ScriptLookup

Hangul (Hangŭl, Hangeul)

한글
Hang Left-to-right Living Featural Alphabet East Asian
Sample Text
안녕하세요

About Hangul (Hangŭl, Hangeul)

Hangul (한글) is the alphabetic writing system used to write Korean. It was invented in 1443 CE by King Sejong the Great of the Joseon Dynasty, who wanted to increase literacy among the Korean population. Unlike most Asian scripts, Hangul was deliberately designed rather than evolved organically.

Hangul consists of 14 consonants and 10 vowels, which are combined into syllabic blocks. Each block represents a syllable and typically consists of an initial consonant, a vowel, and an optional final consonant. Hangul is praised for its logical phonemic structure and its accessibility to new learners.

Data sourced from the ISO 15924 registry, Unicode CLDR, and the Unicode Character Database.

Frequently Asked Questions

What type of writing system is Hangul (Hangŭl, Hangeul)?
Hangul (Hangŭl, Hangeul) is a Featural Alphabet. Featural scripts encode phonological features (place/manner of articulation) into the shape of each letter.
What direction does Hangul (Hangŭl, Hangeul) read?
Hangul (Hangŭl, Hangeul) is written Left-to-right, the same direction as most European scripts.
How many languages use the Hangul (Hangŭl, Hangeul) script?
0 languages use Hangul (Hangŭl, Hangeul) according to Unicode CLDR data.
When was the Hangul (Hangŭl, Hangeul) script created?
The Hangul (Hangŭl, Hangeul) script originated around 1443 CE.
Does Hangul (Hangŭl, Hangeul) have uppercase and lowercase letters?
Hangul (Hangŭl, Hangeul) does not have separate uppercase and lowercase forms. All vowels are written explicitly.

Compare Hangul (Hangŭl, Hangeul) With Another Script

Direction, characters, languages — side by side.

Key Facts

ISO Code
Hang
ISO Number
286
Script Type
Featural Alphabet
Direction
Left-to-right
Status
Living
Region
East Asian
Introduced
1443 CE
Languages
0

Script Properties

Has Case
No
Cursive
No
Vowels
full

Official Use In

KR KP

Compare Hangul (Hangŭl, Hangeul) With