Who Created Hangeul?
Hangeul was personally created by King Sejong the Great in 1443 and officially promulgated in 1446 during the Joseon Dynasty of Korea.
Unlike many writing systems that evolved over time, Hangeul was intentionally and scientifically designed as a completely new script.
What makes its creation especially remarkable is that King Sejong himself took the initiative, not merely delegating the task, but directly leading and overseeing its development. He was deeply motivated by his philosophy of “ae-min” (애민, 愛民)—a belief in caring for and empowering the common people.
At the time, written communication relied heavily on Classical Chinese, a foreign language that was extremely difficult for ordinary Koreans to learn. Only the elite, who had time and resources, could master it. This created a huge gap between the ruling class and the commoners in terms of literacy and participation in society.
"The people of my country cannot express their thoughts because they have no script of their own."
— From the Preface to Hunminjeongeum (훈민정음)
With this, he created Hangeul—originally called Hunminjeongeum, meaning “the correct sounds for the instruction of the people.”
He designed the letters based on sound principles, using articulatory phonetics for consonants and philosophical concepts (Heaven, Earth, and Human) for vowels. His goal was to make reading and writing easy, logical, and accessible to everyone, regardless of class or education level.
The Birth of Hangeul and Its Importance
The Korean language has existed for centuries without a native writing system. Koreans borrowed Chinese characters, which made it difficult to express all Korean sounds accurately. The difference between the spoken and written languages, and the difficulty of Chinese characters, made literacy hard for commoners. King Sejong the Great created Hangeul to give the Korean people a script— a way to communicate more freely in their native language.
Using Chinese characters posed a major barrier to literacy. First, Korean is entirely different from Chinese; second, mastering Chinese took significant time and effort, especially for farmers and commoners. But this also maintained the ruling class's power. Only the ruling class could study Chinese, take national exams written in Chinese, and thereby enter government positions for power and privilege. For them, complex Chinese characters were essential to maintaining authority.
King Sejong the Great, in his wisdom, addressed this inequality by creating Hangeul— a script easy for everyone to learn. This not only enabled communication but also expanded access to education. Moreover, Hangeul’s ability to accurately represent Korean sounds aided in the systematization and development of the Korean language.
As a result, Hangeul played a pivotal role in increasing literacy and communication in Korea, boosting the cultural and societal development of the Korean people.
Hunminjeongeum (훈민정음) and the Korean Alphabet
Hunminjeongeum is both the name of the script we call Hangeul and the name of a historical book. There are two versions: Haerye-bon (written in Chinese characters) and Unhae-bon (written in Hangeul).
King Sejong the Great published the Korean alphabet in 1446, three years after its creation in 1443. Originally there were 28 characters, but four consonants and one vowel became obsolete. Today, only 24 characters are used — 14 consonants and 10 vowels.
Purpose and Philosophy
Hangeul was designed to be simple and scientific so that literacy could be accessible to all Koreans regardless of class. Each letter reflects the shape of the mouth and tongue when producing the corresponding sound.
Consonants and Vowels
The Korean alphabet contains:
- 14 basic consonants (자음, 닿소리)
- 10 basic vowels (모음, 홀소리)
Consonants (자음): \"Ja(子)\" = son, \"Eum(音)\" = sound. In pure Korean: 닿소리, from \"Data(닿다)\" meaning \"touch\". They must combine with vowels to form sounds.
Vowels (모음): \"Mo(母)\" = mother, \"Eum(音)\" = sound. In pure Korean: 홀소리 (\"Hol\" = alone, \"Sori\" = sound). These can stand alone and make syllables independently.
Structure and Design
The 14 consonants are based on five root letters: ㄱ, ㄴ, ㅁ, ㅅ, ㅇ, which reflect vocal organ shapes. Additional strokes represent stronger sounds.
One unique element was the vowel ㆍ (A.Rae.A), representing the universe. It was used to create complex vowels but was removed in 1933 when spelling rules were standardized.
Now, the 10 basic vowels are: ㅏ, ㅑ, ㅓ, ㅕ, ㅗ, ㅛ, ㅜ, ㅠ, ㅡ, ㅣ.
14 basic consonants
double consonants
What are Double Consonants (쌍자음)?
We can use double consonants to represent fortis sounds that cannot be expressed with basic consonants. These sounds are more tense and pronounced with greater pressure.
There are only five double consonants in Korean:
- ㄲ (gg)
- ㄸ (dd)
- ㅃ (pp)
- ㅆ (ss)
- ㅉ (jj)
Pronunciation and Examples
Example: 꼬리 (ggori - tail), 꽃 (kkot - flower)
Example: 딸기 (ddalgi - strawberry), 똑똑하다 (ttokttokhada - smart)
Example: 빵 (ppang - bread), 뽀뽀 (ppoppo - kiss)
Example: 쌀 (ssal - rice), 쓰다 (sseuda - to write)
Example: 짜다 (jjada - salty), 짧다 (jjalbda - short)
How to Teach Double Consonants
- Start with the single consonants: ㄱ, ㄷ, ㅂ, ㅅ, ㅈ
- Demonstrate tension: Have students feel pressure in the throat or tongue.
- Use minimal pairs: e.g. 가다 (gada - go) vs. 까다 (ggada - peel)
- Practice with repetition: Use audio and mimic native speakers.
Tips for Learners
Korean Vowels
The number of basic Korean vowels is ten (10), and their order and names are standard in Korean phonology education.
Vowels are essential elements that make up syllables in Korean. Every syllable must contain one vowel, either on its own or combined with one or more consonants.
10 Basic Vowels
Here are the ten basic vowels:
- ㅏ (a)
- ㅑ (ya)
- ㅓ (eo)
- ㅕ (yeo)
- ㅗ (o)
- ㅛ (yo)
- ㅜ (u)
- ㅠ (yu)
- ㅡ (eu)
- ㅣ (i)
11 Compound (Extended) Vowels
By combining the ten basic vowels, 11 extended vowels are formed. These represent more complex sounds.
- ㅐ (ae)
- ㅒ (yae)
- ㅔ (e)
- ㅖ (ye)
- ㅘ (wa)
- ㅙ (wae)
- ㅚ (oe)
- ㅝ (wo)
- ㅞ (we)
- ㅟ (wi)
- ㅢ (ui)
How Were Korean Consonants Made?
The foundation of the Korean consonants is built upon five root letters that represent the shape of the vocal organs:
- ㄱ – represents the tongue blocking the throat
- ㄴ – represents the tongue touching the upper palate
- ㅁ – represents the shape of closed lips
- ㅅ – represents the shape of the teeth
- ㅇ – represents the throat (empty circle)
The other consonants in Hangeul were created by adding strokes to these root consonants. The more strokes are added, the stronger the sound becomes.
One Exception: ㄹ
Among all consonants, there is one exception--ㄹ. While its origin is closely related to ㄴ, it does not become stronger in sound like the other stroke-added consonants. Instead, ㄹ has a unique sound closer to a flap or roll (like an 'r' or 'l' blend).
How Were Korean Consonant Names Made?
In 1443 (the 25th year of King Sejong's reign), King Sejong created Hangeul and named it Hunminjeongeum (훈민정음), which is also the title of the book that introduced the script. The book was published in 1446 after three years of testing.
However, the original book does not include the actual names of consonants and vowels, so it is unknown how King Sejong himself referred to the letters.
In 1527, a scholar named Choi Se-jin published a book titled Hunmongjahoe (훈몽자회), a Chinese character primer for children. This book included 3,360 Chinese characters and explained their meaning and pronunciation using Hangeul.
木 → 나무 (meaning), 목 (sound)
水 → 물 (meaning), 수 (sound)
To teach the Korean alphabet to those unfamiliar with it, Choi Se-jin also assigned names to each consonant and vowel using a systematic method:
- The first syllable combines the consonant with ㅣ to show the initial sound.
- The second syllable combines ㅡ with the consonant to show the final/batchim sound.
For example, ㄴ becomes 니은 because it uses ㄴ + ㅣ (initial) and ㅡ + ㄴ (final).
Chinese characters with matching pronunciation were used to write the names, such as 尼隱 for 니은. However, some sounds like 기윽, 디읃, 시읏 could not be properly represented with Chinese characters.
To solve this, he adjusted the names to 기역, 디귿, 시옷, which matched Korean pronunciation more closely without relying on exact Chinese character pairs.
Final Set of Consonant Names
- Standard Method: 니은, 리을, 미음, 비읍, 이응, 지읒, 치읓, 키읔, 티읕, 피읖, 히읗
- Adjusted Names: 기역, 디귿, 시옷
기역, 니은, 디귿, 리을, 미음, 비읍, 시옷, 이응, 지읒, 치읓, 키읔, 티읕, 피읖, 히읗
Korean Syllables Structure
- Only vowels can be middle sounds.
- Only consonants can be initial or final sounds.
- There cannot be two initial consonants.
- The number of syllables in a word matches the number of middle vowels.
Four Syllable Structures
- Case 1: Vowel (V)
- Case 2: Consonant + Vowel (CV)
- Case 3: Vowel + Consonant (VC)
- Case 4: Consonant + Vowel + Consonant (CVC)
Case 1: 이 (Tooth)
Case 2: 자 (Ruler)
Case 3: 일 (One/Work)
Case 4: 문 (Door)
Examples of the Four Korean Syllable Structures
Batchim (Final Sound)
The final consonant is called 받침 (Batchim).
Used in Batchim:
- 14 basic consonants + 2 doubles: ㄲ, ㅆ
- 11 double final consonants: ㄳ, ㄵ, ㄶ, ㄺ, ㄻ, ㄼ, ㄽ, ㄾ, ㄿ, ㅀ, ㅄ
Korean Alphabet
- 19 Consonants: ㄱ, ㄴ, ㄷ, ㄹ, ㅁ, ㅂ, ㅅ, ㅇ, ㅈ, ㅊ, ㅋ, ㅌ, ㅍ, ㅎ, ㄲ, ㄸ, ㅃ, ㅆ, ㅉ
- 21 Vowels: ㅏ, ㅑ, ㅓ, ㅕ, ㅗ, ㅛ, ㅜ, ㅠ, ㅡ, ㅣ, ㅐ, ㅒ, ㅔ, ㅖ, ㅘ, ㅙ, ㅚ, ㅝ, ㅞ, ㅟ, ㅢ
Korean vs English Syllables
In Korean, each vowel is one syllable.
토끼 = 2 syllables
어머니 = 3 syllables
English: Side = 1 syllable
Korean: 사이드 = 3 syllables (ㅏ, ㅣ, ㅡ)
Hangeul shows each syllable as one sound block, enabling accurate pronunciation.
Batchim (Final Sound) Pronunciation
Korean has 19 consonants, including 14 basic and 5 double consonants.
The full set: ㄱ, ㄲ, ㄴ, ㄷ, ㄸ, ㄹ, ㅁ, ㅂ, ㅃ, ㅅ, ㅆ, ㅇ, ㅈ, ㅉ, ㅊ, ㅋ, ㅌ, ㅍ, ㅎ
Initial vs Final Consonants
In 초성 (initial), consonants are pronounced as written. In 종성 (final), or 받침, some change pronunciation.
종성 is Sino-Korean for "final sound"; native word 받침 means "support."
Examples
수박 → su-bak
ㅅ as initial = [s]
웃다 → 욷따 (ut-dda)
ㅅ as 받침 = [ㄷ]
Consonants That Keep Their Sound
The 7 that remain unchanged in 받침:
ㄱ, ㄴ, ㄷ, ㄹ, ㅁ, ㅂ, ㅇ
Consonants That Change in 받침
| 받침 | Pronounced As | Example |
|---|---|---|
| ㄲ, ㅋ | ㄱ | 겪다 → 격따 |
| ㅅ, ㅆ, ㅈ, ㅊ, ㅌ | ㄷ | 웃다 → 욷따 |
| ㅍ | ㅂ | 덮다 → 덥따 |
| ㅎ | Contextual | 좋다 → 조타 |
Fortis (경음화) Phenomenon
If 받침 ends in ㄱ, ㄷ, or ㅂ, the following consonant may become tense (double).
| 받침 | Next | Becomes | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| ㅅ → ㄷ | ㄷ | ㄸ | 웃다 → 욷따 |
| ㅍ → ㅂ | ㄷ | ㄸ | 덮다 → 덥따 |
| ㄲ, ㅋ → ㄱ | ㄷ | ㄸ | 겪다 → 격따 |
Summary
- 7 consonants stay the same in 받침.
- 12 change into one of the 7 standard final sounds.
- 받침 can trigger tense consonants in the next syllable (경음화).
웃다:
ㅅ → ㄷ (받침 rule)
ㄷ → ㄸ (fortis)
Final: 욷따
