Hangul (redirected from Hangeul)

Hangul

Alphabetic system used for writing the Korean language. The system, known as Choson muntcha in North Korea, consists of 24 letters—14 consonants and 10 vowels. The development of the Hangul alphabet is traditionally ascribed to Sejong, fourth king of the Choson (Yi) dynasty. Hangul was made the official writing system for the Korean language in the mid-1440s by one of Sejong's decrees. Because of the influence of Confucianism and of Chinese culture, however, Hangul was not widely used by scholars or Koreans of the upper classes until after 1945, when Korea ceased to be under Japanese rule.