Hangul Day, also known as 한글날 (Hangeulnal) in Korean, is a national holiday celebrated in Korea on October 9th each year. This significant holiday commemorates the creation and proclamation of the Korean script known as Hangul. Hangul is the writing system of the Korean language, and it consists of 24 letters, including 14 consonants and 10 vowels.
The history of Hangul Day dates back to the 15th century during the Joseon Dynasty in Korea. King Sejong the Great, who ruled from 1418 to 1450, recognized the limitations of using Classical Chinese characters (known as Hanja) to write the Korean language. Hanja was complex and not well-suited to accurately represent the sounds of the Korean language, making literacy among common people a significant challenge.
In response to this issue, King Sejong initiated a project to create a simpler and more phonetic script that could be easily learned and used by all members of Korean society. Hangul was introduced to the public in 1443 with the publication of the Hunminjeongeum, a document that explained the principles and usage of the new script. This marked a significant achievement in the cultural and linguistic history of Korea and allowed for greater literacy and communication among the Korean people.
Learning Hangul can seem challenging at first, but it is relatively simple to master. Why not take the opportunity to learn Hangul on Hangul Day?
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