Hangul (Korean alphabet)

Hangul (한글) is uniquely modern among world scripts—invented in 1443 CE by King Sejong the Great, specifically designed with scientific letter shapes. The 14 consonants look like diagrams of mouth position (where the tongue touches), and the 10 vowels combine simple geometric shapes representing heaven, earth, and human. No other alphabet was designed so recently or purposefully.

Hangul forms syllables in letter blocks—not linearly like English. The word '한글' is one block containing three letters: ㅎ(hn)+ㅏ(a)+ㄹ(l)—all pronounced together as a single syllable. English readers see this as a logographic 'character,' but Hangul is truly alphabetic—merely arranged in 2D blocks.

King Sejong invented Hangul in 1443 to let commoners read and write—prior Korean used complex Chinese characters (hanja) that took decades to learn. The court scholars opposed Hangul as too simplistic, but the people embraced it. The original name 'hunminjeongeum' means 'correct sounds for instructing the people,' later shortened to 'hangul' (great script).

Japan occupied Korea 1910-1945, banning Korean language. After independence, North Korea and South Korea both restored Hangul—the only alphabet both nations share. When South Korea democratized, both traditional ( full) and simplified forms existed—the simplified form won in the 1970s simplification.