Hangeul

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A writing system used for the Korean language, consisting of 14 basic consonants and 10 basic vowels that are combined to form syllabic blocks
2. The alphabetic writing system of Korean composed of consonant and vowel symbols arranged into square syllabic units
3. A phonetic script developed for the Korean language featuring distinctive geometric letters combined into block-shaped characters

Etymology: Koreans call their alphabet 한글, pronounced han'geul, which means "Korean script." The second syllable, 글, is the ordinary Korean word for writing, and the first, 한, is the same element found in the Korean name for Korea, so the name is a plain descriptive compound. In English the word is written in two spellings. "Hangeul" is an alternative form of "hangul," and both spell out the same Korean pronunciation. Either one refers to the same writing system, so you will see both in dictionaries and textbooks.

Synonyms: Korean script