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hangul

the native alphabetic writing system of the Korean language

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Where does the word "hangul" come from? It comes from Korean hangul, and was adopted directly into English (1900s).

Read the full story

Where does the word "hangul" come from? It comes from Korean hangul, and was adopted directly into English (1900s).

Hangul’s story begins in Korean: hangul meant “the Korean script.” The native Korean writing system, commissioned by King Sejong the Great. It reached English by 1900s as hangul. Invented by King Sejong's scholars and published in 1446; Korea celebrates Hangul Day on 9 October. Today, hangul means the native alphabetic writing system of the Korean language.

  1. Stage 1 · Korean · 1440s hangul "the Korean script", the native Korean writing system, commissioned by King Sejong the Great.
  2. Stage 2 · English · 1900s hangul "the Korean alphabet", invented by King Sejong's scholars and published in 1446; Korea celebrates Hangul Day on 9 October.

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