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116-456: The family name Yoo can be represented by any of the four hanja : 柳 ( 류 ), 劉 , 兪 and 庾 , each with a different meaning. In Korean, the characters 劉 and 柳 refer to 유 (Yoo) or 류 (Ryu) and are spelled as such because of the first initial sound rule ( 두음 법칙 ) in Korean, whereas the characters 兪 and 庾 refer only to 유 (Yoo). Some of these characters are used to write

232-561: A banner with Kim Il Sung's name written in Hanja. Opinion surveys in South Korea regarding the issue of Hanja use have had mixed responses in the past. Hanja terms are also expressed through Hangul, the standard script in the Korean language. Hanja use within general Korean literature has declined since the 1980s because formal Hanja education in South Korea does not begin until the seventh year of schooling, due to changes in government policy during

348-423: A character is called eumhun ( 음훈 ; 音訓 ; from 音 'sound' + 訓 'meaning,' 'teaching'). The word or words used to denote the meaning are often—though hardly always—words of native Korean (i.e., non-Chinese) origin, and are sometimes archaic words no longer commonly used. South Korean primary schools ceased the teaching of Hanja in elementary schools in the 1970s, although they are still taught as part of

464-433: A concubine of Kwak Sŏn, Yangnyeong was ultimately deposed as crown prince. In mid-1418, court officials petitioned Taejong to consider a new candidate for the throne. Following primogeniture, Taejong initially considered Yangnyeong's eldest son for the role. However, the officials objected and insisted that Taejong select a wise person as heir apparent. King Taejong asked the officials to propose an alternative. According to

580-478: A full letter, which is the default style being used today) first appeared in the same period as government policy. With further adoption, during the 1970s, even when Hanja and mixed script were still used widely in society both as a writing system and as a style option, Koreans mostly gave up on mixed script at least in government documents and memorandums; The use of Hanja in type hindered the speed of writing and printing compared to only-Hangul usage, especially after

696-457: A lady of the influential Yeoheung Min clan (later Queen Wongyeong ). While records of Yi's childhood are scarce, it is known that Yi was born outside Gyeongbokgung when his father, Yi Pang-wŏn , was not yet heir to the throne. In 1408, Yi's father arranged his marriage to Lady Sim of the Cheongsong Sim clan  [ ko ] , who would later become Queen Soheon . In 1412, Yi To

812-573: A large number of Chinese-borrowed words are still widely used in the North (although written in Hangul), and Hanja still appear in special contexts, such as recent North Korean dictionaries . The replacement has been less total in South Korea where, although usage has declined over time, some Hanja remain in common usage in some contexts. Each Hanja is composed of one of 214 radicals plus in most cases one or more additional elements. The vast majority of Hanja use

928-508: A mandatory requirement, it is now considered optional. Though North Korea rapidly abandoned the general use of Hanja soon after independence, the number of Hanja taught in primary and secondary schools is actually greater than the 1,800 taught in South Korea. Kim Il Sung had earlier called for a gradual elimination of the use of Hanja, but by the 1960s, he had reversed his stance; he was quoted as saying in 1966, "While we should use as few Sinitic terms as possible, students must be exposed to

1044-658: A rare surname from Seongju ), and 怾 ( 기 ; Gi , an old name referring to Kumgangsan ). Further examples include 巭 ( 부 bu ), 頉 ( 탈 tal ), 䭏 ( 편 pyeon ), 哛 ( 뿐 ppun ), and 椧 ( 명 myeong ). See Korean gukja characters at Wiktionary for more examples. Compare to the parallel development in Japan of kokuji ( 国字 ) , of which there are hundreds, many rarely used. These were often developed for native Japanese plants and animals. Some Hanja characters have simplified forms ( 약자, 略字 , yakja ) that can be seen in casual use. An example

1160-411: A satisfactory level for Sejong. In the 26th year of his reign, he had the cannon foundry Hwapojujoso ( 화포주조소 ; 火砲鑄造所 ) built to produce a new standard cannon with outstanding performance, and in the following year, he undertook a complete overhaul of the cannon. The Chongtongdeungnok ( 총통등록 ; 銃筒謄錄 ) compiled and published in the 30th year his reign, was an illustrated book that described

1276-582: A strictly analytic, SVO structure in stark contrast to the generally polysyllabic, very synthetic, SOV structure, with various grammatical endings that encoded person, levels of politeness and case found in Korean. Despite the adoption of literary Chinese as the written language, Chinese never replaced Korean as the spoken language, even amongst the scholars that had immersed themselves into its study. The first attempts to make literary Chinese texts more accessible to Korean readers were hanmun passages written in Korean word order. This would later develop into

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1392-526: A subject's duty is to serve his superior with honesty and not to tolerate deceit. However, people all around the world worship the Buddha, serve spirits at their houses, and yet reproach others for worshiping the very ghosts and Buddha they themselves revere; I find this highly reprehensible. In 1427, Sejong issued a decree against the Huihui ( Korean Muslim ) community that had enjoyed special status and stipends since

1508-482: A variety of systems collectively known as idu , but by the 20th century Koreans used hanja only for writing Sino-Korean words, while writing native vocabulary and loanwords from other languages in Hangul. By the 21st century, even Sino-Korean words are usually written in the Hangul alphabet, with the corresponding Chinese character sometimes written next to it to prevent confusion if there are other characters or words with

1624-449: Is [REDACTED] , which is a cursive form of 無 (meaning 'nothing'). Each Hanja character is pronounced as a single syllable, corresponding to a single composite character in Hangul. The pronunciation of Hanja in Korean is by no means identical to the way they are pronounced in modern Chinese, particularly Mandarin , although some Chinese dialects and Korean share similar pronunciations for some characters. For example, 印刷 "print"

1740-617: Is yìnshuā in Mandarin Chinese and inswae ( 인쇄 ) in Korean, but it is pronounced inseh in Shanghainese (a Wu Chinese dialect). Sejong the Great Sejong ( Korean :  세종 ; Hanja :  世宗 ; 15 May 1397 – 30 March 1450), personal name Yi To ( 이도 ; 李祹 ), commonly known as Sejong the Great ( 세종대왕 ; 世宗大王 ), was the fourth monarch of

1856-514: Is a Sino-Korean name and the Sino-Korean term for 'princess' was already adopted as a loan word. The hanja ' 主隱 ,' however, were read according to their native pronunciation but was not used for its literal meaning signifying 'the prince steals' but to the native postpositions ( 님 ) nim , the honorific marker used after professions and titles, and eun , the topic marker. In mixed script , this would be rendered as ' 善化公主님은 '. Hanja were

1972-466: Is also an account of Sejong's having a disease that roughly translates to palsy ( 풍증 ; 風症 ) and essential tremor ( 수전증 ; 手顫症 ), but terminology of the 15th century Korean traditional medicine does not translate well. Sejong died on 8 April 1450, on the Gregorian calendar, at the residence of Grand Prince Young-eung at the age of 52. He was buried at Yeongneung ( 영릉 ; 英陵 ), in

2088-484: Is featured on the 10,000 won banknote of the South Korean won , along with various scientific tools invented under his reign. Sejong was first portrayed in the 1000- hwan bill as part of the 15 August 1960 currency reform , replacing the portrait of former president Syngman Rhee . Sejong was also featured on the 500- hwan bill the following year. Both bills were decommissioned in 1962. Sejong's portrait returned with

2204-654: Is the earliest securely dated relic bearing hanmun inscriptions. Hanmun became commonplace in Goguryeo during the 5th and 6th centuries and according to the Book of Zhou , the Chinese classics were available in Goguryeo by the end of the 6th century. The Samguk sagi mentions written records in Baekje beginning in 375 and Goguryeo annals prior to 600. Japanese chronicles mention Baekje people as teachers of hanmun . According to

2320-523: Is the name of the capital, Seoul , a native Korean word meaning 'capital' with no direct Hanja conversion; the Hanja gyeong ( 경 ; 京 , 'capital') is sometimes used as a back-rendering. For example, disyllabic names of railway lines, freeways, and provinces are often formed by taking one character from each of the two locales' names; thus, Most atlases of Korea today are published in two versions: one in Hangul (sometimes with some English as well), and one in Hanja. Subway and railway station signs give

2436-1295: The gwageo required the thorough ability to read, interpret and compose passages of works such as the Analects ( 논어 ; 論語 ; Non-eo ), Great Learning ( 대학 ; 大學 ; Daehak ), Doctrine of the Mean ( 중용 ; 中庸 ; Jung-yong ), Mencius ( 맹자 ; 孟子 ; Maengja ), Classic of Poetry ( 시경 ; 詩經 ; Sigyeong ), Book of Documents ( 서경 ; 書經 ; Seogyeong ), Classic of Changes ( 역경 ; 易經 ; Yeokgyeong ), Spring and Autumn Annals ( 춘추 ; 春秋 ; Chunchu ) and Book of Rites ( 예기 ; 禮記 ; Yegi ). Other important works include Sūnzǐ's Art of War ( 손자병법 ; 孫子兵法 ; Sonja Byeongbeop ) and Selections of Refined Literature ( 문선 ; 文選 ; Munseon ). The Korean scholars were very proficient in literary Chinese. The craftsmen and scholars of Baekje were renowned in Japan, and were eagerly sought as teachers due to their proficiency in hanmun . Korean scholars also composed all diplomatic records, government records, scientific writings, religious literature and much poetry in hanmun , demonstrating that

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2552-492: The gwageo system was maintained by Goryeo until after the unification of Korea at the end of the nineteenth century. The scholarly élite began learning the hanja by memorising the Thousand Character Classic ( 천자문 ; 千字文 ; Cheonjamun ), Three Character Classic ( 삼자경 ; 三字經 ; Samja Gyeong ) and Hundred Family Surnames ( 백가성 ; 百家姓 ; Baekga Seong ). Passage of

2668-577: The Book of Liang , the people of Silla did not have writing in the first half of the 6th century but this may have been only referring to agreements and contracts, represented by notches on wood. The Bei Shi , covering the period 386–618, says that the writing, armour, and weapons in Silla were the same as those in China. The Samguk sagi says that records were kept in Silla starting in 545. Some western writers claimed that knowledge of Chinese entered Korea with

2784-535: The Jongmyo Jerye (memorials honoring the kings of Joseon). In 1418, during Sejong's reign, scholars developed the Pyeongyeong ( 편경 ; 編磬 ), a lithophone modeled on the Chinese bianqing . The Pyeongyeong is a percussion instrument consisting of two rows of 8 pumice slabs hung on a decorative wooden frame with a 16-tone range and struck with an ox horn mallet. It was manufactured using pumice mined from

2900-520: The Veritable Records of King Sejong and Jeong In-ji 's preface to the Hunminjeongeum Haerye emphasize that Sejong invented it himself. Before the creation of the new alphabet, the people of Joseon primarily used Classical Chinese to write, alongside a few writing systems like idu , hyangchal , gugyeol , and gakpil —which used Chinese characters to approximate sounds of

3016-404: The gugyeol ( 구결 ; 口訣 ) or 'separated phrases,' system. Chinese texts were broken into meaningful blocks, and in the spaces were inserted hanja used to represent the sound of native Korean grammatical endings. As literary Chinese was very terse, leaving much to be understood from context, insertion of occasional verbs and grammatical markers helped to clarify the meaning. For instance,

3132-531: The ' Jongmyo court music ' , which was used for royal ancestral rituals and is now inscribed as an UNESCO Intangible Cultural Hertiage . King Sejong profoundly affected Korea's history with the creation and introduction of hangul , the native phonetic writing system for the Korean language . Although it is widely assumed that he ordered the Hall of Worthies to invent the script, contemporaneous records such as

3248-698: The Chinese surnames Liu ( 劉 or 柳 ) and Yu ( 兪 ，余). Notable 柳 (Ryu) clans include the Munhwa Ryu clan and the Pungsan Ryu. In Korea, the Yoo lineage traces to the Xia , Han , and Joseon dynasties . Holders of the surname Yoo had a reputation for charity and diligence. The largest Ryu (which is a separate clan from Yoo, but pronounced differently), the Munhwa Ryu,

3364-515: The Goryeo period, monks wielded strong political and economic influence. However, in Joseon, Buddhism was considered a false philosophy and the monks were viewed as corrupted by power and money. Likewise, Sejong continued Joseon's policies of "worshiping Confucianism and suppressing Buddhism " ( Korean :  승유억불 ; Hanja :  崇儒抑佛 ). He banned monks from entering Hanseong and reduced

3480-459: The Gyeonggi Province and was primarily used for ceremonies. Sejong's contribution to the arts continued long after his death; he had always wanted to use Korean music rather than Chinese music for ancestral rituals, but conservative court officials stopped his efforts. However, when Sejong's son, King Sejo , rose to the throne, he modified the ritual music composed by his father and created

3596-458: The Joseon balmyong jangryohoe 's ( 조선발명장려회 ) Hangul type contest, and Kim Dong Hoon's typewriter winning joint 3rd. During the 50s and 60s, alongside the Korean government's support for typewriting, new Hangul typewriters were developed, distributed, and adopted. Hangul type with both horizontal writing and moa-sseugi (모아쓰기; the style of Hangul where Hangul consonants and vowels mix in together to form

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3712-445: The Joseon dynasty of Korea . He is regarded as one of the greatest rulers in Korean history, and is remembered as the inventor of Hangul , the native alphabet of the Korean language . Initially titled Grand Prince Chungnyeong ( 충녕대군 ; 忠寧大君 ), he was the third son of King Taejong and Queen Wongyeong . In 1418, Sejong replaced his eldest brother, Yi Je , as crown prince ; a few months later, Taejong voluntarily abdicated

3828-584: The King Sejong Institute , the Sejong Center for the Performing Arts , Sejong Science High School , and Sejong University also bear his name. A 9.5-meter-high (31 ft) bronze statue of King Sejong , unveiled in 2009 in celebration of the 563rd anniversary of the invention of the Korean alphabet, now sits on a concrete pedestal on the boulevard of Gwanghwamun Square and directly in front of

3944-614: The Korean language . After characters were introduced to Korea to write Literary Chinese , they were adapted to write Korean as early as the Gojoseon period. Hanja-eo ( 한자어 , 漢字 語 ) refers to Sino-Korean vocabulary , which can be written with Hanja, and hanmun ( 한문 , 漢文 ) refers to Classical Chinese writing, although Hanja is also sometimes used to encompass both concepts. Because Hanja characters have never undergone any major reforms, they more closely resemble traditional Chinese and traditional Japanese characters, although

4060-553: The Sejong Center for the Performing Arts in Seoul. The pedestal contains one of the several entrances to the 3,200 m underground museum exhibit entitled "The Story of King Sejong". In 2007, the South Korean Chief of Naval Operations officially announced the naming of its Sejong the Great -class destroyers , further explaining that Sejong's name was chosen as he was the most beloved figure among South Koreans. A portrait of Sejong

4176-581: The Songhua River . Sejong promoted the sciences. In 1420, Sejong created an institute within Gyeongbokgung known as the Hall of Worthies . The institute was responsible for conducting scientific research with the purpose of advancing the country's technology. The Hall of Worthies was designed to host Joseon's best and brightest thinkers, with the government offering grants and scholarships to encourage young scholars to attend. In 1428, Sejong ordered

4292-577: The Treaty of 1910 , hangul was outlawed again until the liberation of Korea in 1945. Sejong suffered from eye diseases and deteriorating vision and likely had health issues linked to excessive meat consumption all throughout his life. Sejong's love for meat is clear from a comment by King Emeritus Taejong . When Sejong stopped eating fish and meat to mourn after the death of Jeongjong —Sejong's uncle and Taejong 's older brother— Taejong remarked that Sejong had always found it hard to eat without meat since he

4408-516: The Treaty of Gyehae , the daimyo of Tsushima was obliged to pay tribute to the Joseon monarch, and in turn the Sō clan was allowed to serve as a diplomatic intermediary between Korea and Japan, as well as receive exclusive trade rights. In 1433, Sejong sent Kim Jong-seo to the north to destroy the Jurchens . The military campaign captured several fortresses, pushed north, and expanded Korean territory, to

4524-513: The Veritable Records , they gave an indirect response: "The father knows his sons best, as the king knows his subjects best." Taejong judged his second son, Grand Prince Hyoryeong , to have a disposition too soft for the role. He then proposed Chungnyeong, whom he felt was intelligent and sharp in matters of politics. The officials welcomed the decision and confirmed that Chungnyeong had been their preferred choice. On 8 July 1418, Chungnyeong

4640-451: The Yuan dynasty 's rule over Goryeo . The Huihui were forced to abandon their headgear, close down their "ceremonial hall" (a mosque in the city of Gaegyeong, in present-day Kaesong ), and worship like everyone else. No further records of Muslims exist during the Joseon era. In the early years of the Joseon dynasty, the economy operated on a barter system, with cloth, grain, and cotton being

4756-579: The casting methods , gunpowder usage, and specifications of the guns. The publication of this book is considered a remarkable achievement that marked a new era in the manufacture of artillery during the Joseon Dynasty. In June 1419, under the advice and guidance of his father, Sejong ordered the third and last occupation of Tsushima , known as Daemado Jeongbeol ( 대마도 정벌 ) in Korean and Ōei Invasion in Japanese. The ultimate goal of this military expedition

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4872-485: The hanja ' 爲 ' was used for its native Korean gloss whereas ' 尼 ' was used for its Sino-Korean pronunciation, and combined into ' 爲尼 ' and read hani ( 하니 ), 'to do (and so).' In Chinese, however, the same characters are read in Mandarin as the expression wéi ní , meaning 'becoming a nun'. This is a typical example of Gugyeol words where the radical ( 爲 ) is read in Korean for its meaning ( hă —'to do'), whereas

4988-542: The hanja were chosen for their equivalent native Korean gloss. For example, the hanja ' 不冬 ' signifies 'no winter' or 'not winter' and has the formal Sino-Korean pronunciation of ( 부동 ) budong , similar to Mandarin bù dōng . Instead, it was read as andeul ( 안들 ) which is the Middle Korean pronunciation of the characters' native gloss and is ancestor to modern anneunda ( 않는다 ), 'do not' or 'does not.' The various idu conventions were developed in

5104-646: The same sounds , two distinct Hanja words ( Hanjaeo ) may be spelled identically in the phonetic Hangul alphabet . Hanja's language of origin, Chinese, has many homophones, and Hanja words became even more homophonic when they came into Korean, since Korean lacks a tonal system , which is how Chinese distinguishes many words that would otherwise be homophonic. For example, while 道 , 刀 , and 島 are all phonetically distinct in Mandarin (pronounced dào , dāo , and dǎo respectively), they are all pronounced do ( 도 ) in Korean. For this reason, Hanja are often used to clarify meaning, either on their own without

5220-451: The stroke orders for certain characters are slightly different. Such examples are the characters 教 and 敎 , as well as 研 and 硏 . Only a small number of Hanja characters were modified or are unique to Korean, with the rest being identical to the traditional Chinese characters . By contrast, many of the Chinese characters currently in use in mainland China , Malaysia and Singapore have been simplified , and contain fewer strokes than

5336-524: The 辛 ( Korean :  신라면 ; Hanja :  辛拉麵 ) used on Shin Ramyŏn packaging. Since June 1949, Hanja has not officially been used in North Korea, and, in addition, most texts are now commonly written horizontally instead of vertically. Many words borrowed from Chinese have also been replaced in the North with native Korean words, due to the North's policy of linguistic purism . Nevertheless,

5452-424: The "benefit of the feudalist ruling class ". Contrastingly, in a column from its 15 December 2001 issue, North Korean news outlet Tongil Sinbo reported that Sejong the Great greatly contributed to Korean science during his reign of 30 years. Hangul Day is also celebrated in North Korea, albeit on a different date. Sejong and his primary consort Soheon had ten children together: the most for any queen consort of

5568-458: The Goryeo period but were particularly associated with the jung-in ( 중인 ; 中人 ), the upper middle class of the early Joseon period. A subset of idu was known as hyangchal ( 향찰 ; 鄕札 ), 'village notes,' and was a form of idu particularly associated with the hyangga ( 향가 ; 鄕歌 ) the old poetry compilations and some new creations preserved in the first half of

5684-410: The Goryeo period when its popularity began to wane. In the hyangchal or 'village letters' system, there was free choice in how a particular hanja was used. For example, to indicate the topic of Princess Seonhwa, a daughter of King Jinpyeong of Silla was recorded as ' 善化公主主隱 ' in hyangchal and was read as ( 선화공주님은 ), seonhwa gongju-nim-eun where ' 善化公主 ' is read in Sino-Korean, as it

5800-441: The Great is considered one of the most influential monarchs in Korean history, with the creation of Hangul considered his greatest legacy. Sejong is widely renowned in modern-day South Korea. In a 2024 survey by Gallup Korea , Sejong was nominated as the second most respected figure by South Koreans, only to be surpassed by Yi Sun-sin . The Encyclopedia of Korean Culture evaluates the reign of Sejong "the most shining period of

5916-499: The Hangul. Aside from academic usage, Hanja are often used for advertising or decorative purposes in South Korea, and appear frequently in athletic events and cultural parades, packaging and labeling, dictionaries and atlases . For example, the Hanja 辛 ( sin or shin , meaning 'spicy') appears prominently on packages of Shin Ramyun noodles. In contrast, North Korea eliminated the use of Hanja even in academic publications by 1949 on

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6032-631: The Hanja, but this practice was reversed by post-independence governments in Korea. Since the 1970s, some parents have given their children given names that are simply native Korean words. Popular ones include Haneul ( 하늘 )—meaning 'sky'—and Iseul ( 이슬 )—meaning 'morning dew'. Nevertheless, on official documents, people's names are still recorded in both Hangul and in Hanja. Due to standardization efforts during Goryeo and Joseon eras, native Korean placenames were converted to Hanja, and most names used today are Hanja-based. The most notable exception

6148-439: The Korean language—that had been in use since hundreds of years before hangul. However, due to the fundamental differences between the Korean and Chinese languages, and the large number of Chinese characters required, lower-class people of Joseon lacked the privilege of education and were illiterate. To promote literacy, King Sejong created hangul (which initially had 28 letters, four of which are no longer in use). Hangul

6264-489: The Korean scholars were not just reading Chinese works but were actively composing their own. Well-known examples of Chinese-language literature in Korea include Samguk sagi , Samguk yusa , Geumo Sinhwa , The Cloud Dream of the Nine , Akhak gwebeom , Hong Gildong jeon and Domundaejak . The Chinese language, however, was quite different from the Korean language, consisting of terse, often monosyllabic words with

6380-467: The Koreans themselves. These characters are called gukja ( 국자 ; 國字 , literally 'national characters'). Most of them are for proper names (place-names and people's names) but some refer to Korean-specific concepts and materials. They include 畓 ( 답 ; dap ; 'paddy field'), 欌 ( 장 ; jang , 'wardrobe'), 乭 ( 돌 ; Dol , a character only used in given names), 㸴 ( 소 ; So ,

6496-508: The ability to read and write would allow them to find and abuse loopholes within the law. Others felt that hangul would threaten their families' positions in court by creating a larger pool of civil servants. The Joseon elite continued to use the Chinese hanja long after Sejong's death. Hangul was often treated with contempt by those in power and received criticism in the form of nicknames, including eonmun ("vulgar script"), amkeul ("women's script"), and ahaekkeul ("children's script"). It

6612-476: The additional elements to indicate the sound of the character, but a few Hanja are purely pictographic, and some were formed in other ways. The historical use of Hanja in Korea has had a change over time. Hanja became prominent in use by the elite class between the 3rd and 4th centuries by the Three Kingdoms. The use came from Chinese that migrated into Korea. With them they brought the writing system Hanja. Thus

6728-589: The advent of the Sebeolsik layout ( 세벌식 자판 ) Park's Hanja ban was not formally lifted until 1992 under the government of Kim Young-sam . In 1999, the government of Kim Dae-jung actively promoted Hanja by placing it on signs on the road, at bus stops, and in subways. In 1999, Han Mun was reintroduced as a school elective and in 2001 the Hanja Proficiency Test hanja nŭngryŏk gŏmjŏng sihŏm ( Korean :  한자능력검정시험 ; Hanja :  漢字能力檢定試驗 )

6844-786: The corresponding Hanja characters. Until the contemporary period, Korean documents, history, literature and records were written primarily in Literary Chinese using Hanja as its primary script. As early as 1446, Sejong the Great promulgated Hangul (also known as Chosŏn'gŭl in North Korea) through the Hunminjeongeum . It did not come into widespread official use until the late 19th and early 20th century. Proficiency in Chinese characters is, therefore, necessary to study Korean history. Etymology of Sino-Korean words are reflected in Hanja. Hanja were once used to write native Korean words, in

6960-450: The equivalent Hangul spelling or in parentheses after the Hangul spelling as a kind of gloss. Hanja are often also used as a form of shorthand in newspaper headlines, advertisements, and on signs, for example the banner at the funeral for the sailors lost in the sinking of ROKS Cheonan (PCC-772) . In South Korea, Hanja are used most frequently in ancient literature, legal documents, and scholarly monographs, where they often appear without

7076-466: The equivalent Hangul spelling. Usually, only those words with a specialized or ambiguous meaning are printed in Hanja. In mass-circulation books and magazines, Hanja are generally used rarely, and only to gloss words already spelled in Hangul when the meaning is ambiguous. Hanja are also often used in newspaper headlines as abbreviations or to eliminate ambiguity. In formal publications, personal names are also usually glossed in Hanja in parentheses next to

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7192-459: The exchange rate dropped below the coin's intrinsic value. In 1445, Sejong consolidated the various sujoji records, previously managed by various government offices, and placed them under the administration of the Ministry of Taxation ( Hojo ) to improve transparency in Joseon's fiscal policies. King Sejong was an effective military planner and created various military regulations to strengthen

7308-670: The fact that the word is composed of Hanja often help to illustrate the word's origin. As an example of how Hanja can help to clear up ambiguity, many homophones can be distinguished by using Hanja. An example is the word 수도 ( sudo ), which may have meanings such as: Hanja dictionaries for specialist usage – Jajeon ( 자전 ; 字典 ) or Okpyeon ( 옥편 ; 玉篇 ) – are organized by radical (the traditional Chinese method of classifying characters). Korean personal names , including all Korean surnames and most Korean given names , are based on Hanja and are generally written in it, although some exceptions exist. On business cards,

7424-445: The hanja being used came from the characters already being used by the Chinese at the time. Since Hanja was primarily used by the elite and scholars, it was hard for others to learn, thus much character development was limited. Scholars in the 4th century used this to study and write Confucian classics. Character formation is also coined to the idu form which was a Buddhist writing system for Chinese characters. This practice however

7540-755: The historic claims that the Ch'a clans are derived from the same progenitor as Ryu Ch'a-dal have been disproven. The Munhwa Ryoo clan, along with the Andong Kwŏn clan, possess one of Korea's oldest clan genealogies . Only the character 柳 is commonly pronounced Ryu or Ryoo ( 류 ). (See Munhwa Ryoo ) The surname "Ryu" comes from the character meaning willow tree . Hence, the lineage is also sometimes called "willow Ryu" ( 버들 류씨 ). Hanja Hanja ( Korean :  한자 ; Hanja :  漢字 , Korean pronunciation: [ha(ː)ntɕ͈a] ), alternatively known as Hancha , are Chinese characters used to write

7656-471: The history of our [the Korean] people." Sejong's creation of the Korean alphabet is celebrated every 9 October as Hangul Day , a national holiday. Multiple places in South Korea, including Sejong Street ( Sejongno ; 세종로, 世宗路), Sejong–Pocheon Expressway , and Sejong Special Autonomous City , South Korea's de facto administrative capital, are named after him. Various institutes such as King Sejong Station ,

7772-480: The holders of such names—but not only them—tend to have one-syllable given names. Traditionally, the given name in turn consists of one character unique to the individual and one character shared by all people in a family of the same sex and generation (see Generation name ). During the Japanese administration of Korea (1910–1945), Koreans were forced to adopt Japanese-style names , including polysyllabic readings of

7888-422: The introduction of Christianity in Korea in 1602. Hangul was brought into the mainstream culture in the 16th century, due to a renaissance in literature and poetry. It continued to gain popularity well into the 17th century, and gained wider use after a period of nationalism in the 19th century. In 1849, it was adopted as Korea's national writing system, and saw its first use in official government documents. After

8004-533: The introduction of the 10,000- won bill, when his portrait and Geunjeongjeon replaced Seokguram and Bulguksa as features of the bill, in 1973. In North Korea, Sejong is not as widely commemorated compared to the South. Vol. 16 of the Great Korean Encyclopedia asserts that " feudalist pressure and extortion" was strengthened during Sejong's reign, and that all of Sejong's policies were directed for

8120-692: The king distributed it to poor peasants who needed it. Otherwise the state maintained a permanent grain dole, that existed since the days of Unified Silla. Sejong composed the famous Yongbieocheonga ("Songs of Flying Dragons"; 1445), Seokbo Sangjeol ("Episodes from the Life of Buddha"; July 1447), Worin Cheongang Jigok ("Songs of the Moon Shining on a Thousand Rivers"; July 1447), and Dongguk Jeongun ("Dictionary of Proper Sino-Korean Pronunciation"; September 1447). One of Sejong's closest friends and mentors

8236-838: The mandatory curriculum in grade 6. They are taught in separate courses in South Korean high schools , separately from the normal Korean-language curriculum. Formal Hanja education begins in grade 7 (junior high school) and continues until graduation from senior high school in grade 12. A total of 1,800 Hanja are taught: 900 for junior high, and 900 for senior high (starting in grade 10). Post-secondary Hanja education continues in some liberal-arts universities . The 1972 promulgation of basic Hanja for educational purposes changed on December 31, 2000, to replace 44 Hanja with 44 others. South Korea's Ministry of Education generally encourages all primary schools to offer Hanja classes. Officials said that learning Chinese characters could enhance students' Korean-language proficiency. Initially announced as

8352-468: The mention of a rain gauge, Yeongjo ordered a reproduction. Since there is a mark of the Qing dynasty ruler Qianlong (r. 1735–96), dated 1770, this Korean-designed rain gauge is sometimes misunderstood as having been imported from China. In 1434, Jang Yeong-sil, tasked by King Sejong, invented the gabinja ( 갑인자 ; 甲寅字 ), a new type of printing press . This printing press was said to be twice as fast as

8468-473: The most common forms of currency. In 1423, under King Sejong's administration, the government attempted to introduce a national currency modeled after the Tang dynasty 's kaiyuan tongbao ( 開元通寶 ). The resulting Joseon tongbo ( 조선통보 ; 朝鮮通寶 ) was a bronze coin, backed by a silver standard, with 150 coins being equal to 600 grams of silver. However, production ceased in 1425 due to high manufacturing costs, as

8584-411: The necessary Chinese characters and taught how to write them." As a result, a Chinese-character textbook was designed for North Korean schools for use in grades 5–9, teaching 1,500 characters, with another 500 for high school students. College students are exposed to another 1,000, bringing the total to 3,000. Because many different Hanja—and thus, many different words written using Hanja—often share

8700-534: The newly adopted intensive and continuous cultivation methods. One of Sejong's close associates was inventor Jang Yeong-sil . Jang, who was originally a government-owned nobi from Dongnae , was appointed as a court technician by Sejong in 1423. Upon giving Jang a government position and funding for his inventions, officials protested, believing a person from the lower classes should not rise to power among nobles. Sejong instead believed he merited support because of his ability. In 1442, Jang Yeong-sil made one of

8816-539: The north and implemented a relocation policy ( 사민정책 ; 徙民政策 ), establishing settlements in the newly conquered areas. He also ordered the Occupation of Tsushima island. From 1439, he became increasingly ill and his eldest son, Crown Prince Yi Hyang , acted as regent . Sejong died on March 1450. Sejong was born Yi To ( 이도 ; 李祹 ) on 15 May 1397, in Junsubang, Hanseong ( Seoul ), Joseon to Yi Pang-wŏn and

8932-490: The only sources for very early Korea, do not mention a Korean writing system. During the 3rd century BC, Chinese migrations into the peninsula occurred due to war in northern China and the earliest archaeological evidence of Chinese writing appearing in Korea is dated to this period. A large number of inscribed knife money from pre- Lelang sites along the Yalu River have been found. A sword dated to 222 BC with Chinese engraving

9048-406: The orders of Kim Il Sung , a situation that has since remained unchanged. In modern Korean dictionaries, all entry words of Sino-Korean origin are printed in Hangul and listed in Hangul order, with the Hanja given in parentheses immediately following the entry word. This practice helps to eliminate ambiguity, and it also serves as a sort of shorthand etymology, since the meaning of the Hanja and

9164-497: The political stability enjoyed in the past decades disintegrated when Danjong became the sixth king of Joseon at the age of twelve. Eventually, Sejong's second son, Grand Prince Suyang (later known as King Sejo ), usurped the throne in 1455. When six court officials were implicated in a plot to restore his nephew, Sejo abolished the Hall of Worthies and executed Danjong along with several ministers who served during Sejong's reign. Sejong

9280-420: The previous model and was composed of copper-zinc and lead-tin alloys. Sejong also wanted to reform the Korean calendar system, which was at the time based upon the longitude of the Chinese capital. He had his astronomers create a calendar with the Joseon capital of Hanseong as the primary meridian. This new system allowed Joseon astronomers to accurately predict the timing of solar and lunar eclipses . In

9396-572: The printing of one thousand copies of a "farmer's handbook". The following year, he published the Nongsa Jikseol ( 농사직설 ; 農事直說 ; lit.  'Straight Talk on Farming'), a compilation of various farming methods accommodative to Korea's climate and soil conditions. The book dealt with planting, harvesting, and soil treatment, and contained information about the different farming techniques that scientists gathered from different regions of Korea. These techniques were essential for maintaining

9512-482: The project—despite fierce opposition from his courtiers—and condemned the hypocrisy of those who privately worship the Buddha yet publicly rebuke others for doing so. 上謂承政院曰 孟子言 '墨子以薄爲道, 而葬其親厚'。大抵臣子之道, 宜以直事上, 不可容其詐。 然世人在家, 奉佛事神, 靡所不至, 及對人, 反以神佛爲非, 予甚惡之。 The King spoke to the Seungjeongwon , Mencius once said, ' Mozi regards austerity as a virtue and yet made a lavish burial for his parents.' Generally speaking,

9628-401: The proposed reform. Joseon's economy depended on the agricultural output of the farmers, so Sejong allowed them to pay more or less tax according to the fluctuations of economic prosperity and hard times. Because of this, farmers could worry less about tax quotas and instead work at maintaining and selling their crops. It is said that once, when the palace had a significant surplus of food,

9744-646: The realm of traditional Korean medicine , two important treatises were written during his reign. These were the Hyangyak Jipseongbang ( 향약집성방 ; 鄕藥集成方 ) and the Euibang Yuchwi ( 의방유취 ; 醫方類聚 ), which historian Kim Yong-sik says represents "the Koreans' efforts to develop their own system of medical knowledge, distinct from that of China". In 1426, Sejong enacted a law that granted government serfs ( 노비 ; 奴婢 ; nobi ) women 100 days of maternity leave after childbirth, which, in 1430,

9860-539: The safety of his kingdom. During his reign great technological advancements were made in the manufacture of gunpowder and firearms . Hand cannons, known as Wangu ( 완구 ; 碗口 ), first built in 1407 and 1418, were improved upon, and the Sohwapo ( 소화포 ; 小火砲 ), Cheonjetanhwan ( 철제탄환 ), Hwapojeon ( 화포전 ; 火砲箭 ) and the Hwacho ( 화초 ; 火초 ) were invented during his reign. None of these had yet reached

9976-792: The same Hangul spelling. According to the Standard Korean Language Dictionary published by the National Institute of Korean Language (NIKL), approximately half (50%) of Korean words are Sino-Korean, mostly in academic fields (science, government, and society). Other dictionaries, such as the Urimal Keun Sajeon , claim this number might be as low as roughly 30%. There is traditionally no accepted date for when literary Chinese ( 한문 ; 漢文 ; hanmun ) written in Chinese characters ( 한자 ; 漢字 ; hanja ) entered Korea. Early Chinese dynastic histories,

10092-498: The same mound as his wife, Queen Soheon , who died four years earlier. The tomb is located in Yeoju , South Korea. His successor was his first son, Yi Hyang (posthumously King Munjong ). Sejong was concerned that sickly Munjong would die early and leave his vulnerable young son to reign, so he asked scholars from the Hall of Worthies to look after his young grandson, Danjong . As predicted, Munjong died two years after his ascension, and

10208-475: The seven schools of Buddhism down to two, Seon and Gyo , drastically decreasing the power and wealth of the religious leaders. One of the key factors in this suppression was Sejong's reform of the land system. This policy resulted in temple lands being seized and redistributed for development and monks losing large amounts of economic influence. Furthermore, he performed government ceremonies according to Confucianism and encouraged people to behave according to

10324-664: The sole means of writing Korean until King Sejong the Great invented and tried promoting Hangul in the 15th century. Even after the invention of Hangul, however, most Korean scholars continued to write in hanmun , although Hangul did see considerable popular use. Idu and its hyangchal variant were mostly replaced by mixed-script writing with hangul although idu was not officially discontinued until 1894 when reforms abolished its usage in administrative records of civil servants. Even with idu , most literature and official records were still recorded in literary Chinese until 1910. The Hangul-Hanja mixed script

10440-504: The spread of Buddhism , which occurred around the 4th century. Traditionally Buddhism is believed to have been introduced to Goguryeo in 372, Baekje in 384, and Silla in 527. Another major factor in the adoption of hanmun was the adoption of the gwageo , copied from the Chinese imperial examination , open to all freeborn men. Special schools were set up for the well-to-do and the nobility across Korea to train new scholar officials for civil service. Adopted by Silla and Goryeo,

10556-506: The station's name in Hangul, Hanja, and English, both to assist visitors (including Chinese or Japanese who may rely on the Hanja spellings) and to disambiguate the name. Hanja are still required for certain disciplines in academia, such as Oriental Studies and other disciplines studying Chinese, Japanese or historic Korean literature and culture, since the vast majority of primary source text material are written in Hanzi , Kanji or Hanja. For

10672-454: The suffix 尼 , ni (meaning 'nun'), is used phonetical. Special symbols were sometimes used to aid in the reordering of words in approximation of Korean grammar. It was similar to the kanbun ( 漢文 ) system developed in Japan to render Chinese texts. The system was not a translation of Chinese into Korean, but an attempt to make Korean speakers knowledgeable in hanja overcome the difficulties in interpreting Chinese texts. Although it

10788-458: The teachings of Confucius . At the same time, Sejong sought to alleviate religious tensions between Confucianism and Buddhism. The Seokbosangjeol ( 석보상절 ; 釋譜詳節 ), a 24-volume Korean-language biography of Buddha translated from Chinese Buddhist texts, was commissioned and published in Sejong's reign by Grand Prince Suyang , in mourning for Queen Soheon, a devout Buddhist. Sejong advocated

10904-435: The thrall of the queen's clan, Taejong had Sejong's father-in-law, Shim On , executed on charges of treason. Other members of the queen's family were exiled or made commoners, which left Queen Soheon politically isolated and unable to protest. Despite inheriting significantly strengthened royal authority, Sejong did not suppress the press and promoted meritocracy through gwageo , the national civil service exam. During

11020-541: The throne in Sejong's favor. In the early years of Sejong's reign, King Emeritus Taejong retained vast powers, most notably absolute executive and military power, and continued to govern until his death in 1422. Sejong reinforced Korean Confucian and Neo-Confucian policies, and enacted major legal amendments ( 공법 ; 貢法 ). He personally created and promulgated the Korean alphabet , encouraged advancements in science and technology, and introduced measures to stimulate economic growth. He launched military campaigns to

11136-465: The time. In 1956, one study found mixed-script Korean text (in which Sino-Korean nouns are written using Hanja, and other words using Hangul) were read faster than texts written purely in Hangul; however, by 1977, the situation had reversed. In 1988, 65% of one sample of people without a college education "evinced no reading comprehension of any but the most common hanja" when reading mixed-script passages. A small number of characters were invented by

11252-432: The traditional creative arts such as calligraphy and painting , a knowledge of Hanja is needed to write and understand the various scripts and inscriptions, as is the same in China and Japan. Many old songs and poems are written and based on Hanja characters. On 9 September 2003, the celebration for the 55th anniversary of North Korea featured a float decorated with the scenario for welcoming Kim Il Sung , which including

11368-428: The use and teaching of Hanja in public schools, as well as forbade its use in the military, with the goal of eliminating Hanja in writing by 1972 through legislative and executive means. However, due to public backlash, in 1972, Park's government allowed for the teaching of Hanja in special classes but maintained a ban on Hanja use in textbooks and other learning materials outside of the classes. This reverse step, however,

11484-472: The use of Hanja has plummeted in orthography until the modern day. Where Hanja is now very rarely used and is almost only used for abbreviations in newspaper headlines (e.g. 中 for China, 韓 for Korea, 美 for the United States, 日 for Japan, etc.), for clarification in text where a word might be confused for another due to homophones (e.g. 이사장 ( 李 社長 ) vs. 이사장 ( 理事長 )), or for stylistic use such as

11600-416: The use of Hanja is slowly fading away, with most older people displaying their names exclusively in Hanja while most of the younger generation using both Hangul and Hanja. Korean personal names usually consist of a one-character family name ( seong , 성 ; 姓 ) followed by a two-character given name ( ireum , 이름 ). There are a few two-character family names (e.g. 남궁 ; 南宮 , Namgung ), and

11716-573: The world's first standardized rain gauges named cheugugi ( 측우기 ; 測雨器 ). This model has not survived, with the oldest existing Korean rain gauge being made in 1770, during the reign of King Yeongjo . According to the Daily Records of the Royal Secretariat ( 승정원일기 ; 承政院日記 ; Seungjeongwon Ilgi ), Yeongjo wanted to revive the glorious times of Sejong the Great, and started reading chronicles from that era. When he came across

11832-463: Was a child. Sejong also started having musculoskeletal pain at the age of 22. One day he was supposed to organize a farewell party for the emissaries to the Ming dynasty but was in too much pain to do so. Sejong said: "My waist and back are stiff and immobile, so it is hard to bend or straighten." There is speculation that he had diabetes, but there is inadequate evidence for a modern medical diagnosis. There

11948-525: Was a commonly used means of writing, and Hangul effectively replaced Hanja in official and scholarly writing only in the 20th century. Hangŭl exclusive writing has been used concurrently in Korea after the decline of literary Chinese. Mixed script could be commonly found in non-fiction writing, news papers, etc., until the enacting of Park Chung Hee 's 5 Year Plan for Hangŭl Exclusivity hangŭl jŏnyong ogaenyŏn gyehuik an ( Korean :  한글전용 5개년 계획안 ; Hanja :  한글專用 5個年 計劃案 ) in 1968 banned

12064-501: Was commonly used for areas like casual writing, prose and bookkeeping, especially by the urban middle class like administrators and bureaucrats. It notably gained popularity among women and fiction writers, with former usually often not having been able to get access to hanja education. In 1504, the study and publication of hangul was banned by Yeonsangun . Its spread and preservation can be largely attributed to three main factors: books published for women, its use by Buddhist monks, and

12180-405: Was completed in 1443 and published in 1446 along with a 33-page manual titled Hunminjeongeum , explaining what the letters are as well as the philosophical theories and motives behind them. King Sejong faced backlash from the noble class as many disapproved of the idea of a common writing system, with some openly opposing its creation. Many within the nobility believed that giving the peasants

12296-483: Was developed by scholars of the early Goryeo Kingdom (918–1392), gugyeol was of particular importance during the Joseon period, extending into the first decade of the twentieth century, since all civil servants were required to be able to read, translate and interpret Confucian texts and commentaries. The first attempt at transcribing Korean in hanja was the idu ( 이두 ; 吏讀 ), or 'official reading,' system that began to appear after 500 AD. In this system,

12412-532: Was founded by a man named Ch’a Tal . Ch’a's fifth great-grandfather had been involved in an attempt to overthrow the Silla king. To avoid prosecution, the ancestor fled to Munhwa and changed his surname, first to that of his maternal grandmother, Yang, and then to Ryoo. Many years later, Ch’a Tal assisted Wang Kŏn to establish the Koryŏ Kingdom . Ch’a was recognized for his support and was rewarded accordingly. However,

12528-441: Was granted the title Grand Prince Chungnyeong ( 충녕대군 ; 忠寧大君 ). In 1414, he had his first son, who would later become Munjong . As Taejong's eldest son, Grand Prince Yangnyeong was to inherit the throne. However, Taejong, as well as court officials, increasingly deemed Yangnyeong unsuitable for the role due to his erratic and irresponsible behavior. In a series of escalating events involving Yangnyeong's affair with Eori,

12644-497: Was introduced. In 2005, an older law, the Law Concerning Hangul Exclusivity hangŭl jŏnyonge gwahak pŏmnyul ( Korean :  한글전용에 관한 법률 ; Hanja :  한글專用에 關한 法律 ) was repealed as well. In 2013 all elementary schools in Seoul started teaching Hanja. However, the result is that Koreans who were educated in this period having never been formally educated in Hanja are unable to use them, and thus

12760-443: Was lengthened by one month before childbirth. In 1434, he also granted the husbands 30 days of paternity leave. In order to provide equality and fairness in taxation for the common people, Sejong issued a royal decree to administer a nationwide public opinion poll regarding a new tax system called Gongbeop in 1430. Over the course of five months, the poll surveyed 172,806 people, of which approximately 57% responded with approval for

12876-405: Was limited due to the opinion of Buddhism whether it was favorable at the time or not. To aid in understanding the meaning of a character, or to describe it orally to distinguish it from other characters with the same pronunciation, character dictionaries and school textbooks refer to each character with a combination of its sound and a word indicating its meaning. This dual meaning-sound reading of

12992-422: Was made crown prince of Joseon. On 9 September 1418, Chungnyeong ascended the throne as King Sejong, following Taejong's abdication. However, Taejong retained military power and continued to make major political decisions as king emeritus ( 상왕 ; 上王 ) until his death. Sejong did not challenge Taejong's authority and deferred to his father during this period. Perpetually wary of royal authority falling into

13108-594: Was optional so the availability of Hanja education was dependent on the school one went to. Another reason for the decline is found in the Hangul typewriter, and the keyboard. The push for better Hangul typewriters mainly began in 1949, but as it was long before the Hanja ban, government institutions did not prefer typewriters altogether as they could not write in Hanja nor Mixed script. Kong Byung Wo's notable Sebeolsik type first appeared in March 1949, jointly winning second place in

13224-559: Was the 15th century musician Bak Yeon . Together they composed over two hundred musical arrangements. Sejong's independent musical compositions include the Chongdaeop ('Great Achievements'), Potaepyeong ('Preservation of Peace'), Pongnaeui ('Phoenix'), and Yominrak ('A Joy to Share with the People'). Yominrak continues to be a standard piece played by modern traditional Korean orchestras, while Chongdaeop and Potaepyeong are played during

13340-553: Was to remove the nuisance of Japanese pirates who had been operating from to the island. During the invasion, 245 Japanese were executed or killed and another 110 were captured, while 180 Korean soldiers died. Around 150 kidnapped victims (146 Chinese and 8 Koreans) were also freed. A truce was made in July 1419 and the Joseon army returned to the Korean Peninsula, but no official documents were signed until 1443. In this agreement, known as

13456-608: Was unearthed in Pyongyang . From 108 BC to 313 AD, the Han dynasty established the Four Commanderies of Han in northern Korea and institutionalized the Chinese language. According to the Samguk sagi , Goguryeo had hanmun from the beginning of its existence, which starts in 37 BC. It also says that the king of Goguryeo composed a poem in 17 BC. The Gwanggaeto Stele , dated to 414,

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