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| A heart of Hangeul is shown at the Korean Cultural Center in Egypt. |
By Korea.net Honorary Reporter Bardise Muhammad
Photos = Bardise Muhammad
Hangeul Day is the day when Koreans celebrate the invention of the Korean alphabet, Hangeul. It's celebrated annually on Oct. 9 in Korea, as well as all over the world at Korean Cultural Centers around the globe.
I want to celebrate this day in a special way, so I'm about to share with you my story of Hangeul.
First, however, I would like to introduce you to the Hangeul writing system.
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| The Korean letters ㅅ, ㅎ, ㅁ, ㄹ and ㄴ stand in front of the Korean Cultural Center in Egypt. |
Hangeul is the Korean word for the alphabet used to write the Korean language. Its invention and creation in 1443 was during the reign of King Sejong the Great (세종대왕) (1397-1450).
Do you know who King Sejong is?
He's the fourth Joseon monarch. He was born on May 15, 1397. His father was King Taejong (태종). Sejong is known for overseeing the creation of Hangeul, even though creating the alphabet wasn't his only achievement.
Some of his achievements are listed below.
Science & Technology
The Nongsa Jikseol (농사직설)
He wanted to help farmers, so he published handbooks like the Nongsa Jikseol (농사직설) that contained a lot of information about different farming techniques. The name Nongsa Jikseol means “Straight Talk on Farming.”
Reconstructing the Korean Calendar
Back then, people used a calendar that was based on the longitude of the Chinese capital. King Sejong wanted the people to use a calendar that was based on the Korean capital, today's Seoul. So he had his astronomers create a new calendar. That lead to the accurate prediction of lunar and solar eclipses.
Of course, one of his greatest achievements is what we're talking about today, the Hangeul alphabet.
King Sejong oversaw the creation of the Hangeul alphabet in order to ease the process of reading, writing and learning in general for all the people. As a result, Korea today has a very high literacy rate.
The Hunminjeongeum (훈민정음) was published to introduce the newly invented letters to the people. The name Hunminjeongeum means “The proper sounds for instructing the people.” It's also worth noting that the Hunminjeongeum is Korea’s National Treasure No. 70 and was registered as part of UNESCO’s Memory of the World in October 1997.
What makes Hangeul so special?
Hangeul has 24 letters, which makes it very easy to memorize. As the famous quote goes, “A wise person can acquaint himself with them before the morning is over. A stupid man can learn them in the space of 10 days.”
Of course, no one is stupid. We only learn things by using different methods, and our learning journeys can be long or shorter depending on many circumstances. Even if you have a hard time learning new things in general, you don’t need to worry. Learning Hangeul will only take two weeks at the most. All in all, learning Hangeul is very easy. You can learn it in a few days, which means you'll be able to read in a totally new and different language in no time at all. It may sound too good to be true, but it's true.
The easiness of the Korean alphabet is one of the reasons why non-Koreans aren't afraid of learning Korean. The Korean language doesn’t looks scary. To me, it looks really easy, friendly and I'm never worried that I might forget a letter or a symbol when writing or reading in Korean, which makes me feel more relaxed when studying Korean.
Let’s take a look at Hangeul.
- 14 consonants: ㄱ g, ㄴ n, ㄷ d, ㄹ l/r, ㅁ m, ㅂ b, ㅅ s, ㅇ(null), ㅈ j, ㅊ ch, ㅋ k, ㅌ t, ㅍ p, ㅎ h
- 6 vowels: ㅏ a, ㅓ eo, ㅗ o, ㅜ u, ㅡ eu, ㅣ i
- 4 iotized vowels:ㅑ ya, ㅕ yeo, ㅛ yo, ㅠ yu
Also, it's said that many of the Hangeul letters were designed to emulate the shape of the speaker’s tongue or mouth when pronouncing the letter.
Did you know that Hangeul Day used to be called Gagya Day (가갸 날)?
This is because the Hangeul alphabet starts with the letter giyeok (ㄱ). That’s why it used to be called Gagya Day (가갸날).
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| My name is written in Hangeul at the Sejong Institute in Cairo. |
Don't hesitate to learn Korean! Once you start, you'll be exposed to a whole new world, mindset and set of traditions.
If you don’t know where or how to start, you can become a student at a Sejong Institute where you can learn about Korean traditions and, of course, the language itself.
Sejong Institutes were established by the Korean government all over the world in order to help people who can’t go to Korea to study, helping them to learn Korean in their home country.
Now it’s time to share my story of Hangeul with you.
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| Arabic and non-Arabic names are written in Hangeul on handmade keychains. |
As you know, with the rapidly increasing number of Egyptian youth who are interested in Korea, owning something that represents Korean or which reminds them of Korea is definitely on their check list.
What is one of the most unique things about Korea? It’s Hangeul, of course! That's what encouraged me to start making Hangeul keychains for these people.
It all started a few months ago when I wanted to give one of my favorite teachers a farewell gift when she was leaving to continue her studies in Korea.
I made her a small pillow with her name in Korean embroidered on it.
I was then encouraged by many people to make different names and shapes, and to make similar gifts.
I started making keychains and I attached different names to them.
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| I made handmade keychains with names written in Hangeul on them. |
Many of my friends wanted to see their names written in Hangeul, while others wanted their siblings or friends to have their own Hangeul names attached to a keychain.
Hangeul writing looks quite attractive! Even if the person doesn't study Korean or can’t read or write Korean, they often find the embroidered Hangeul imagery to be quite eye-catching.
Hangeul looks geometric, so it makes it easy to learn and also easy to be embroidered! I'm glad I got to make and give people something inspired by Hangeul that will last them for a long time.
I will continue to produce new designs and ideas that’re inspired by Hangeul. It makes me happy and it makes Hangeul-lovers happy, as well.
If the Korean alphabet inspires you, make sure to take part in the annual Hangeul Idea Award contest held by the Korea Creative Content Agency (KOCCA) and share your Hangeul-inspired ideas with the world!
If you like art in general, make sure to use Hangeul to add a special touch to your creations.
Celebrate the Korean language in your own special way, either by learning Hangeul and Korean yourself, or by making a simple piece of art using Hangeul.
Also, if you're interested in calligraphy, make sure to check out some of the wonderful Korean calligraphy artists who have started to use Hangeul letters, along with Hanja characters. You'll be surprised at how simple yet artistic their calligraphy art can be.
wisdom117@korea.kr
