List of early Hangul works

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The Korean alphabet, now called Hangul or Hangeul and Chosŏn'gŭl, was invented around 1443 to 1444 and officially promulgated in 1446.[1] However, it did not see significant scholarly or government adoption until the 19th century.[2][3] Works that used the script, especially those produced in the 15th and 16th centuries, have been considered valuable resources for the study of the history of the script and of the Korean language.[4]

Early Hangul (often used in mixed script) translations of Classical Chinese texts were customarily called ŏnhae (언해; 諺解).[5][6][7][8] Ŏnhae used Hangul in a variety of ways. Most placed Hangul alongside Hanja in the main body of text, most used Hangul as pronunciation aids for Hanja, and some placed Hangul and Hanja in separate paragraphs.[5]

This list documents significant literary works produced before the 1592–1598 Imjin War that significantly utilize either pure Hangul or mixed script. Texts like the original Hunminjeongeum Haerye, which are predominantly in Hanja but introduce Hangul symbols and syntax, have been excluded.

In the 15th and 16th centuries, Hangul texts were a significant minority. Most texts were written in Hanja. Until the beginning of the 16th century, such texts were likely almost entirely produced and consumed in the capital Hanyang (now called "Seoul").[9] The first Hangul work to be produced outside the capital was a 1500 reproduction of the 1467 text Moguja susimgyŏl ŏnhae [ko], which was produced in the temple Pongsŏsa (봉서사; 鳳栖寺) in Hapcheon County.[9][10][11] The first original texts to be produced outside of the capital were produced in 1518.[12]

15th-century works

16th-century works

Notes

References

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