Examples include 永 煥 and 泳 煥
104-609: Young: 然 煙 硏 延 燃 衍 淵 姸 娟 涓 沇 筵 瑌 娫 嚥 堧 捐 挻 椽 涎 縯 鳶 硯 曣 㜣 燕 沿 鉛 宴 軟 醼 兗 嬿 莚 瓀 均 戭 演 緣 Hwan: 歡 患 丸 換 環 喚 奐 渙 煥 晥 幻 桓 鐶 驩 宦 紈 鰥 圜 皖 洹 還 Young-hwan
208-456: A Bronze Age material culture with influences from Manchuria, eastern Mongolia, as well as Siberia and Scythian bronze styles, flourished on the peninsula. Korean bronzes contain a higher percentage of zinc than those of the neighboring bronze cultures. Bronze artifacts, found most frequently in burial sites, consist mainly of swords, spears, daggers, small bells, and mirrors decorated with geometric patterns. Gojoseon's development seems linked to
312-624: A banner with Kim Il Sung's name written in Hanja. Opinion surveys in South Korea regarding the issue of Hanja use have had mixed responses in the past. Hanja terms are also expressed through Hangul, the standard script in the Korean language. Hanja use within general Korean literature has declined since the 1980s because formal Hanja education in South Korea does not begin until the seventh year of schooling, due to changes in government policy during
416-566: A bear-woman, founded Gojoseon in 2333 BC, and was succeeded by Gija (Qizi) after King Wu of Zhou had placed him onto the throne in 1122 BC. A similar account is found in Jewang Ungi . According to the legend, the Lord of Heaven, Hwanin had a son, Hwanung , who descended to Baekdu Mountain and founded the city of Shinsi. Then a bear and a tiger came to Hwanung and said that they wanted to become people. Hwanung said to them that if they went in
520-464: A cave and lived there for 100 days while only eating mugwort and garlic he would change them into human beings. However, about halfway through the 100 days the tiger gave up and ran out of the cave. The bear, in contrast, successfully restrained herself and became a beautiful woman named Ungnyeo . Hwanung later married Ungnyeo, and she gave birth to Dangun . While the Dangun story is considered to be
624-423: A character is called eumhun ( 음훈 ; 音訓 ; from 音 'sound' + 訓 'meaning,' 'teaching'). The word or words used to denote the meaning are often—though hardly always—words of native Korean (i.e., non-Chinese) origin, and are sometimes archaic words no longer commonly used. South Korean primary schools ceased the teaching of Hanja in elementary schools in the 1970s, although they are still taught as part of
728-478: A full letter, which is the default style being used today) first appeared in the same period as government policy. With further adoption, during the 1970s, even when Hanja and mixed script were still used widely in society both as a writing system and as a style option, Koreans mostly gave up on mixed script at least in government documents and memorandums; The use of Hanja in type hindered the speed of writing and printing compared to only-Hangul usage, especially after
832-581: A large number of Chinese-borrowed words are still widely used in the North (although written in Hangul), and Hanja still appear in special contexts, such as recent North Korean dictionaries . The replacement has been less total in South Korea where, although usage has declined over time, some Hanja remain in common usage in some contexts. Each Hanja is composed of one of 214 radicals plus in most cases one or more additional elements. The vast majority of Hanja use
936-508: A mandatory requirement, it is now considered optional. Though North Korea rapidly abandoned the general use of Hanja soon after independence, the number of Hanja taught in primary and secondary schools is actually greater than the 1,800 taught in South Korea. Kim Il Sung had earlier called for a gradual elimination of the use of Hanja, but by the 1960s, he had reversed his stance; he was quoted as saying in 1966, "While we should use as few Sinitic terms as possible, students must be exposed to
1040-448: A myth, it is believed it is a mythical synthesis of a series of historical events relating to the founding of Gojoseon. There are various theories on the origin of this myth. Seo and Kang (2002) believe the Dangun myth is based on integration of two different tribes, an invasive sky-worshipping Bronze Age tribe and a native bear-worshipping neolithic tribe, that led to the foundation of Gojoseon. Lee K. B. (1984) believes 'Dangun-wanggeom'
1144-708: A mythological god which founded a "sacred race" ( shinsŏng chongjok ), Korean nationalist historiography aims to portray ancient Korea as a golden age of "gods and heroes" where Korea's cultural achievements rivaled those of China and Japan. Accordingly, Shin Chaeho elevated Dangun to play a similar role as did the Yellow Emperor in China and which Amaterasu does in Japan. Choe Nam-seon , according to his Purham culture theory [ ko ] , places Dangun even above
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#17327724235331248-462: A principality with Wanggeom-seong as its capital, which is thought to be in the region of present-day Pyongyang. The 3rd-century Chinese text Weilüe of the Sanguozhi recorded that Wi Man usurped King Jun and thus took over the kingship of Gojoseon. Gojoseon mythology and history can be divided into three phases, Dangun, Gija Joseon, and Wi Man Joseon. Around the mid- Joseon dynasty ,
1352-610: A rare surname from Seongju ), and 怾 ( 기 ; Gi , an old name referring to Kumgangsan ). Further examples include 巭 ( 부 bu ), 頉 ( 탈 tal ), 䭏 ( 편 pyeon ), 哛 ( 뿐 ppun ), and 椧 ( 명 myeong ). See Korean gukja characters at Wiktionary for more examples. Compare to the parallel development in Japan of kokuji ( 国字 ) , of which there are hundreds, many rarely used. These were often developed for native Japanese plants and animals. Some Hanja characters have simplified forms ( 약자, 略字 , yakja ) that can be seen in casual use. An example
1456-403: A result of the influence of new populations migrating to Korea from Manchuria and Siberia. This type of pottery typically has thicker walls and displays a wider variety of shapes, indicating improvements in kiln technology. This period is sometimes called the "Korean Bronze Age", but bronze artifacts are relatively rare and regionalized until the 7th century BCE. Rice cultivation was extensive in
1560-582: A strictly analytic, SVO structure in stark contrast to the generally polysyllabic, very synthetic, SOV structure, with various grammatical endings that encoded person, levels of politeness and case found in Korean. Despite the adoption of literary Chinese as the written language, Chinese never replaced Korean as the spoken language, even amongst the scholars that had immersed themselves into its study. The first attempts to make literary Chinese texts more accessible to Korean readers were hanmun passages written in Korean word order. This would later develop into
1664-486: A variety of systems collectively known as idu , but by the 20th century Koreans used hanja only for writing Sino-Korean words, while writing native vocabulary and loanwords from other languages in Hangul. By the 21st century, even Sino-Korean words are usually written in the Hangul alphabet, with the corresponding Chinese character sometimes written next to it to prevent confusion if there are other characters or words with
1768-524: A war with the Yan state, but this indicates Gojoseon was already a large enough state that it could wage war against the Yan and survive the loss of 2000 li (800 kilometers) of territory. Gojoseon is thought to have relocated its capital to the Pyongyang region around this time. In 195 BCE, King Jun appointed a refugee from Yan, Wi Man , to guard the frontier. Wi Man later rebelled in 194 BC and usurped
1872-449: Is [REDACTED] , which is a cursive form of 無 (meaning 'nothing'). Each Hanja character is pronounced as a single syllable, corresponding to a single composite character in Hangul. The pronunciation of Hanja in Korean is by no means identical to the way they are pronounced in modern Chinese, particularly Mandarin , although some Chinese dialects and Korean share similar pronunciations for some characters. For example, 印刷 "print"
1976-535: Is yìnshuā in Mandarin Chinese and inswae ( 인쇄 ) in Korean, but it is pronounced insah in Shanghainese (a Wu Chinese dialect). Gojoseon Gojoseon ( Korean : 고조선 ; Hanja : 古朝鮮 ; RR : Gojoseon ; Korean pronunciation: [ko.dʑo.sʌn] ), contemporary name Joseon ( 조선 ; 朝鮮 ; Joseon ; [tɕo.sʌn] ),
2080-671: Is a Korean masculine given name. Its meaning differs based on the hanja used to write each syllable of the name. There are 39 hanja with the reading " young " and 21 hanja with the reading " hwan " on the South Korean government's official list of hanja which may be used in given names. It was the ninth-most popular name for newborn boys in South Korea in 1950. People with this name include: Hanja Hanja ( Korean : 한자 ; Hanja : 漢字 , Korean pronunciation: [ha(ː)ntɕ͈a] ), alternatively known as Hancha , are Chinese characters used to write
2184-520: Is a Sino-Korean name and the Sino-Korean term for 'princess' was already adopted as a loan word. The hanja ' 主隱 ,' however, were read according to their native pronunciation but was not used for its literal meaning signifying 'the prince steals' but to the native postpositions ( 님 ) nim , the honorific marker used after professions and titles, and eun , the topic marker. In mixed script , this would be rendered as ' 善化公主님은 '. Hanja were
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#17327724235332288-453: Is known about this state except that it was the apparent predecessor to the Samhan confederacies. Around 300 BCE, iron technology was introduced into Korea from Yan state. Iron was produced locally in the southern part of the peninsula by the 2nd century BCE. According to Chinese accounts, iron from the lower Nakdong River in the southeast was valued throughout the peninsula and Japan. In
2392-672: Is the earliest securely dated relic bearing hanmun inscriptions. Hanmun became commonplace in Goguryeo during the 5th and 6th centuries and according to the Book of Zhou , the Chinese classics were available in Goguryeo by the end of the 6th century. The Samguk sagi mentions written records in Baekje beginning in 375 and Goguryeo annals prior to 600. Japanese chronicles mention Baekje people as teachers of hanmun . According to
2496-523: Is the name of the capital, Seoul , a native Korean word meaning 'capital' with no direct Hanja conversion; the Hanja gyeong ( 경 ; 京 , 'capital') is sometimes used as a back-rendering. For example, disyllabic names of railway lines, freeways, and provinces are often formed by taking one character from each of the two locales' names; thus, Most atlases of Korea today are published in two versions: one in Hangul (sometimes with some English as well), and one in Hanja. Subway and railway station signs give
2600-1304: The gwageo required the thorough ability to read, interpret and compose passages of works such as the Analects ( 논어 ; 論語 ; Non-eo ), Great Learning ( 대학 ; 大學 ; Daehak ), Doctrine of the Mean ( 중용 ; 中庸 ; Jung-yong ), Mencius ( 맹자 ; 孟子 ; Maengja ), Classic of Poetry ( 시경 ; 詩經 ; Sigyeong ), Book of Documents ( 서경 ; 書經 ; Seogyeong ), Classic of Changes ( 역경 ; 易經 ; Yeokgyeong ), Spring and Autumn Annals ( 춘추 ; 春秋 ; Chunchu ) and Book of Rites ( 예기 ; 禮記 ; Yegi ). Other important works include Sūnzǐ's Art of War ( 손자병법 ; 孫子兵法 ; Sonja Byeongbeop ) and Selections of Refined Literature ( 문선 ; 文選 ; Munseon ). The Korean scholars were very proficient in literary Chinese. The craftsmen and scholars of Baekje were renowned in Japan, and were eagerly sought as teachers due to their proficiency in hanmun . Korean scholars also composed all diplomatic records, government records, scientific writings, religious literature and much poetry in hanmun , demonstrating that
2704-503: The gwageo system was maintained by Goryeo until after the unification of Korea at the end of the nineteenth century. The scholarly élite began learning the hanja by memorising the Thousand Character Classic ( 천자문 ; 千字文 ; Cheonjamun ), Three Character Classic ( 삼자경 ; 三字經 ; Samja Gyeong ) and Hundred Family Surnames ( 백가성 ; 百家姓 ; Baekga Seong ). Passage of
2808-545: The Analects of Confucius, which were among the first works to mention Gija, but do not mention his migration to Gojoseon. Gija Joseon might have just existed as a symbol of the pre- Qin dynasty migrants who escaped the chaos of the Warring States period . Wi Man was a military officer of the Yan of northeastern China who fled to the northern Korean peninsula in 195 BCE from the encroaching Han dynasty . He founded
2912-533: The Book of Liang , the people of Silla did not have writing in the first half of the 6th century but this may have been only referring to agreements and contracts, represented by notches on wood. The Bei Shi , covering the period 386–618, says that the writing, armour, and weapons in Silla were the same as those in China. The Samguk sagi says that records were kept in Silla starting in 545. Some western writers claimed that knowledge of Chinese entered Korea with
3016-404: The gugyeol ( 구결 ; 口訣 ) or 'separated phrases,' system. Chinese texts were broken into meaningful blocks, and in the spaces were inserted hanja used to represent the sound of native Korean grammatical endings. As literary Chinese was very terse, leaving much to be understood from context, insertion of occasional verbs and grammatical markers helped to clarify the meaning. For instance,
3120-638: The Changbai Mountains on the Sino-Korean border as a part of Korean heritage, by virtue of connection with the mythical Dangun. The mountain, however, was also claimed by the Manchus of the Qing dynasty as part of their origin myth at least since the 17th century, and the mountain range is considered sacred in Han Chinese culture as well. This nationalist identification of Baekdu with Koreans
3224-462: The Joseon balmyong jangryohoe 's ( 조선발명장려회 ) Hangul type contest, and Kim Dong Hoon's typewriter winning joint 3rd. During the 50s and 60s, alongside the Korean government's support for typewriting, new Hangul typewriters were developed, distributed, and adopted. Hangul type with both horizontal writing and moa-sseugi (모아쓰기; the style of Hangul where Hangul consonants and vowels mix in together to form
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3328-671: The Korean language . After characters were introduced to Korea to write Literary Chinese , they were adapted to write Korean as early as the Gojoseon period. Hanja-eo ( 한자어 , 漢字 語 ) refers to Sino-Korean vocabulary , which can be written with Hanja, and hanmun ( 한문 , 漢文 ) refers to Classical Chinese writing, although Hanja is also sometimes used to encompass both concepts. Because Hanja characters have never undergone any major reforms, they more closely resemble traditional Chinese and traditional Japanese characters, although
3432-619: The Xiongnu against the Han . In response, Emperor Wu commissioned a two-pronged attack, one by land and one by sea, against Gojoseon. The two forces attacking Gojoseon were unable to coordinate well with each other and suffered large losses. Eventually, the commands were merged, and Wanggeom fell in 108 BCE. Han took over the Gojoseon lands and established Four Commanderies of Han in the western part of former Gojoseon. Gojoseon disintegrated by
3536-490: The hanja ' 爲 ' was used for its native Korean gloss whereas ' 尼 ' was used for its Sino-Korean pronunciation, and combined into ' 爲尼 ' and read hani ( 하니 ), 'to do (and so).' In Chinese, however, the same characters are read in Mandarin as the expression wéi ní , meaning 'becoming a nun'. This is a typical example of Gugyeol words where the radical ( 爲 ) is read in Korean for its meaning ( hă —'to do'), whereas
3640-549: The hanja were chosen for their equivalent native Korean gloss. For example, the hanja ' 不冬 ' signifies 'no winter' or 'not winter' and has the formal Sino-Korean pronunciation of ( 부동 ) budong , similar to Mandarin bù dōng . Instead, it was read as andeul ( 안들 ) which is the Middle Korean pronunciation of the characters' native gloss and is ancestor to modern anneunda ( 않는다 ), 'do not' or 'does not.' The various idu conventions were developed in
3744-434: The sadaejuui followers, and the big-power chauvinists". The first mentions of Gojoseon are found in historical records of Guanzi . It locates Gojoseon around Bohai Bay and mentions the state trading with Qi (齊) of China. The Zhanguoce , Shanhaijing , and Shiji —containing some of its earliest records—refers to Joseon as a region, until the text Shiji began referring it as a country from 195 BC onwards. By
3848-646: The same sounds , two distinct Hanja words ( Hanjaeo ) may be spelled identically in the phonetic Hangul alphabet . Hanja's language of origin, Chinese, has many homophones, and Hanja words became even more homophonic when they came into Korean, since Korean lacks a tonal system , which is how Chinese distinguishes many words that would otherwise be homophonic. For example, while 道 , 刀 , and 島 are all phonetically distinct in Mandarin (pronounced dào , dāo , and dǎo respectively), they are all pronounced do ( 도 ) in Korean. For this reason, Hanja are often used to clarify meaning, either on their own without
3952-451: The stroke orders for certain characters are slightly different. Such examples are the characters 教 and 敎 , as well as 研 and 硏 . Only a small number of Hanja characters were modified or are unique to Korean, with the rest being identical to the traditional Chinese characters . By contrast, many of the Chinese characters currently in use in mainland China , Malaysia and Singapore have been simplified , and contain fewer strokes than
4056-530: The 辛 ( Korean : 신라면 ; Hanja : 辛拉麵 ) used on Shin Ramyŏn packaging. Since June 1949, Hanja has not officially been used in North Korea, and, in addition, most texts are now commonly written horizontally instead of vertically. Many words borrowed from Chinese have also been replaced in the North with native Korean words, due to the North's policy of linguistic purism . Nevertheless,
4160-477: The 12th century CE, Koreans commonly believed that Dangun bestowed upon Korea its people and basic culture, while Gija gave Korea its high culture, and presumably, standing as a legitimate civilisation. Many modern experts have denied Gija Joseon's existence for various reasons, mainly due to contradicting archaeological evidence and anachronistic historical evidence. They point to the Bamboo Annals and
4264-486: The 1st century BCE as it gradually lost the control of its former fiefs. Many successor states sprang from its former territory, such as Buyeo , Okjeo , Dongye . Goguryeo and Baekje arose out from Buyeo. Around 2000 BCE, a new pottery culture of painted and chiseled design was developed. These people practiced agriculture in a settled communal life, probably organized into familial clans. Rectangular huts and increasingly larger dolmen burial sites were found throughout
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4368-530: The 2nd century BCE. In the southern region of the Korean Peninsula, the Jin state arose by the 3rd century BCE. There are three different main founding myths concerning Gojoseon, which revolve around Dangun, Gija, or Wi Man. The myths revolving around Dangun were recorded in the later Korean work Samguk yusa of the 13th century. This work states that Dangun , the offspring of a heavenly prince and
4472-489: The 4th century BCE, other states with defined political structures developed in the areas of the earlier Bronze Age "walled-town states"; Gojoseon was the most advanced of them in the peninsular region. The city-state expanded by incorporating other neighboring city-states by alliance or military conquest. Thus, a vast confederation of political entities between the Taedong and Liao rivers was formed. As Gojoseon evolved, so did
4576-450: The Chinese and Japanese emperors, because those rulers were supposedly Shamanistic rulers of the ancient Korean "Părk" tradition. The Dangun story also lends credence to claims that Korean heritage is over 5000 years old. According to Hyung Il Pai, the popularity of Dangun studies can be said to "reflect the progressively ultra-nationalistic trend in Korean historical and archaeological scholarship today". Shin Chaeho named Mount Paektu in
4680-462: The Goryeo period but were particularly associated with the jung-in ( 중인 ; 中人 ), the upper middle class of the early Joseon period. A subset of idu was known as hyangchal ( 향찰 ; 鄕札 ), 'village notes,' and was a form of idu particularly associated with the hyangga ( 향가 ; 鄕歌 ) the old poetry compilations and some new creations preserved in the first half of
4784-410: The Goryeo period when its popularity began to wane. In the hyangchal or 'village letters' system, there was free choice in how a particular hanja was used. For example, to indicate the topic of Princess Seonhwa, a daughter of King Jinpyeong of Silla was recorded as ' 善化公主主隱 ' in hyangchal and was read as ( 선화공주님은 ), seonhwa gongju-nim-eun where ' 善化公主 ' is read in Sino-Korean, as it
4888-479: The Han dynasty, under Emperor Wu , invaded and conquered Wiman Joseon. The Han established four commanderies to administer the former Gojoseon territory. After the fragmentation of the Han Empire during the 3rd century and the subsequent chaotic 4th century , the area escaped Chinese control and was conquered by Goguryeo in 313 CE. The capital of Gojoseon was Wanggeom (modern Pyongyang ) from at least
4992-503: The Hangul. Aside from academic usage, Hanja are often used for advertising or decorative purposes in South Korea, and appear frequently in athletic events and cultural parades, packaging and labeling, dictionaries and atlases . For example, the Hanja 辛 ( sin or shin , meaning 'spicy') appears prominently on packages of Shin Ramyun noodles. In contrast, North Korea eliminated the use of Hanja even in academic publications by 1949 on
5096-635: The Hanja, but this practice was reversed by post-independence governments in Korea. Since the 1970s, some parents have given their children given names that are simply native Korean words. Popular ones include Haneul ( 하늘 )—meaning 'sky'—and Iseul ( 이슬 )—meaning 'morning dew'. Nevertheless, on official documents, people's names are still recorded in both Hangul and in Hanja. Due to standardization efforts during Goryeo and Joseon eras, native Korean placenames were converted to Hanja, and most names used today are Hanja-based. The most notable exception
5200-493: The Korean scholars were not just reading Chinese works but were actively composing their own. Well-known examples of Chinese-language literature in Korea include Samguk sagi , Samguk yusa , Geumo Sinhwa , The Cloud Dream of the Nine , Akhak gwebeom , Hong Gildong jeon and Domundaejak . The Chinese language, however, was quite different from the Korean language, consisting of terse, often monosyllabic words with
5304-472: The Koreans themselves. These characters are called gukja ( 국자 ; 國字 , literally 'national characters'). Most of them are for proper names (place-names and people's names) but some refer to Korean-specific concepts and materials. They include 畓 ( 답 ; dap ; 'paddy field'), 欌 ( 장 ; jang , 'wardrobe'), 乭 ( 돌 ; Dol , a character only used in given names), 㸴 ( 소 ; So ,
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#17327724235335408-654: The Yan in the 4th century BCE. Gija , a man from the period of the Shang dynasty , allegedly fled to the Korean peninsula in 1122 BC during the fall of the Shang to the Zhou dynasty and founded Gija Joseon . Gija Joseon is recognized and mentioned in the earliest surviving Chinese record, Records of the Three Kingdoms . Gija's story was further developed in later Korean texts such as Samguk yusa and Jewang ungi . By
5512-419: The additional elements to indicate the sound of the character, but a few Hanja are purely pictographic, and some were formed in other ways. The historical use of Hanja in Korea has had a change over time. Hanja became prominent in use by the elite class between the 3rd and 4th centuries by the Three Kingdoms. The use came from Chinese that migrated into Korea. With them they brought the writing system Hanja. Thus
5616-436: The adoption of bronze technology. Its singularity finds its most notable expression in the idiosyncratic type of bronze swords, or "mandolin-shaped daggers" ( 비파형동검 ; 琵琶形銅劍 ). The mandolin-shape dagger is found in the regions of Liaoning , Hebei , and Manchuria down to the Korean Peninsula. It suggests the existence of Gojoseon dominions. Remarkably, the shape of the "mandolin" dagger of Gojoseon differs significantly from
5720-604: The advent of the Sebeolsik layout ( 세벌식 자판 ) Park's Hanja ban was not formally lifted until 1992 under the government of Kim Young-sam . In 1999, the government of Kim Dae-jung actively promoted Hanja by placing it on signs on the road, at bus stops, and in subways. In 1999, Han Mun was reintroduced as a school elective and in 2001 the Hanja Proficiency Test hanja nŭngryŏk gŏmjŏng sihŏm ( Korean : 한자능력검정시험 ; Hanja : 漢字能力檢定試驗 )
5824-474: The ambassador assassinated Wi Jang (長降) and claimed to Emperor Wu that he had defeated Joseon in battle. Emperor Wu, unaware of this deception, made him the military commander of the Commandery of Liaodong. The outraged King Ugeo made a raid on Liaodong and killed She He. Scholars also hypothesize that the initiation of war may also have been because the Han dynasty was concerned that Gojoseon would ally with
5928-532: The book of Gogeumju ( 古今注 ) written by Cui Bao (崔豹) of the Western Jin period, poetry called Gonghuyin (箜篌引) or Gongmudohaga [ ko ] ( 공무도하가 ; 公無渡河歌 ) is said to be of Gojoseon origin. The poetry is as follows: 公無渡河 "Don't cross the river, my love." 公竟渡河 "My love eventually crossed the river.' 墮河而死 "Now that my love is drowned," 當奈公何 "There's nothing that I can do." Numerous small states and confederations arose from
6032-859: The corresponding Hanja characters. Until the contemporary period, Korean documents, history, literature and records were written primarily in Literary Chinese using Hanja as its primary script. As early as 1446, Sejong the Great promulgated Hangul (also known as Chosŏn'gŭl in North Korea) through the Hunminjeongeum . It did not come into widespread official use until the late 19th and early 20th century. Proficiency in Chinese characters is, therefore, necessary to study Korean history. Etymology of Sino-Korean words are reflected in Hanja. Hanja were once used to write native Korean words, in
6136-483: The decline and eventual downfall of Gojoseon, described in Yan records as "arrogant" and "cruel". But the ancient kingdom also appears as a prosperous Bronze Age civilization with a complex social structure, including a class of horse-riding warriors who contributed to the development of Gojoseon and its northern expansion into most of the Liaodong basin. Around 300 BCE, Gojoseon lost significant western territory after
6240-403: The elite class. Around the 6th century BCE, burnished red wares, made of a fine iron-rich clay and characterized by a smooth, lustrous surface, appear in dolmen tombs, as well as in domestic bowls and cups. In 1964, through a joint excavation by China and North Korea, Gangsang tomb ( 강상무덤 ; 崗上墓 ) and Nusang tomb ( 누상무덤 ; 樓上墓 ) were found in 1964 at the Liaodong peninsula. Nusang
6344-450: The equivalent Hangul spelling or in parentheses after the Hangul spelling as a kind of gloss. Hanja are often also used as a form of shorthand in newspaper headlines, advertisements, and on signs, for example the banner at the funeral for the sailors lost in the sinking of ROKS Cheonan (PCC-772) . In South Korea, Hanja are used most frequently in ancient literature, legal documents, and scholarly monographs, where they often appear without
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#17327724235336448-466: The equivalent Hangul spelling. Usually, only those words with a specialized or ambiguous meaning are printed in Hanja. In mass-circulation books and magazines, Hanja are generally used rarely, and only to gloss words already spelled in Hangul when the meaning is ambiguous. Hanja are also often used in newspaper headlines as abbreviations or to eliminate ambiguity. In formal publications, personal names are also usually glossed in Hanja in parentheses next to
6552-464: The established view among historians traced Korean origins to Chinese refugees, considering Korean history that of a long series of kingdoms connected with China. As such, the Gija Joseon and Silla states were valorized, while the Gojoseon and Goguryeo states were not considered as important. According to this view, the first state in Korea, Gija Joseon , was founded by Jizi in 1122 BCE, who
6656-670: The fact that the word is composed of Hanja often help to illustrate the word's origin. As an example of how Hanja can help to clear up ambiguity, many homophones can be distinguished by using Hanja. An example is the word 수도 ( sudo ), which may have meanings such as: Hanja dictionaries for specialist usage – Jajeon ( 자전 ; 字典 ) or Okpyeon ( 옥편 ; 玉篇 ) – are organized by radical (the traditional Chinese method of classifying characters). Korean personal names , including all Korean surnames and most Korean given names , are based on Hanja and are generally written in it, although some exceptions exist. On business cards,
6760-445: The hanja being used came from the characters already being used by the Chinese at the time. Since Hanja was primarily used by the elite and scholars, it was hard for others to learn, thus much character development was limited. Scholars in the 4th century used this to study and write Confucian classics. Character formation is also coined to the idu form which was a Buddhist writing system for Chinese characters. This practice however
6864-485: The holders of such names—but not only them—tend to have one-syllable given names. Traditionally, the given name in turn consists of one character unique to the individual and one character shared by all people in a family of the same sex and generation (see Generation name ). During the Japanese administration of Korea (1910–1945), Koreans were forced to adopt Japanese-style names , including polysyllabic readings of
6968-488: The kingdom from the Joseon dynasty , founded in 1392 CE. According to the Memorabilia of the Three Kingdoms , Gojoseon was established in 2333 BCE by Dangun, who was said to be born from the heavenly prince Hwanung and a bear-woman, Ungnyeo . While Dangun is a mythological figure of whose existence no concrete evidence has been found, some interpret his legend as reflections of the sociocultural situations involving
7072-454: The kingdom's early development. Regardless, the account of Dangun has played an important role in the development of Korean identity. Today, the founding date of Gojoseon is officially celebrated as National Foundation Day in North and South Korea . Some sources claim that in the 12th century BCE, following the establishment of Gojoseon, Jizi (also known as Gija), a sage who belonged to
7176-589: The lower parts of South Korea and Manchuria in the periods between 1900 BCE to 200 CE. The beginning of the Bronze Age on the peninsula is usually said to be 1000 BCE, but estimates range from the 13th to 8th centuries BCE. Although the Korean Bronze Age culture derives from the Liaoning and Manchuria, it exhibits unique typology and styles, especially in ritual objects. By the 7th century BCE,
7280-898: The mandatory curriculum in grade 6. They are taught in separate courses in South Korean high schools , separately from the normal Korean-language curriculum. Formal Hanja education begins in grade 7 (junior high school) and continues until graduation from senior high school in grade 12. A total of 1,800 Hanja are taught: 900 for junior high, and 900 for senior high (starting in grade 10). Post-secondary Hanja education continues in some liberal-arts universities . The 1972 promulgation of basic Hanja for educational purposes changed on December 31, 2000, to replace 44 Hanja with 44 others. South Korea's Ministry of Education generally encourages all primary schools to offer Hanja classes. Officials said that learning Chinese characters could enhance students' Korean-language proficiency. Initially announced as
7384-457: The middle of Goryeo dynasty, a state cult had developed around Gija. The Dongsa Gangmok of 1778 described Gija's activities and contributions in Gojoseon. The records of Gija refer to Eight Prohibitions ( 범금팔조 ; 犯禁八條 ), that are recorded by the Book of Han and evidence a hierarchical society with legal protections of private property. In pre-modern Korea, Gija represented the authenticating presence of Chinese civilization. Until
7488-411: The necessary Chinese characters and taught how to write them." As a result, a Chinese-character textbook was designed for North Korean schools for use in grades 5–9, teaching 1,500 characters, with another 500 for high school students. College students are exposed to another 1,000, bringing the total to 3,000. Because many different Hanja—and thus, many different words written using Hanja—often share
7592-496: The only sources for very early Korea, do not mention a Korean writing system. During the 3rd century BC, Chinese migrations into the peninsula occurred due to war in northern China and the earliest archaeological evidence of Chinese writing appearing in Korea is dated to this period. A large number of inscribed knife money from pre- Lelang sites along the Yalu River have been found. A sword dated to 222 BC with Chinese engraving
7696-406: The orders of Kim Il Sung , a situation that has since remained unchanged. In modern Korean dictionaries, all entry words of Sino-Korean origin are printed in Hangul and listed in Hangul order, with the Hanja given in parentheses immediately following the entry word. This practice helps to eliminate ambiguity, and it also serves as a sort of shorthand etymology, since the meaning of the Hanja and
7800-538: The peninsula. Bronze daggers and mirrors have been excavated, and there is archaeological evidence of small walled-town states in this period. Dolmens and bronze daggers found in the area are uniquely Korean and cannot be found in China. A few dolmens are found in China, mostly in the Shandong province. In the Mumun pottery period (1500 – 300 BCE), plain coarse pottery replaced earlier comb-pattern wares, possibly as
7904-480: The remnants of Gojoseon, including Goguryeo , the Buyeo kingdom , Okjeo , and Dongye . Three of the Chinese commanderies fell to local resistance within a few decades, but the last, Nakrang, remained an important commercial and cultural outpost until it was destroyed by the expanding Goguryeo in 313 CE. Jun of Gojoseon is said to have fled to the state of Jin in the southern Korean Peninsula. Jin developed into
8008-552: The royal family from the Shang dynasty , immigrated to the northern part of the Korean Peninsula and became the founder of Gija Joseon . There are many interpretations of Gojoseon and Gija Joseon as well as debates regarding Gija Joseon's existence. In 194 BCE, the ruling dynasty of Gojoseon was overthrown by Wi Man (Wei Man in Chinese), a refugee from the Han vassal state of Yan , who then established Wiman Joseon . In 108 BCE,
8112-876: The same Hangul spelling. According to the Standard Korean Language Dictionary published by the National Institute of Korean Language (NIKL), approximately half (50%) of Korean words are Sino-Korean, mostly in academic fields (science, government, and society). Other dictionaries, such as the Urimal Keun Sajeon , claim this number might be as low as roughly 30%. There is traditionally no accepted date for when literary Chinese ( 한문 ; 漢文 ; hanmun ) written in Chinese characters ( 한자 ; 漢字 ; hanja ) entered Korea. Early Chinese dynastic histories,
8216-664: The sole means of writing Korean until King Sejong the Great invented and tried promoting Hangul in the 15th century. Even after the invention of Hangul, however, most Korean scholars continued to write in hanmun , although Hangul did see considerable popular use. Idu and its hyangchal variant were mostly replaced by mixed-script writing with hangul although idu was not officially discontinued until 1894 when reforms abolished its usage in administrative records of civil servants. Even with idu , most literature and official records were still recorded in literary Chinese until 1910. The Hangul-Hanja mixed script
8320-474: The son of a tiger and a bear – the latter being common in Japanese folklore – who brought civilization to the Korean peninsula. Shin and the other historians who promulgated this myth had been influenced by Daejonggyo , a new religious movement which worshipped Dangun, but attacked pre-annexation textbook narratives of Dangun which portrayed him as the brother of the Japanese god Susanoo . To Shin, Dangun
8424-504: The spread of Buddhism , which occurred around the 4th century. Traditionally Buddhism is believed to have been introduced to Goguryeo in 372, Baekje in 384, and Silla in 527. Another major factor in the adoption of hanmun was the adoption of the gwageo , copied from the Chinese imperial examination , open to all freeborn men. Special schools were set up for the well-to-do and the nobility across Korea to train new scholar officials for civil service. Adopted by Silla and Goryeo,
8528-510: The station's name in Hangul, Hanja, and English, both to assist visitors (including Chinese or Japanese who may rely on the Hanja spellings) and to disambiguate the name. Hanja are still required for certain disciplines in academia, such as Oriental Studies and other disciplines studying Chinese, Japanese or historic Korean literature and culture, since the vast majority of primary source text material are written in Hanzi , Kanji or Hanja. For
8632-454: The suffix 尼 , ni (meaning 'nun'), is used phonetical. Special symbols were sometimes used to aid in the reordering of words in approximation of Korean grammar. It was similar to the kanbun ( 漢文 ) system developed in Japan to render Chinese texts. The system was not a translation of Chinese into Korean, but an attempt to make Korean speakers knowledgeable in hanja overcome the difficulties in interpreting Chinese texts. Although it
8736-652: The sword artifacts found in China. Megalithic dolmens appear in Korean peninsula and Manchuria around 2000 BCE to 400 BCE. Around 900 BCE, burial practices become more elaborate, a reflection of increasing social stratification. Goindol, the dolmen tombs in Korea and Manchuria, comprising upright stones supporting a horizontal slab, are more numerous in Korea than in other parts of East Asia. Other new forms of burial are stone cists (underground burial chambers lined with stone) and earthenware jar coffins. The bronze objects, pottery, and jade ornaments recovered from dolmens and stone cists indicate that such tombs were reserved for
8840-541: The throne in the 50th year of the legendary Yao's reign, Annals of the King Sejong says the first year, and Tongguk t'onggam says the 25th year. In the 7th century BCE, the Yan pioneered the Northeast regions. According to The Growth of Yan and The Context of Guanzi , it can be presumed that Gojoseon grew through trade in this era. It is estimated that Gojoseon developed so far as to be able to war against
8944-595: The throne of Gojoseon. King Jun fled to Jin in the south of the Korean Peninsula . In 109 BCE, Emperor Wu of Han invaded near the Liao River . A conflict would erupt in 109 BCE, when Wi Man's grandson King Ugeo ( 우거왕 ; 右渠王 ) refused to let Jin's ambassadors through his territory in order to reach the Han dynasty. King Ugeo refused and had his son, Prince Wi Jang (長降) escort the ambassador back home. However, when they got close to Han's borders,
9048-465: The time. In 1956, one study found mixed-script Korean text (in which Sino-Korean nouns are written using Hanja, and other words using Hangul) were read faster than texts written purely in Hangul; however, by 1977, the situation had reversed. In 1988, 65% of one sample of people without a college education "evinced no reading comprehension of any but the most common hanja" when reading mixed-script passages. A small number of characters were invented by
9152-526: The title and function of its leader, who came to be designated as "king" ( Han ), in the tradition of the Zhou dynasty , around the same time as the Yan (燕) leader. Records of that time mention the hostility between the feudal state in Northern China and the "confederated" kingdom of Gojoseon. Notably, a plan to attack the Yan beyond the Liao River frontier is recorded. This confrontation led to
9256-432: The traditional creative arts such as calligraphy and painting , a knowledge of Hanja is needed to write and understand the various scripts and inscriptions, as is the same in China and Japan. Many old songs and poems are written and based on Hanja characters. On 9 September 2003, the celebration for the 55th anniversary of North Korea featured a float decorated with the scenario for welcoming Kim Il Sung , which including
9360-428: The use and teaching of Hanja in public schools, as well as forbade its use in the military, with the goal of eliminating Hanja in writing by 1972 through legislative and executive means. However, due to public backlash, in 1972, Park's government allowed for the teaching of Hanja in special classes but maintained a ban on Hanja use in textbooks and other learning materials outside of the classes. This reverse step, however,
9464-479: The use of Hanja has plummeted in orthography until the modern day. Where Hanja is now very rarely used and is almost only used for abbreviations in newspaper headlines (e.g. 中 for China, 韓 for Korea, 美 for the United States, 日 for Japan, etc.), for clarification in text where a word might be confused for another due to homophones (e.g. 이사장 ( 李 社長 ) vs. 이사장 ( 理事長 )), or for stylistic use such as
9568-416: The use of Hanja is slowly fading away, with most older people displaying their names exclusively in Hanja while most of the younger generation using both Hangul and Hanja. Korean personal names usually consist of a one-character family name ( seong , 성 ; 姓 ) followed by a two-character given name ( ireum , 이름 ). There are a few two-character family names (e.g. 남궁 ; 南宮 , Namgung ), and
9672-525: Was a commonly used means of writing, and Hangul effectively replaced Hanja in official and scholarly writing only in the 20th century. Hangŭl exclusive writing has been used concurrently in Korea after the decline of literary Chinese. Mixed script could be commonly found in non-fiction writing, news papers, etc., until the enacting of Park Chung Hee 's 5 Year Plan for Hangŭl Exclusivity hangŭl jŏnyong ogaenyŏn gyehuik an ( Korean : 한글전용 5개년 계획안 ; Hanja : 한글專用 5個年 計劃案 ) in 1968 banned
9776-512: Was a disgruntled Chinese advisor to the Shang dynasty . The story of how he brought poetry, music, medicine, trade, and a political system to the Korean peninsula was conceived similarly to the proposed Founding of Rome by the Trojan refugee Aeneas . But by the 1930s, under the influence of Shin Chaeho 's histories, the Jizi Korean founding story became less popular than that of Dangun ,
9880-601: Was a title borne by successive leaders of Gojoseon. Dangun is said to have founded Gojoseon around 2333 BC, based on the descriptions of the Samguk yusa , Jewang Ungi , Tongguk t'onggam and the Annals of the Joseon Dynasty . The date differs among historical sources, although all of them put it during the mythical Emperor Yao 's reign (traditional dates: 2357 BC? – 2256 BC?). Samguk yusa says Dangun ascended to
9984-416: Was both the founder of the Korean minjok and the first Korean state ( kuk ), and thus the necessary starting point for Korean history. In response to a challenge by the Japanese scholars Shiratori Kurakichi and Imanishi Ryū of Dangun as a fabrication by the author of the Samguk yusa , nationalist historian Choe Nam-seon attacked Japanese mythology as being built upon fabrications. By focusing on
10088-400: Was cemented by the operation of Korean independence movement partisans operating from the Chinese border and legitimized with associations to the history of the Gojoseon and Balhae states. The Chinese civilizational connection to ancient Korea continues to be attacked by North Korean historians, who allege that the history of Gija Joseon was "viciously distorted by the feudal ruling class,
10192-536: Was developed by scholars of the early Goryeo Kingdom (918–1392), gugyeol was of particular importance during the Joseon period, extending into the first decade of the twentieth century, since all civil servants were required to be able to read, translate and interpret Confucian texts and commentaries. The first attempt at transcribing Korean in hanja was the idu ( 이두 ; 吏讀 ), or 'official reading,' system that began to appear after 500 AD. In this system,
10296-428: Was found earlier prior to the excavation in 1958 Gangsang and Nusang tombs are considered to be burial cairn tombs of local nobilities of Gojoseon. Some consider the tombs as the evidences of the slavery that could have existed, but others find that the evidences are inadequate and lacking to deduce such conclusion. Around this time, the state of Jin occupied the southern part of the Korean peninsula. Very little
10400-562: Was introduced. In 2005, an older law, the Law Concerning Hangul Exclusivity hangŭl jŏnyonge gwahak pŏmnyul ( Korean : 한글전용에 관한 법률 ; Hanja : 한글專用에 關한 法律 ) was repealed as well. In 2013 all elementary schools in Seoul started teaching Hanja. However, the result is that Koreans who were educated in this period having never been formally educated in Hanja are unable to use them, and thus
10504-405: Was limited due to the opinion of Buddhism whether it was favorable at the time or not. To aid in understanding the meaning of a character, or to describe it orally to distinguish it from other characters with the same pronunciation, character dictionaries and school textbooks refer to each character with a combination of its sound and a word indicating its meaning. This dual meaning-sound reading of
10608-602: Was optional so the availability of Hanja education was dependent on the school one went to. Another reason for the decline is found in the Hangul typewriter, and the keyboard. The push for better Hangul typewriters mainly began in 1949, but as it was long before the Hanja ban, government institutions did not prefer typewriters altogether as they could not write in Hanja nor Mixed script. Kong Byung Wo's notable Sebeolsik type first appeared in March 1949, jointly winning second place in
10712-424: Was the first kingdom on the Korean Peninsula . According to Korean mythology , the kingdom was established by the legendary king Dangun . Gojoseon possessed the most advanced culture in the Korean Peninsula at the time and was an important marker in the progression towards the more centralized states of later periods. The addition of Go ( 고 ; 古 ), meaning "ancient", is used in historiography to distinguish
10816-473: Was unearthed in Pyongyang . From 108 BC to 313 AD, the Han dynasty established the Four Commanderies of Han in northern Korea and institutionalized the Chinese language. According to the Samguk sagi , Goguryeo had hanmun from the beginning of its existence, which starts in 37 BC. It also says that the king of Goguryeo composed a poem in 17 BC. The Gwanggaeto Stele , dated to 414,
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