"Are You Familiar with 'Bamti,' 'Neulkeukeu,' or 'Neujo'? At 100 Years Old, Hangeul Day Finds the Korean Language Still Evolving"

Marking the 580th Anniversary of Hunminjeongeum
From "Gagyanal" to Hangeul Day
A Century Later: How the Korean Language Has Changed Since the First Hangeul Day

As Hangeul Day approaches on the 9th, the meaning of the Korean language and Hangeul, which are rapidly evolving, is once again drawing attention. On the 6th, Yonhap News reported that new slang words that never existed before are constantly being created both online and in daily life, and provided in-depth coverage of the significance of Hangeul Day and the corresponding cultural phenomena ahead of the holiday. Notably, this year marks exactly 100 years since the first Hangeul Day commemorative event was held.

Scenes from the "2024 Hangeul Week" events held in commemoration of the 578th Hangeul Day at Gwanghwamun Square and the National Hangeul Museum. Photo by Jo Yongjun.

This year is also the 580th anniversary of the proclamation of Hunminjeongeum and the 150th anniversary of the birth of Ju Sigyeong, a linguist who was at the forefront of popularizing Hangeul. A century ago, Korean linguists created "Gagyanal" to protect our writing system. Now, a hundred years later, Hangeul and the Korean language are transforming at an unprecedented speed, constantly spawning new expressions.

From Abbreviations to Yaminkeum and Loanword Blends: Methods of Creating Neologisms Diversify

Recently, there has been a constant emergence of new words in both online spaces and everyday life that never existed before. The most common form involves shortening long phrases into concise expressions, such as "Neujo," and in the past, examples like "Gapbunsa" (an abrupt change in atmosphere) and "Eoljuka" (Iced Americano even in freezing weather) spread rapidly. Younger generations create phrases that convey meaning and nuance with minimal syllables in a short period of time.

There is also a method of twisting the shape of letters to be used as entirely new words, known as "Yaminkeum." This uses the similarity in shapes between Hangeul consonants and vowels, such as writing "Meongmeongi" as "Daengdaengi," "Myeongjak" as "Ddingjak," and "Gwangyeoksi" as "Pangyeoksi." Terms such as "Romgokupnup," which reverses the visual shape of "Pokpung Nunmul" to look similar, also once trended online.

A citizen walks past the statue of King Sejong engraved with Hangul at Gwanghwamun Square in Seoul. Photo by Jo Yongjun

It is also common to combine Korean with foreign words to create entirely new meanings. For example, "Noepicial," meaning a personal opinion with no supporting evidence, combines "Noe" (brain) and the English word "official." "Gassaeng," used to describe a diligent and exemplary daily life, merges "God" and "Insaeng" (life). There are also jargon terms like "Bamti" or "Neulkeukeu," which require background knowledge to understand. "Bamti" originated from an online game user’s nickname and is used to mean "ugly" or "not attractive," while "Neulkeukeu" reverses the idol group Cortis's song title "Yeongkeukeu" ("Young Creator Crew") and refers to someone not familiar with current trends.

Among younger generations, these terms are understood without extra explanation, while for older generations, their meaning is often difficult to deduce regardless of effort. The problem is that as the pace of new word creation accelerates, the language barrier between generations is getting higher.

Yoo Seongho, a professor of Korean Language and Literature at Hanyang University, analyzed that these days, it is increasingly difficult even to guess the meaning of neologisms compared to the past, interpreting this as an indication of generational separation among language users. In the past, even when new expressions emerged, one could infer their meanings from word composition, but recently, words created within particular online communities, games, or idol fandoms have rapidly spread, making it difficult to know the meaning without understanding the context.

Is It "Destruction of Hangeul"? ... Understanding the Distinction Between ‘Hangeul’ and the Korean Language

Criticism often follows the emergence of new slang, with claims such as "Hangeul is being destroyed" or "the dignity of Hangeul is being lowered." However, experts point out that it is necessary to distinguish between Hangeul and the Korean language. Hangeul is the writing system created for recording the Korean language, while the Korean language is the language we speak and use.

Every time new slang terms appear, criticism follows, saying that "Hangul is being destroyed" or "the dignity of Hangul is being diminished." However, experts point out the need to view Hangul and the Korean language separately. The Asia Business Daily DB

If "I love you" is written as "아이 러브 유" using Hangeul, it is Hangeul letters, but the language is English. Conversely, if "Saranghae" is written in Roman letters, the lettering is not Hangeul, but the language itself is Korean. Therefore, phenomena such as abbreviating words or creating new expressions by blending them with foreign languages, as in "Noepicial" or "Gassaeng," are, strictly speaking, changes in the Korean language rather than modifications of Hangeul itself. On the other hand, methods like "Daengdaengi" or "Ddingjak," which use visual alterations of letters, are examples of directly transforming the form of Hangeul.

In a 2017 newsletter from the National Hangeul Museum, the late Yeon Kyudong, a professor at the Korean Institute of Chinese Character Studies at Kyungsung University, also emphasized that one must not confuse language and script. While loving our language and loving our writing are closely linked, it is equally important to clearly differentiate and comprehend the Korean language and Hangeul.

100 Years Ago, It Was 'Gagyanal'... The Origins of Hangeul Day

Today, Hangeul Day is celebrated annually on October 9, but neither the date nor the name was originally the same. In 1926, the Korean Language Society organized a commemorative event for the 480th anniversary of the proclamation of Hunminjeongeum, marking King Sejong's creation of Hangeul. During the Japanese colonial period, linguists considered Hangeul a crucial tool for preserving national identity. The first commemorative ceremony was held on November 4, 1926, which was the 29th day of the 9th lunar month at the time. The Korean Language Society founded the date on the record from the Annals of King Sejong in 1446, which stated, "This month, Hunminjeongeum was completed."

At that time, it was not called "Hangeul Day" but "Gagyanal." "Gagya" derives from the way Hangeul was taught by reading the initial consonant "ㄱ" with vowels in order, as in "Ga, Gya, Geo, Gyeo...," and was one of the traditional terms for the Korean script. As the name "Hangeul" became more widely used, the name of the holiday naturally changed to "Hangeul Day." The date itself also underwent several changes.

Visitors who came to Sejong Story in Jongno-gu, Seoul, are viewing exhibits related to Hangul. Photo by Jinhyung Kang aymsdream@

Initially, the event was held based on the lunar calendar, which caused the date to change each year. From 1931 to 1933, October 29 was commemorated, according to the Julian calendar. Starting in 1934, the Gregorian calendar was introduced, and the date moved up one day to October 28. The adoption of the current October 9 date was prompted by the discovery of the Hunminjeongeum Haeryebon in Andong, North Gyeongsang Province, in 1940.

In the Haeryebon, the record "the beginning of the 9th month in the 11th year of Jeongtong" ("상한") refers to the period from the 1st to the 10th of each month. Based on this, the Korean Language Society established October 9, 1446 (lunar calendar), which translates to October 9 in the solar calendar, as the day of Hunminjeongeum's proclamation. After Korea's liberation, Hangeul Day was officially set as October 9. The government designated Hangeul Day as a public holiday in 1949 but removed it in 1990 due to the large number of public holidays. Subsequently, requests from Hangeul-related organizations and citizens continued, and in 2005, Hangeul Day was designated as one of the five major national holidays. It regained its status as a public holiday in 2012.

Interior view of the National Hangeul Museum in Yongsan-gu, Seoul. Photo by Jinhyung Kang.

In this context, this year holds several layers of historical significance for Hangeul. It marks the centennial of the first Hangeul Day celebration, the 580th anniversary of Hunminjeongeum's proclamation, and Ju Sigyeong's 150th birthday. Ju Sigyeong left a substantial mark on the study of the Korean language and Hangeul, having participated in publishing the first Korean-language newspaper, the Independent, and drafting the original manuscript for the first Korean dictionary, "Malmoi."

This year also marks the 100th anniversary of Hunmaengjeongeum, the Korean Braille system for the visually impaired. Created by Songam Park Duseong, who organized the Joseon Braille Research Society, Hunmaengjeongeum was released to the world on November 4, 1926. Coincidentally, this was also the date of the first Gagyanal ceremony. By combining six dots to represent the Korean language, Hunmaengjeongeum enabled the visually impaired to use a Korean-based Braille system instead of Japanese Braille, and it is therefore recognized as another valuable cultural heritage of script.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.