Korean Orthography: An In-Depth Look at Hangul Spelling128

IntroductionHangul, the unique writing system of Korea, was promulgated by King Sejong the Great in 1443 and has been used to write the Korean language ever since. It is an alphabetic system, meaning that it represents the sounds of the language rather than whole words or syllables. Hangul is a very efficient and systematic writing system, and it can be learned relatively quickly.

Hangul ConsonantsHangul has 14 basic consonants, which are represented by 19 different letters. The consonants are divided into two types: unaspirated and aspirated. Unaspirated consonants are pronounced without a puff of air, while aspirated consonants are pronounced with a puff of air. The following table shows the Hangul consonants and their pronunciations:

Letter
Pronunciation


ㄱ
g


ㄴ
n


ㄷ
d


ㄹ
r


ㅁ
m


ㅂ
b


ㅅ
s


ㅇ
*


ㅈ
j


ㅊ
ch


ㅋ
k


ㅌ
t


ㅍ
p


ㅎ
h


* The letter ㅇ is a silent letter. It is used to indicate the absence of a consonant sound.

Hangul VowelsHangul has 10 basic vowels, which are represented by 21 different letters. The vowels are divided into two types: simple vowels and diphthongs. Simple vowels are pronounced with a single vowel sound, while diphthongs are pronounced with two vowel sounds. The following table shows the Hangul vowels and their pronunciations:

Letter
Pronunciation


ㅏ
a


ㅑ
ya


ㅓ
ʌ


ㅕ
yʌ


ㅗ
o


ㅛ
yo


ㅜ
u


ㅠ
yu


ㅡ
ɯ


ㅣ
i

Hangul SyllablesHangul syllables are made up of a consonant and a vowel. The consonant is written on the left side of the syllable, and the vowel is written on the right side. If a syllable begins with a vowel, the vowel is written on the left side and a silent ㅇ is written on the right side. The following table shows some examples of Hangul syllables:

Syllable
Pronunciation


가
ga


나
na


다
da


라
ra


마
ma


바
ba


사
sa


아
a


야
ya


어
ʌ

Hangul Spelling RulesThere are a number of spelling rules that must be followed when writing in Hangul. These rules include the following:* Consonants must be written before vowels.
* Vowels must be written after consonants.
* If a syllable begins with a vowel, a silent ㅇ must be written before the vowel.
* Double consonants are pronounced with a strong emphasis.
* Double vowels are pronounced with a long vowel sound.

ConclusionHangul is a very efficient and systematic writing system. It can be learned relatively quickly, and it is used to write a variety of texts, including newspapers, magazines, books, and websites. Hangul is a valuable tool for learning Korean, and it is an essential part of Korean culture.

2024-12-21

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