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

Promulgated in September or October 1446, Hunmin Jeongeum (lit. Hanja is the Korean name for Chinese characters. More specifically it refers to those Chinese characters borrowed from Chinese and incorporated The Revised Romanization of Korean is the official Korean language Romanization system in South Korea. McCune-Reischauer romanization is one of the two most widely used Korean language Romanization systems along with the Revised Romanization of Korean, which The Correct/Proper Sounds for the Instruction of the People) was an entirely new and native script for the Korean people. A writing system is a type of Symbolic system used to represent elements or statements expressible in Language. Korea is a geographic area composed of two sovereign countries a civilization and a former state situated on the Korean Peninsula in East Asia. The script was initially named after the publication, but later came to be known as hangul. It was created so that the common people illiterate in hanja could accurately and easily read and write the Korean language. Hanja is the Korean name for Chinese characters. More specifically it refers to those Chinese characters borrowed from Chinese and incorporated Its supposed publication date, October 9, is now Hangul Day in South Korea. Events 768 - Carloman I and Charlemagne are crowned Kings of The Franks. Hangul Day &mdash also called Hangul Proclamation Day or Korean Alphabet Day &mdash is a Korean national commemorative day marking the invention and the proclamation South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea and often referred to as Korea ( Korean: 대한민국 tɛː

Content

The publication is written in Classical Chinese and 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).

The Classical Chinese of the Hunmin Jeongeum has been partly translated into Middle Korean. This translation is found together with Worin Seokbo, and is called the Hunmin Jeongeum Eonhaebon.

The first paragraph of the document reveals King Sejong's motivation for creating hangul. Excerpts from the Eonhaebon:

• In Old Hangul:^[1]

• In hanja and Old Hangul:^[1]

• Translation:

Because the speech of the country is different from that of China, it [the spoken language] doesn't match the [Chinese] letters. Hanja is the Korean name for Chinese characters. More specifically it refers to those Chinese characters borrowed from Chinese and incorporated Therefore, even if the ignorant want to communicate, many of them cannot achieve their intent. Because I am saddened by this, I have newly made 28 letters. It is my intention that everybody learn the letters easily so that they can conveniently use them everyday.

Versions

The manuscript of the original Hunmin Jeongeum has two versions:

• Seven pages of hanja and written in Classical Chinese, except where the hangul letters are mentioned. Hanja is the Korean name for Chinese characters. More specifically it refers to those Chinese characters borrowed from Chinese and incorporated Classical Chinese or Literary Chinese is a traditional style of Written Chinese based on the Grammar and Vocabulary of ancient Chinese Three copies are left:
  • The one found at the beginning of the Haerye copy
  • The one included in Sejong Sillok (세종실록; 世宗實錄; "The Sejong Chronicles"), Volume 113.
• The Eonhaebon, 36 pages, extensively annotated in hangul, with all hanja transcribed with small hangul to their lower right, as can be seen in the image at the top of this article. The hangul were written in both ink-brush and geometric styles. Four copies are left:
  • At the beginning of Weorin Seokbo (월인석보; 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

See also

• Korean language

References

External links

• Scanned copy of the Eonhae
• The Hunmin Chongum Manuscript - UNESCO Memory of the World International Register web page
• National Memory Heritage Service provides the pictures of the book.