Hangeul (한글): The Meaning Behind the Name and Its Correct Pronunciation

What Does “Hangeul” Mean?

The word “Hangeul” (한글) is a compound of two native Korean words:

• 한 (han) — A native Korean word meaning “great” or “Korean/our” (as in “our language” or “our nation”)
• 글 (geul) — A native Korean word meaning “letter,” “script,” or “writing”

Therefore, “Hangeul” can be interpreted as: “The Korean script,” “our writing system,” or “a great script.”

Note: The term “Hangeul” did not exist in the time of King Sejong. He called the script “Hunminjeongeum” (훈민정음), which means “the correct sounds for instructing the people.” The modern name “Hangeul” was coined in the early 20th century by the linguist Ju Si-gyeong (주시경) and was widely spread by the Korean Language Society.

How to Pronounce “Hangeul” (한글)

Syllable	Romanization	Rough English Approximation	Pronunciation Tip
한	han	Similar to “hahn” (like Han in “Han Solo”)	Say hahn with a single, short vowel. The vowel is an open “a” sound (like the “a” in “father”), but shorter and without any diphthong.
글	geul	No exact English match; roughly between “g” + vowel in “put” and “l”	Start with g as in “go.” The vowel ㅡ (eu) is a central sound made with the tongue raised but the lips not rounded. It is somewhat similar to the vowel in “put” or “good,” but the lips stay more relaxed. Finish with a short final l-like sound (Korean final ㄹ).

What about the final consonant “ㄹ” in “글 (geul)”?

In standard Korean, final ㄹ is pronounced as a “dark L” sound. It is not a strong “L” like the beginning of “love,” and it is not an English “R” sound.

The tongue touches the ridge just behind the upper front teeth (the same place used for “t” or “d” in English), and the sound stops quickly. You can think of it as similar to the l at the end of words like “ball” or “call” in many accents of English, but kept short and clean.

So 한글 (Hangeul) can be approximated in English as: “hahn-geul”, with both syllables short and even in length.

Pronunciation of "Hangeul"