Hunmin Jeongeum (document)
Korean name
Hangul:	훈민 정음
Hanja:	訓民正音
Revised Romanization:	Hunmin Jeong-eum
McCune-Reischauer:	Hunmin Chŏng'ŭm

Promulgated in September or October 1446, Hunmin Jeongeum (lit. The Correct/Proper Sounds for the Instruction of the People) was an entirely new and native script for the Korean people. The script was initially named after the publication, but later came to be known as Hangul. It was composed by King Sejong the Great personally, so that the common people illiterate in Hanja could accurately and easily read and write the Korean language. He faced fierce opposition from his own scholars of the Hall of Worthies (Jiphyeonjeon) and the literati of the time. Its supposed publication date, October 9, is now Hangul Day in South Korea. Wikipedia does not have an article with this exact name. ... The Korean language (한국어 / 조선어) is the most widely used language in Korea, and is the official language of both North and South Korea. ... Hangul (hangul: 한글; revised: hangeul; McCune-Reischauer: hangŭl) is the native alphabet used to write the Korean language, as opposed to the Hanja system borrowed from China. ... Hanja (lit. ... The Revised Romanization of Korean is the official Korean language romanization system in South Korea. ... McCune-Reischauer is one of the two most widely used Korean language romanization systems, along with the Revised Romanization of Korean, which replaced (a modified) McCune-Reischauer as the official romanization system in South Korea in 2000. ... Events Mehmed II Sultan of the Ottoman Empire is forced to abdicate in favor of his father Murad II by the Janissaries. ... A writing system, also called a script, is a type of symbolic system used to represent elements or statements expressible in language. ... Hangul (hangul: 한글; revised: hangeul; McCune-Reischauer: hangŭl) is the native alphabet used to write the Korean language, as opposed to the Hanja system borrowed from China. ... King Sejong the Great (May 6, 1397 - May 18, 1450), born I Do, was the fourth ruler of the Joseon Dynasty of Korea from 1418 to 1450. ... Hanja (lit. ... October 9 is the 282nd day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (283rd in Leap years). ... Hangul Day — also called Hangul Proclamation Day or Korean Alphabet Day — is a Korean national commemorative day marking the invention and the proclamation of Hangul, the native alphabet of the Korean language, by King Sejong the Great. ...

The publication contains a preface, the alphabet letters (jamo), and brief descriptions of their corresponding sounds. It is later supplemented by a longer document called Hunmin Jeongeum Haerye. To distinguish it from its supplement, Hunmin Jeongeum is sometimes called the "Samples and Significance Edition of Hunmin Jeongeum" (훈민정음예의본 ; 訓民正音例義本). Hunmin Jeongeum Haerye (lit. ...

The first paragraph of the document reveals King Sejong's motivation and reason for making the Hangul:

나랏말 싸미 듕국에 달아 문짜와로 서로 사맛디 아니할쌔 이런 전차로 어린 백셩이 이르고져 할배이셔도 마참내 제 뜻을 시러펴지 못할 노미 하니라 내 이랄 위하야 어엿비 여겨 스물여덜 자를 맹가노니 사람마다 해여 수비니겨 날로 쑤메 편한케 하고져 할 따라미니라 (Because our language is different from China's, it is not communicable with the other. Therefore, when the simple people wish to communicate something, many cannot achieve their intent. Because I am saddened by this, I have made 28 letters, which may be easily learned by everyone and be convenient in daily use.)

The manuscript of the original Hunmin Jeongeum has two versions:

• Seven pages of Hanja and written in Classical Chinese, except where the Hangul symbols are mentioned. Three copies are left:
  • The one found at the beginning of the Haerye copy
  • The one included in Sejong Sillok (世宗實錄; "The Sejong Chronicles"), Volume 113.
• Another, 36 pages, extensively annotated in Hangul, and all Hanja used have their Hangul counterpart written smaller immediately below them slightly to the right. The Hangul were written in both ink-brush and geometric styles. Four copies are left:
  • At the beginning of Weorin Seokbo (月印釋譜), an annotated Buddhist scripture
  • One preserved by Park Seungbin
  • One preserved by Kanazawa, a Japanese
  • One preserved by the Japanese Ministry of Royal Affairs

Kept in the Kansong Art Museum (澗松 美術館), it is South Korean National Treasure number 70 and has been a UNESCO Memory of the World Register since October 1997. Hanja (lit. ... Classical Chinese or Literary Chinese is a traditional style of written Chinese based on the grammar and vocabulary of Zhou Dynasty Chinese, making it very different from any modern spoken form of Chinese. ... Hunmin Jeongeum Haerye (lit. ... King Sejong the Great (May 6, 1397 - May 18, 1450), born I Do, was the fourth ruler of the Joseon Dynasty of Korea from 1418 to 1450. ... A replica of an ancient statue found among the ruins of a temple at Sarnath Buddhism is a philosophy based on the teachings of the Buddha, Siddhārtha Gautama, a prince of the Shakyas, whose lifetime is traditionally given as 566 to 486 BCE. It had subsequently been accepted by... National motto: 널리 인간 세계를 이롭게 하라 Translation: Broadly bring benefit to humanity Official language Korean Capital Seoul Largest city Seoul President Roh Moo-hyun Prime Minister Lee Hae-chan Area  - Total  - % water Ranked 108th 99,274 km² 0. ... The national treasures of Korea are a numbered set of artifacts, sites, and buildings which are recognized by South Korea as having exceptional cultural value. ... UNESCO logo The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, commonly known as UNESCO, is a specialized agency of the United Nations system established in 1945. ... 1997 (MCMXCVII) is a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

See also

• List of Korea-related topics

This is a list of Wikipedia articles on Korea-related people, places, things, and concepts. ...

External links

Wikisource has original text related to this article:

ko:훈민정음

• Scanned original Hangul version
• Hunmin in the Memory of the World Register - UNSECO web page