CultureEast Asia

Hangul

Jan 1, 1443

An alphabet designed on purpose, by a king

In depth

Hangul is probably the only alphabet in the world where we know exactly who designed it, when and on what principle — and linguists reckon it unusually well made. The scholarly elite resisted it for centuries precisely because it was easy; Chinese script was their privilege. It gained full standing only in the twentieth century.

For children

King Sejong created an entirely new alphabet for Korean because Chinese characters were too hard for ordinary people. The letter shapes show the position of the mouth when making the sound. It can be learned in a day.

Connects to

Korea's Three Kingdoms58 BCE – 668
The alphabet1,801 BCE
Movable type in ChinaJan 1040
Gutenberg's printing pressJan 1, 1440

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