The Hunminjeongeum (“The Correct Sounds for the Instruction of the People”) introduced the Korean alphabet in 1446. The original document is in Classical Chinese; the Middle-Korean column follows the 15th-century vernacular gloss (언해본, Eonhae), reproduced here with its archaic letters — most notably arae-a (ㆍ). Tone dots (傍點) are omitted for legibility.
The King's Preface
御製序King Sejong's own words on why he made the new letters. The Middle-Korean gloss here is the most famous passage in the history of the Korean language.
國之語音、異乎中國、與文字不相流通。
나랏말ᄊᆞ미 中國에 달아 文字와로 서르 ᄉᆞᄆᆞᆺ디 아니ᄒᆞᆯ쌔
The speech of our country differs from that of China and does not flow together with the [Chinese] characters.
narat·mal·ssa·mi Dyung·guk·e tar·a…
나랏말ᄊᆞ미 中國에 달아 文字와로 서르 ᄉᆞᄆᆞᆺ디 아니ᄒᆞᆯ쌔
故愚民有所欲言、而終不得伸其情者、多矣。
이런 젼ᄎᆞ로 어린 百姓이 니르고져 호ᇙ 배 이셔도 ᄆᆞᄎᆞᆷ내 제 ᄠᅳ들 시러 펴디 몯 ᄒᆞᇙ 노미 하니라
Thus among the common people there are many who, having something to say, are in the end unable to express their thoughts.
이런 젼ᄎᆞ로 어린 百姓이 니르고져 호ᇙ 배 이셔도 ᄆᆞᄎᆞᆷ내 제 ᄠᅳ들 시러 펴디 몯 ᄒᆞᇙ 노미 하니라
予爲此憫然、新制二十八字、
내 이ᄅᆞᆯ 爲ᄒᆞ야 어엿비 너겨 새로 스믈여듧 字ᄅᆞᆯ 매ᇰᄀᆞ노니
Grieved by this, I have newly created twenty-eight letters,
내 이ᄅᆞᆯ 爲ᄒᆞ야 어엿비 너겨 새로 스믈여듧 字ᄅᆞᆯ 매ᇰᄀᆞ노니
欲使人人易習、便於日用耳。
사ᄅᆞᆷ마다 해ᅇᅧ 수ᄫᅵ 니겨 날로 ᄡᅮ메 便安킈 ᄒᆞ고져 ᄒᆞᇙ ᄯᆞᄅᆞ미니라
wishing to make it easy for everyone to learn and convenient for daily use.
사ᄅᆞᆷ마다 해ᅇᅧ 수ᄫᅵ 니겨 날로 ᄡᅮ메 便安킈 ᄒᆞ고져 ᄒᆞᇙ ᄯᆞᄅᆞ미니라
The Letters — Initial Consonants
初聲Each of the seventeen initial consonants is defined by a Hanja whose onset it matches. Three of the seventeen are shown below — including ㆁ (yesieung) and doubled forms.
ㄱ。牙音。如君字初發聲。並書、如虯字初發聲。
ㄱᄂᆞᆫ 엄쏘리니 君ㄷ字 처ᅀᅥᆷ 펴아 나ᄂᆞᆫ 소리 ᄀᆞᄐᆞ니 ᄀᆞᆯᄫᅡ 쓰면 虯ㅸ字 처ᅀᅥᆷ 펴아 나ᄂᆞᆫ 소리 ᄀᆞᄐᆞ니라
ㄱ is a molar (velar) sound, like the initial of 君 (gun). Written doubled (ㄲ), it is like the initial of 虯 (kkyu).
ㄱᄂᆞᆫ 엄쏘리니 君ㄷ字 처ᅀᅥᆷ 펴아 나ᄂᆞᆫ 소리 ᄀᆞᄐᆞ니 ᄀᆞᆯᄫᅡ 쓰면 虯ㅸ字 처ᅀᅥᆷ 펴아 나ᄂᆞᆫ 소리 ᄀᆞᄐᆞ니라
ㅋ。牙音。如快字初發聲。
ㅋᄂᆞᆫ 엄쏘리니 快ㆆ字 처ᅀᅥᆷ 펴아 나ᄂᆞᆫ 소리 ᄀᆞᄐᆞ니라
ㅋ is a molar sound, like the initial of 快 (kwae).
ㅋᄂᆞᆫ 엄쏘리니 快ㆆ字 처ᅀᅥᆷ 펴아 나ᄂᆞᆫ 소리 ᄀᆞᄐᆞ니라
ㆁ。牙音。如業字初發聲。
ㆁᄂᆞᆫ 엄쏘리니 業字 처ᅀᅥᆷ 펴아 나ᄂᆞᆫ 소리 ᄀᆞᄐᆞ니라
ㆁ (yesieung) is a molar sound, like the initial of 業 (eop).
ㆁᄂᆞᆫ 엄쏘리니 業字 처ᅀᅥᆷ 펴아 나ᄂᆞᆫ 소리 ᄀᆞᄐᆞ니라
The remaining initials cover lingual (舌), labial (唇), dental (齒), laryngeal (喉), and semi-lingual / semi-dental (半舌音, 半齒音) classes.
Rules of Combination
例義The medials, the final-consonant rule, and the rules for assembling letters into syllable blocks. These appear only in Classical Chinese in the original proclamation.
ㆍ。如吞字中聲。ㅡ。如即字中聲。ㅣ。如侵字中聲。…
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The medial ㆍ (arae-a) is like the medial of 吞 (tan); ㅡ like that of 即 (jeuk); ㅣ like that of 侵 (chim); and so on for the eleven vowels.
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終聲復用初聲。
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The final consonants reuse the initial letters.
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凡字必合而成音。左加一點則去聲、二則上聲、無則平聲。
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Every syllable must combine to form a sound. One dot to the left marks the departing tone, two the rising tone, none the level tone.
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Explanations & Examples
解例The scholars' commentary (制字解 and the other chapters) explains the philosophy and design of the letters. Classical Chinese only.
天地之道、一陰陽五行而已。…正音二十八字、各象其形而制之。
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The Way of Heaven and Earth is simply that of yin–yang and the Five Phases. … The twenty-eight letters of the Correct Sounds are each made by depicting their [articulatory] shape.
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Chŏng Inji's Postface
鄭麟趾後序有天地自然之聲、則必有天地自然之文。
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Where there are the natural sounds of Heaven and Earth, there must be a natural writing of Heaven and Earth.
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Sources
- Korean Wikisource — 훈민정음 (public-domain original)
- Korean Wikisource — 훈민정음언해 (Eonhae)
- Wikipedia — Hunminjeongeum
- Gari Ledyard, The Korean Language Reform of 1446 (English translation)