Languages in Korea

The main language spoken and written in Korea is the Korean Language, which belongs to the Altaic language family. There are various dialects in the Korean Language as well, but the language is generally understood everywhere in Korea. However, the Jeju dialect is one that may be challenging to understand for some Koreans as well, because of how different it sounds and how it is used. The Korean Language has been considered to be the best and most well-planned languages in history as well. The alphabet system, Hangeul, was created by King Sejong in 1446 during the Joseon Dynasty. It is also because of Hangeul that the literacy level in Korea increased.

Many people have praised that Hangeul is easy to learn, due to its similarity to the English alphabet system in terms of use of the consonants and vowels. There are 14 consonants and 10 vowels in the Korean alphabet system, which totals up to 24 alphabets. Traditionally, there were 28 alphabets, but 4 alphabets fell out of use from the system after some time. Refer to the picture I posted earlier for the full Hangeul chart!

What makes Hangeul so interesting and special is that both artistic and scientific considerations were put into place to design every single alphabet. However, the most influential aspect in the process would probably refer to the oriental philosophies, including concepts such as the Yin and Yang, Ohaeng (The Five Elements) and Cheonjin (Heaven, Earth and Man). Yin and Yang talks about the constant interaction of natural opposites, such as light and dark, hot and cold. This leads to the result of the rule in writing Hangeul that every vowel must be accompanied by a consonant to make a syllable in Korean. For the other philosophies, you can read more at: http://english.visitkorea.or.kr/enu/CU/CU_EN_9_9_1_5.jsp

Many Koreans also study English as a second language. It is taught in schools as well. In Korea itself, signboards are usually in both Hangeul and English. This is to assist foreigners in navigation, as well as encouraging the locals to pick up English in their daily lives.