# Hunminjeongeum

Hunminjeongeum (Korean: 훈민정음; Hanja: 訓民正音; lit. 'The Correct/Proper Sounds for the Instruction of the People') is a 15th-century manuscript that introduced the Korean script Hangul. The name of the manuscript was also the original name of the script.
King Sejong the Great commissioned the royal research institute Hall of Worthies to write the Hunminjeongeum to describe the writing system he had invented in 1443. The manuscript was then published in 1446.
Hunminjeongeum was intended to be a simpler alternative to the incumbent Chinese-based Hanja, in order to promote literacy among the general populace. It originally included 28 letters, but over time, four of those (ㆆ, ㆁ, ㅿ, ·) were abandoned, leading to the current 24 letters of Hangul.
Sejong the Great also commissioned the creation of a companion explanatory manuscript entitled Hunminjeongeum Haerye. In 1940, a copy of the Hunminjeongeum Haerye was discovered in Andong, Gyeongsang Province. An early copy of the document is in the Gansong Art Museum in Seoul, South Korea. In 1962, Hunminjeongeum Haerye was designated a National Treasure in South Korea and was registered by UNESCO in the Memory of the World Programme in 1997.

## History

Before Hangul, the Korean alphabet, was created, Chinese characters were used to transcribe Korean words through systems such as idu, hyangchal and gugyeol. Since Chinese language and Korean language share few similarities, borrowing Chinese characters proved to be inefficient to reflect the spoken language. In addition, at the time when Sejong the Great was inventing Hangul the Ming dynasty had just come to power in China, which changed the pronunciation of Chinese characters, making it harder for Koreans to learn the new standard pronunciation to record their words. The illiteracy level also stayed high since reading and learning Chinese characters was restricted among the ordinary people. They were generally used in official documents by the ruling class. The ruling class took advantage of this and learning the Chinese characters became a symbol of power and privilege. In order to make written language more accessible for common people, Sejong the Great started creating Hangul secretly, since the ruling class would be appalled by the news.
Hangul was personally created by Sejong the Great, the fourth king of the Joseon dynasty, and revealed by him in 1443. Although it is widely assumed that Sejong the Great ordered the Hall of Worthies to invent Hangul, contemporary records such as the Veritable Records of King Sejong and Chŏng Inji's preface to the Hunminjeongeum Haerye emphasize that he invented it himself. This is stated in Book 113 of The Annals of King Sejong (Sejongsillok) on the 9th month and the 28th year of reign of King Sejong and at the end of An Illustrated Explanation of Hunminjeongeum (Hunminjeongeum Haeryebon; Hunminjeongeum Haerye). Afterward, King Sejong wrote the preface to the Hunminjeongeum, explaining the origin and purpose of Hangul and providing brief examples and explanations, and then tasked the Hall of Worthies to write detailed examples and explanations. The head of the Hall of Worthies, Chŏng Inji, was responsible for compiling the Hunminjeongeum. The Hunminjeongeum was published and promulgated to the public in 1446. The writing system is referred to as Hangul today but was originally named as Hunminjeongeum by King Sejong. "Hunmin" and "Jeongeum" are respective words that each indicate "to teach the people" and "proper sounds." Together Hunminjeongeum means "correct sounds for the instruction of the people."

## Versions and content

There are three versions of Hunminjeongeum.
* Hunminjeongeum Yeui: Hanja version (Hunminjeongeum Sillok (세종실록; 世宗實錄; lit. The Sejong Chronicles) is classified as Hunminjeongeum Yeui.)
* Hunminjeongeum Haerye: An Illustrated Explanation of Hunminjeongeum (Hunminjeongeum Yeui + explanation: Haerye)
* Hunminjeongeum Eonhae: Hangul version of Hunminjeongeum Yeui
Hunminjeongeum Yeui is written in Classical Chinese/Hanja and contains a preface, the alphabet letters, and brief descriptions of their corresponding sounds. The Classical Chinese (Hanja) of the Hunminjeongeum has been partly translated into Middle Korean. This translation is found together with Worinseokbo: an annotated Buddhist scripture and is called the Hunminjeongeum Eonhae.
The first paragraph of the document reveals Sejong the Great's motivation for creating Hangul:
| System | Text |
| Classical Chinese/Hanja | 國之語音 異乎中國 與文字不相流通 故愚民 有所欲言 而終不得伸其情者多矣 予爲此憫然 新制二十八字 欲使人人易習便於日用矣 |
| Transliteration | Kwúyk ci ngě qum / Í hhwo tyung kwúyk / Yě mwun ccó pwúlq syang lyuw thwong / Kwó ngwu min wǔw swǒ ywók ngen / Zi cyung pwúlq túk sin kkuy ccyeng cyǎ ta ngǔy / Ye wúy chǒ mǐn zyen / Sin cyéy zí ssíp pálq ccó / Ywók sǒ zin zin í ssíp ppyen qe zílq ywóng zǐ. |
| Hanja + Hangul | 國$_{귁〮}$之$_징$語$_{ᅌᅥᆼ〯}$音$_{ᅙᅳᆷ}$이〮 異$_{잉〮}$乎$_{ᅘᅩᆼ}$中$_{듀ᇰ}$國$_{귁〮}$ᄒᆞ〮야〮 與$_{영〯}$文$_문$字$_{ᄍᆞᆼ〮}$로〮不$_{부ᇙ〮}$相$_{샤ᇰ}$流$_{류ᇢ}$通$_{토ᇰ}$ᄒᆞᆯᄊᆡ〮 故$_{공〮}$로〮愚$_{ᅌᅮᆼ}$民$_민$이〮有$_{우ᇢ〯}$所$_{송〯}$欲$_{욕〮}$言$_{ᅌᅥᆫ}$ᄒᆞ〮야도〮 而$_{ᅀᅵᆼ}$終$_{쥬ᇰ}$不$_{부ᇙ〮}$得$_{득〮}$伸$_신$其$_끵$情$_{쪄ᇰ}$者$_{쟝〯}$ㅣ多$_당$矣$_{ᅌᅴᆼ〯}$라〮 予$_영$ㅣ爲$_{윙〮}$此$_{ᄎᆞᆼ〯}$憫$_{민〯}$然$_{ᅀᅧᆫ}$ᄒᆞ〮야〮 新$_신$制$_{졩〮}$二$_{ᅀᅵᆼ〮}$十$_{씹〮}$八$_{바ᇙ〮}$字$_{ᄍᆞᆼ〮}$ᄒᆞ〮노니〮 欲$_{욕〮}$使$_{ᄉᆞᆼ〯}$人$_{ᅀᅵᆫ}$人$_{ᅀᅵᆫ}$ᄋᆞ〮로〮易$_{잉〮}$習$_{씹〮}$ᄒᆞ〮야〮便$_뼌$於$_{ᅙᅥᆼ}$日$_{ᅀᅵᇙ〮}$用$_{요ᇰ〮}$耳$_{ᅀᅵᆼ〯}$니라〮 |
| Transliteration | Kwúyk ci ngě qum í / Í hhwo tyung kwúyk hó yá / Yě mwun ccó lwó pwúlq syang lyuw thwong hol ssóy / Kwó lwó ngwu min í wǔw swǒ ywók ngen hó ya twó / Zi cyung pwúlq túk sin kkuy ccyeng cyǎ y ta ngǔy lá / Ye y wúy chǒ mǐn zyen hó yá / Sin cyéy zí ssíp pálq ccó hó nwo ní / Ywók sǒ zin zin ó lwó í ssíp hó yá ppyen qe zílq ywóng zǐ ni lá. |
| Middle Korean | 나랏〮말〯ᄊᆞ미〮 中$_{듀ᇰ}$國$_{귁〮}$에〮달아〮 文$_문$字$_{ᄍᆞᆼ〮}$와〮로〮서르ᄉᆞᄆᆞᆺ디〮아니〮ᄒᆞᆯᄊᆡ〮 이〮런젼ᄎᆞ〮로〮어린〮百$_{ᄇᆡᆨ〮}$姓$_{셔ᇰ〮}$이〮니르고〮져〮호ᇙ〮배〮이셔〮도〮 ᄆᆞᄎᆞᆷ〮내〯제ᄠᅳ〮들〮시러〮펴디〮몯〯ᄒᆞᇙ노〮미〮하니〮라〮 내〮이〮ᄅᆞᆯ〮爲$_{윙〮}$ᄒᆞ〮야〮어〯엿비〮너겨〮 새〮로〮스〮믈〮여듧〮字$_{ᄍᆞᆼ〮}$ᄅᆞᆯ〮ᄆᆡᇰᄀᆞ〮노니〮 사〯ᄅᆞᆷ마〯다〮ᄒᆡ〯ᅇᅧ〮수〯ᄫᅵ〮니겨〮날〮로〮ᄡᅮ〮메〮便$_뼌$安$_{ᅙᅡᆫ}$킈〮ᄒᆞ고〮져〮ᄒᆞᇙᄯᆞᄅᆞ미〮니라〮 |
| Transliteration | Nalás mǎlssomí / Tyungkwúykéy talGá / Mwunccówálwó selu somostí aníholssóy / Ílen cyenchólwó elín póyksyéngí nilukwócyé hwólq páy isyétwó / Mochómnǎy cey ptútúl silé phyetí mwǒt holq nwómí hanílá / Náy ílól wúyhóyá ěyespí nekyé / Sáylwó súmúl yetúlp ccólól moyngkónwoní / Sǎlommǎtá hǒyGGyé swǔWí nikyé nállwó pswúméy ppyenqankhúy hokwócyé holq stolomínilá. |
| Translation | Because the speech of this country is different from that of China, it [the spoken language] does not match the [Chinese] letters. Therefore, even if the ignorant want to communicate, many of them, in the end, cannot successfully express themselves. Saddened by this, I have [had] 28 letters newly made. It is my wish that all the people may easily learn these letters and that [they] be convenient for daily use. |