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Koreans use their own unique alphabet called Hangeul. It
is considered to be one of the most efficient alphabets
in the world and has garnered unanimous praise from language
experts for its scientific design and excellence.
Hangeul was created under King Sejong the Great during
the Joseon Dynasty (1392-1910). In 1446, the first Korean
alphabet was proclaimed under the original name Hunminjeongeum,
which literally meant "the correct sounds for the
instruction of the people."
King Sejong, the creator of Hangeul, is considered
to be one of the greatest rulers in the history of Korea.
Highly respected for his benevolent disposition and
diligence, King Sejong was also a passionate scholar
whose knowledge and natural talent in all fields of
study astounded even the most learned experts.
When he was not performing his official duties, King
Sejong enjoyed reading and meditating. He could also be
very tenacious at times and would never yield on what
he thought was right. Love for the people was the cornerstone
of his reign, and he was always ready to listen to the
voices of the common folk. His was a rule of virtue, with
the welfare of the people dictating all policy formulations.
King Sejong also established the Jiphyeonjeon,
an academic research institute, inside the palace walls.
It was here that he engaged in lively discussions and
that a variety of quality books were published.
During his reign, King Sejong always deplored the fact
that the common people, ignorant of the complicated
Chinese characters that were being used by the educated,
were not able to read and write. He understood their
frustration in not being able to read or to communicate
their thoughts and feelings in written words. The Chinese
script was used by the intelligentsia of the country,
but being of foreign origin, it could not fully express
the words and meaning of Korean thoughts and spoken
language. Therefore, common people with legitimate complaints
had no way of submitting their grievances to the appropriate
authorities, other than through oral communication,
and they had no way to record for posterity the agricultural
wisdom and knowledge they had gained through years of
experience.
King Sejong felt great sympathy for the people. As
a revolutionary ruler strongly dedicated to national
identity and cultural independence, he immediately searched
for solutions. What he envisioned was a set of letters
that was uniquely Korean and easily learnable, rendering
it accessible and usable for the common people.
Thus, the Hunminjeongeum was born. In the preface of its
proclamation, King Sejong states as follows:
"Being of foreign origin, Chinese characters are
incapable of capturing uniquely Korean meanings. Therefore,
many common people have no way to express their thoughts
and feelings. Out of my sympathy for their difficulties,
I have created a set of 28 letters. The letters are very
easy to learn, and it is my fervent hope that they improve
the quality of life of all people." The statement
captures the essence of King Sejong's determination and
dedication to cultural independence and commitment to
the welfare of the people.
When first proclaimed by King Sejong, Hunminjeongeum
had 28 letters in all, of which only 24 are in use today.
The 24 letters are as follows.
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| Consonants: |
 (g,k),
 (n),
 (d,t),
 (r
or l),  (m),
 (b,p),
 (s),
 (ng),
 (j),
 (ch),
 (k)
 (t),
 (p),
 (h)
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| Vowels: |
 (a),
 (ya),
 (eo),
 (yeo),
 (o),
 (yo),
 (u),
 (yu),
 (eu),
 (i)
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| The basic
letters of the alphabet when Hunminjeongeum was first
created numbered eight; they were the consonants ",,,,"
and the vowels " .,
, "
The reason consonants and vowels were separated was due
to their differing functions when two letters were combined
to form a syllable. Hunminjeongeum is basically a form
of hieroglyph. Consonants, the initial sound letters,
resemble a person's speech organs. The shape of each
letter is based on the form of different sound articulation
units. Other consonants, excluding by adding additional
strokes to the basic forms, based on the strength of
the sounds.
The vowels, on the other hand, were created in the
image of the sky, land, and man. That is, "."
resembles the roundness of the sky, ''
represents the flat land and ''
is the image of a standing man. The other vowels "(a),
(ya),
(eo),
(yeo),
(o),
(yo),
(u),
(yu)" are variations of their three basic vowels. "."
is not used today.
The creation of the Hunminjeongeum was truly a remarkable accomplishment. Creating consonants based on a person's speech
organs and vowels based on shapes of the sky, land, and man was truly a revolutionary and unprecedented process.
King Sejong and the scholars of the Jiphyeonjeon, creators
of the Korean alphabet, considered human sounds as being
more than mere physical phenomena. They assumed that an
invisible yet more powerful principle was the controlling
force behind these phenomena. They adhered to the principle
that human sounds and all universal phenomena are all
based on yin and yang (positive and negative), and ohaeng
(the five primary elements: metal, wood, water, fire and
earth). Hence, they thought it natural that there be a
common link between sounds and the changing of the seasons,
and between sounds and music.
A Korean syllable is divided into three parts: choseong
(initial consonant), jungseong (peak vowel), and jongseong
(final consonant). This is the basic framework that
King Sejong and the Jiphyeonjeon scholars adhered to
when created the letters. Jongseong was not separately
created and was a repetition of the choseong. Therefore,
Hangeul is an efficient combinaion of the consonants
and vowels.
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| As the above examples clearly show, Hangeul with only 14 consonants and 10 vowels,
is capable of expressing virtually any sound.
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