Scientific principles in the creation of Hunmin jeongeum and their applications to text-input systems

The creation of Hangeul involved certain well-set principles in the making of its letterforms. The basic initial and medial letters of Hangeul were created based on observations of speech organs and analyses of sound values, and according to principles of visual depiction. Furthermore, the principles of stroke-addition and combination were applied to basic letters to create more complex forms. The principles of stroke-addition and combination may be a creative re-working of the principles constituting Chinese letterforms, including liushu lüe ( 六書略 ) and the combination of left-side and right-side parts of letters. However, King Sejong’s high level of academic achievement, regarding visualization of the shapes of speech organs or the analysis of sound values of medials based on tongue contraction, cannot be found in the surrounding nations of the fifteenth century. The phonological or graphonomical findings of China, the writing systems of Khitan or Mongolia, and even the ’Phags-pa alphabet, the most advanced of its day, do not display such phonetic scientificity. The creation of basic letterforms based on phonetic analysis and their applied use through stroke-addition and combination are the core of the scientificity of Hangeul. The scientific letter-creation principles of Hangeul are still effective, as can be seen from their application to today’s mobile text-input systems. The scientific principles behind Hangeul have raised the efficiency of text-input through computer keyboards and mobile keypads, saving input time and allowing for efficient use of small input spaces. These are an example of how the 15th-century thought behind the principles of Hangeul letter-creation comes together with 21st-century technology to create great productivity. The ongoing application of its letter-creation principles to such modern creations shows the uniqueness of Hangeul among the world’s letter systems.