hangul.name
The name of the Korean alphabet
The Geometry of Speech
Each consonant was designed to represent the shape of the speech organ that produces its sound. ㄱ traces the tongue touching the velum. ㅁ draws the closed lips. ㅅ mirrors the teeth. ㅇ represents the open throat.
Adding strokes creates aspiration: ㄱ becomes ㅋ. Doubling creates tension: ㄱ becomes ㄲ. The system is generative, not arbitrary -- a phonetic algebra inscribed in geometry.
Vowel Architecture
All vowels derive from three cosmic elements:
Bright vowels (양성모음) place the stroke outward: ㅏ, ㅗ. Dark vowels (음성모음) place it inward: ㅓ, ㅜ. This yin-yang classification is both phonological and philosophical.
The Assembly
Consonants and vowels combine into syllable blocks. The initial consonant occupies the top-left. The vowel stretches along the right or bottom. The final consonant (batchim) anchors the base.
Twenty-four letters produce 11,172 possible syllable blocks -- each occupying the same square footprint regardless of complexity.
(initial × 21 + medial) × 28 + final + 0xAC00
죽는 날까지 하늘을 우러러
한 점 부끄럼이 없기를,
잎새에 이는 바람에도
나는 괴로워했다.
별을 노래하는 마음으로
모든 죽어 가는 것을 사랑해야지
Living Script
From Yun Dong-ju's "Prologue" -- a poem that lives in the hearts of Korean people, written in the alphabet that gave them a voice.
Hangul has endured for over 580 years. From angular ink-brush strokes to precise digital type, the geometric logic remains intact. October 9 -- Hangul Day (한글날) -- celebrates King Sejong's gift to the Korean people.