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In:Acquisition of Korean: The state of the art
Edited by Soonja Choi
[Trends in Language Acquisition Research 36] 2026
► pp. 478–505

Chapter 15
The development of reading and writing in Korean children with developmental dyslexia

 | Hallym University
This content is being prepared for publication; it may be subject to changes.
Abstract
This chapter examines the development of reading and writing in Korean children with developmental dyslexia (DYS). Despite Hangul’s relative transparency, Korean children with DYS struggle with word reading and writing as well as reading fluency and text comprehension. While typically developing children in Korea generally master the reading and writing of transparent words before entering school and acquire the ability to read most opaque words by the second grade, children with DYS exhibit both delays and differences during the elementary school years, particularly with pseudowords and orthographically opaque words. Based on clinical data, a developmental model of word reading and writing by Korean children with DYS is proposed. This model delineates a developmental trajectory from the pre-alphabetic phase through the phases of reading and writing basic vowels, syllable-initial and syllable-final consonants, and ultimately opaque words that require the application of phonological rules.
Article outline
  • 1.Introduction: Developmental dyslexia in the Korean language context
    • 1.1Overview of research findings in the studies of Korean children with developmental dyslexia
  • 2.Korean word/eojeol reading and writing
    • 2.1Hangul: Phonemes, graphemes, and phonological rules
    • 2.2Eojeols and morphemes: A sample sentence
  • 3.Development of word/eojeol reading and writing
    • 3.1Preschool and kindergarten years (ages 4–6 years)
      • 3.1.1Typically developing children
      • 3.1.2Children at risk of developmental dyslexia
      • 3.1.3A case study: Development of child Y’s word reading and writing from preschool to first grade
    • 3.2From Grade 1 to 2: Word/eojeol reading and writing
    • 3.3From grade 3 to 5: Sentence writing
  • 4.A developmental model of reading and writing for Korean children with dyslexia
    • Phase 1: Pre-alphabetic
    • Phase 2: Basic vowel graphemes
    • Phase 3: Syllable-initial consonant graphemes
    • Phase 4: Syllable-final consonant graphemes
    • Phase 5: Phonological rules
  • 5.Conclusion
  • Notes
  • References
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