The Construction of Syllable Blocks
Scientific Design
혀의 뿌리가 목구멍을 막는 모양
Shape of the tongue root blocking the throat
혀끝이 윗잇몸에 닿는 모양
Shape of the tongue tip touching the upper gum
입 모양을 본뜬 글자
Letter modeled after the shape of the mouth
이의 모양을 본뜬 글자
Letter modeled after the shape of teeth
목구멍의 모양을 본뜬 글자
Letter modeled after the shape of the throat
1443년 창제. 발음 기관의 모양을 기반으로 체계적으로 설계되었습니다.
Created in 1443. Systematically designed based on the shapes of speech organs.
Evolved from Phoenician aleph (ox head) over 3,000 years
Simplified from Chinese character 安 through centuries of cursive writing
Pictographic origin: representation of three mountain peaks
Descended from Proto-Sinaitic, evolved organically over millennia
Greek, derived from Phoenician; letter forms shaped by cultural drift
Evolved scripts: letterforms shaped gradually by historical accident, cultural drift, and material constraints over millennia.
The Living Text
「 The speech of this country is different from that of China, and thus cannot be communicated through Chinese writing. 」
— 훈민정음 서문 (Preface to Hunminjeongeum, 1446)