In Honor of Hangeul Day, Here Are a Few Facts You Want to Know

October 9 is Hangul (Hangeul) Day in Korea

On October 9th, Koreans celebrate Hangeul Day (한글날). It’s a national holiday commemorating the invention and the proclamation of Hangeul, the Korean alphabet.

Hangul or Hangeul : How to Write 한글 in English?

Changing 한글 to English is quite a difficult task. It depends on whether you want to make the pronunciation more similar or follow the official name. Many places refer to it as Hangul, but we felt that Hangeul was closer in terms of pronunciation. We think you can use whichever version you’re comfortable with!

Hangeul Day Was Not An Official Holiday

• For the first time, the Korean Language Research Society* celebrated Hangeul Day in 1926.

• Later, in 1928, it was named “Hangeul Day,” a word suggested by a linguist.

• In 1990, “Hangeul Day” and “Armed Forces Day” were removed as public holidays because too many holidays were hindering economic development.

• Thanks to the efforts of the Hangeul Society and Hangeul organizations, the “Hangeul Day National Day Designation Act” was passed in 2005, changing Hangeul Day to a national day (but still not taking the day-off.)

• In 2013, it became an official holiday again.

What is Hangeul (한글)?

• With 14 consonants and 10 vowels, there are a total of 24 alphabets in Hangeul.

• Within a few hours, you can quickly learn how to read Korean.

Sejong the Great Created Hangeul

Sejong the Great created Hangeul to increase literacy among the common people.

Koreans began writing with classical Chinese characters in the 15th century. It was quite challenging to learn Korean since the grammatical structure is different from Chinese. As a result, literacy was a luxury reserved for the nobility. The lower-class people couldn’t read or write since they didn’t have access to education. Sejong the Great thought it was important for the common people to be able to read and write so that when they encounter trouble, they can petition the monarch.

What is 훈민정음 (Hun-min-jeong-eum?)

The newly developed Hangeul alphabet is introduced in a book authored by Sejong the Great. It means, “The proper sound for the education of the people”