes attached. In handwriting and print today the old dot has become a short stroke, so a vowel such as a looks like a standing line with a small tick on its right. The original dot vowel itself fell out of use in modern Korean, along with three of the old consonants. That is why the set of 28 letters from 1443 became the 24 basic letters that Korean spelling rules list today: 14 consonants and 10 vowels.

The table shows the full set you will meet in this course. The 24 basic letters come first. On top of them, Korean spelling rules list five doubled consonants and eleven combined vowels, written by joining basic letters. Every one of these appears in later units, so for now look only at the shapes and notice how often the same few strokes return.