Cover not available

In:Writing Systems, Reading Processes, and Cross-Linguistic Influences: Reflections from the Chinese, Japanese and Korean Languages
Edited by Hye K. Pae
[Bilingual Processing and Acquisition 7] 2018
► pp. 335–352

Get fulltext from our e-platform
JBE logo with link
PDF logo with download linkDownload Book PDF
authorization required

Chapter 16
The Korean writing system, Hangul, and word processing

Published online: 10 July 2018
DOI logo with link
https://doi.org/10.1075/bpa.7.16pae
Abstract
This chapter reviews the development of the Korean script, Hangul, from its birth to linguistic and psycholinguistic implications for word reading. It first discusses the language family and the structure of the Korean oral language. Given that the emergence of the script is unlike most scripts or writing systems, it next overviews the invention background of Hangul. The script encompasses the characteristics of phonemic, syllabic, and alphasyllabic writing systems by means of the systematic union of consonants and vowels as well as the regular phoneme-grapheme correspondence. As these characteristics result in significant consequences in processing texts, the structure of Hangul is surveyed from linguistic aspects, while its orthography is reviewed from psycholinguistic aspects. The chapter ends with a call for moving from the accumulation of empirical evidence to the phase of building theoretical models.
Article outline
  • The Korean language and linguistic genealogy
  • A brief history of the meticulous invention of Hangul and its implications
  • The structure of Hangul: Linguistic aspects
    • Consonants and vowels
    • Syllabic structures
  • The orthography of Hangul: Psycholinguistic aspects
    • Alphabetic aspects
    • Syllabic aspects
    • Alphasyllabic aspects
  • Conclusion
  • Notes
  • References
References (22)
References
Bae, Y. (2010). Eleven stories behind Hangul you probably did not know well. Seoul, Korea: WithBooks Publishing. 배 유안 (2010). 다 알지만 잘 모르는 11가지 한글 이야기. 서울, 대한민국: 도서출판 책과함께.Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Baek, S. (2014). Sub-syllabic processing in young Korean-English bilinguals: Semivowel placement differences between Korean and English. Journal of Psycholinguistic Research, 43, 507–533. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Cho, J-R., & McBride-Chang, C. (2005). Levels of phonological awareness in Korean and English: A 1-year longitudinal study. Journal of Educational Psychology, 97, 564–571. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Coltheart, M., Rastle, K., Perry, C., Langdon, R., & Ziegler, J. (2001). DRC: A dual route cascaded model of visual word recognition and reading aloud. Psychological Review, 108, 204–256. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Diringer, D. & Minns, E. (2010). The alphabet: A key to the history of mankind. Whitefish, MT: Kessinger Publishing.Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Hong, W. (2005). Korean language and Japanese language. Korea and Japan in East Asian History, 2, 1–6.Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
King, R. (1996). Korean writing. In P. T. Daniels & W. Bright (Eds.). The world’s writing systems (pp. 218–227). Oxford: OUP.Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Lee, C. H., & Taft, M. (2009). Are onsets and codas important in processing letter position? A comparison of TL effects in English and Korean. Journal of Memory and Language, 60, 530–542. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Lee, S. H., & Hwang, M. (2015). Word and nonword processing without meaning support in Korean-speaking children with and without hyperlexia. Reading and Writing: An Interdisciplinary Journal, 28, 217–238. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Lee, Y., & Goldrick, M. (2008). The emergence of sub-syllabic representations. Journal of Memory and Language, 59, 155–168. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Pae, H. K. (2011). Is Korean a syllabic alphabet or an alphabetic syllabary? Writing Systems Research, 3(2), 103–115. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
(2018). Written language, East-Asian scripts, and cross-linguistic influences: An introduction. In H. K. Pae (Ed.), Writing systems, reading processes, and cross-linguistic influences: Reflections from the Chinese, Japanese, and Korean languages (pp. 1–21). Amsterdam: John Benjamins. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Pae, H. K., Sevcik, R. A., & Morris, R. D. (2004). Cross-language link between English and Korean in second-language reading acquisition. Journal of Multilingual Communication Disorders, 2, 68–79. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
(2010). Cross-language correlates in phonological process and naming speed: Evidence from deep and shallow orthographies. The Journal of Research in Reading, 33(4), 335–436.Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Pae, H. K., & Lee, Y-W. (2015). The Resolution of visual noise in word recognition. Journal of Psycholinguistic Research, 44(3), 337–358. .Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Pae, H. K., Kim, S-A., Mano, T., & Kwon, Y-J. (2017). Sublexical and lexical processing of English orthography among nonnative speakers of Chinese and Korean. Reading and Writing: An Interdisciplinary Journal, 30, 1–24. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Sampson, G. (2015) (2nd ed.). Writing systems. Bristol: Equinox.Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Simpson, G. B., & Kang, H. (2004). Syllable processing in alphabetic Korean. Reading and Writing: An Interdisciplinary Journal, 17, 137–151. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Wolf, M. (2007). Proust and the squid: The story and science of the reading brain. New York, NY: HarperCollins.Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
United Nations (2003). Human Development Report 2003. New York, NY: United Nations Development Programme.Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Yeon, J. (2010). Was the Korean alphabet a sole invention of King Sejong? Journal of Korean Culture, 14, 183–216.Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Ziegler, J. C., & Goswami, U. (2005). Reading acquisition, developmental dyslexia and skilled reading across languages: A psycholinguistic grain size theory. Psychological Bulletin 131, 3–29. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Cited by (7)

Cited by seven other publications

Brennan, Christine & Emily Heneman-Lee
2025. Differential benefits of syllable versus grapheme instruction for L1 English-speaking adults learning to read words in Hangul. Asian-Pacific Journal of Second and Foreign Language Education 10:1 DOI logo
Pae, Hye K., Changhwan Lee & Kwangoh Yi
2025. Easy Decoding yet Difficult Encoding: What Does the Asymmetry Between Reading and Spelling in Korean Hangul Mean for Grapholinguistics?. In Handbook on the Korean Language and Literacy: Insights into Hangul and Text Processing, ► pp. 579 ff. DOI logo
Al-Taani, Rasha, Razan Bassah, Nisma Naimat & Ammar Odeh
2023. 2023 3rd International Conference on Computing and Information Technology (ICCIT), ► pp. 15 ff. DOI logo
Ju, Yeongsil, Ami Sambai & Akira Uno
2022. The Influence of Orthographic Units Across Korean Children of Different Ages in Hangul Reading. Frontiers in Psychology 13 DOI logo
Kim, Say Young & Fan Cao
2022. How does the brain read different scripts? Evidence from English, Korean, and Chinese. Reading and Writing 35:6 ► pp. 1449 ff. DOI logo
Pae, Hye K.
2020. Chinese, Japanese, and Korean Writing Systems: All East-Asian but Different Scripts. In Script Effects as the Hidden Drive of the Mind, Cognition, and Culture [Literacy Studies, 21], ► pp. 71 ff. DOI logo
Pae, Hye K.
2024. Introduction: The Characteristics of Korean Spoken Language and Written Language. In Analyzing the Korean Alphabet, ► pp. 3 ff. DOI logo

This list is based on CrossRef data as of 19 november 2025. Please note that it may not be complete. Sources presented here have been supplied by the respective publishers. Any errors therein should be reported to them.

Mobile Menu Logo with link to supplementary files background Layer 1 prag Twitter_Logo_Blue