Hangeul, the scientific phonetic system of Korea

HANGEUL is a unique phonetic system of Korea, created by King Sejong in the mid-15th century (Choseon Dynasty). It is a phonetic system not seen in any other parts of the world, and is considered one of the most scientific among all the phonetic systems that exist. 

Hunminjeongeum(훈민정음)

The Hangeul was created by King Sejong of the Choseon Dynasty, in his effort to achieve social equality in a society where people where treated according to the social class they belonged to. It was created to help all people, regardless of social class, to have easy access to the records which were at the time the privilege of the upper class.

Hangeul has been highly praised for its design- most notably, the shapes of the graphs are related to the phonemes they represent. The shapes of consonant letters are based on the shape of the mouth and tongue in the production of that sound, sometimes with extra marks to indicate a different sound. Furthermore, vowels are built from vertical or horizontal lines so that they are easily distinguishable from consonants.

For its scientificness, Hangeul has been referred to by many linguists as being "remarkable," "the most perfect phonetic system devised," and "brilliant, so deliberately does it fit the language like a glove", attracting worldwide attention. It is because of this scientific design that Korea is able to maintain one of the lowest illiteracy rates in the world, with an astounding near-zero illierate population. In response,some ethnic groups without a phonetic system such as the Ittai-Ittai tribe (an indigenous tribe in Malaysia) have decided to adopt the Hangul as a means to protect their own native language.



Hangeul as a universal design

 Currently, designers are starting to create products that utilize the beautiful line of the Hangeul, attracting much public attention. In fact, many Hollywood celebrities were seen wearing Hangeul-designed clothes, showing the beauty and style that the Hangeul has.




Bonus!! Hangeul Wallpaper :)