Article published In: Journal of Asian Pacific Communication
Vol. 35:2 (2025) ► pp.184–201
Hanja usage in Korean newspaper headlines
A diachronic analysis of language in shaping national identity
Published online: 7 October 2025
https://doi.org/10.1075/japc.00116.kwa
https://doi.org/10.1075/japc.00116.kwa
Abstract
This study traces the decline of Hanja (Chinese characters) in Korean newspaper headlines over the 20th century,
analyzing its relationship to colonialism, nationalism, and modernization. Although Hangul was invented in the 15th century, Hanja
remained in formal Korean writing into the 1900s. Using a content analysis of 128 headlines between 1920 and 1999, this study
examines the proportion of Hanja to Hangul and linguistic shifts within Korea’s print history. Our findings indicate that the
prominence of Hanja was influenced by Japanese assimilation policies during the colonial period and in the immediate
post-liberation years. Post-liberation, Hangul was promoted as a symbol of decolonization. Restrictions on Hanja use marked a
turning point in favor of Hangul-only script usage. The decline of Hanja reflects Korea’s broader efforts to assert national
identity following colonial subjugation, highlighting how newspapers functioned not only as transmitters of information but as
evolving artifacts of Korea’s sociopolitical transformation.
Keywords: Hanja, Hangul, Korean print media, national identity, language reform
Article outline
- History of Hanja
- Hanja in modern written language
- Research questions
- Methods
- Data selection
- Data substitution
- Analysis
- Results
- Discussion
- Impact of Japanese colonization on Hanja Usage
- The rise of Hangul and Korea’s national identity
- The fall of Hanja under military dictatorship
- Modern uses of Hanja in newspaper headlines
- Summary and conclusion
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