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{{Short description|Writing using Hangul and Hanja}}
{{More citations needed|date=November 2008}}
{{Infobox writing system
| name        = Korean mixed script
| languages   = [[Korean language]]
| type        = Alternative
| typedesc    = – uses both [[logograph]]ic ([[Hanja]]) and [[alphabet]]ic ([[Hangul]]) characters
| time        = 1443 CE – present
| sample      = 
| iso15924    = Kore
| direction   = Up-to-down, right-to-left (historical)<br />Left-to-right (modern)
}}
{{Infobox Korean name
| hangul         = 국한문혼용체
| hanja          = 國漢文混用體
| rr             = gukhanmun honyongche
| mr             = kukhanmun honyongch’e
| othername1     = {{nobold|National Sinic mixed script}}
| hangul1         = 한자혼용체
| hanja1          = 漢字混用體
| rr1            = Hanja honyongche
| mr1            = Hancha honyongch’e
}}
{{Korean writing}}

'''Korean mixed script''' ({{Korean|hangul=국한문혼용체|hanja=國漢文混用體}}) is a form of writing the [[Korean language]] that uses a mixture of the Korean alphabet or [[hangul]] ({{Script|Hang|한글}}) and [[hanja]] ({{Script|Hani|漢字}}, {{Script|Hang|한자}}), the Korean name for [[Chinese characters]]. The distribution on how to write words usually follows that all native Korean words, including suffixes, particles, and honorific markers are generally written in ''hangul'' and never in ''hanja''. [[Sino-Korean vocabulary]] or ''hanja-eo'' ({{Korean|hangul=한자어|hanja=漢字語|labels=no}}), either words borrowed from Chinese or created from Sino-Korean roots, were generally always written in ''hanja,'' although very rare or complex characters were often substituted with ''hangul''. Although the Korean alphabet was introduced and taught to people beginning in 1446, most literature until the early twentieth century was written in [[literary Chinese]] known as ''hanmun'' ({{Korean|hangul=한문|hanja=漢文|labels=no}}).

Although examples of mixed-script writing are as old as ''hangul'' itself, the mixing of ''hangul'' and ''hanja'' together in sentences became the official writing system of the Korean language at the end of the nineteenth century, when reforms ended the primacy of literary Chinese in literature, science, and government. This style of writing, in competition with ''hangul''-only writing, continued as the formal written version of Korean for most of the twentieth century. The script slowly gave way to ''hangul''-only usage in North Korea by 1949,<ref>{{cite news|title=한자페지|url=http://www.uriminzokkiri.com/index.php?ptype=ckodic&skey=%ED%95%9C%EC%9E%90%ED%8E%98#link_238424|work=조선말대사전|publisher=[[Uriminzokkiri|우리 민족끼리]]|language=ko|access-date=2021-10-09|archive-date=2022-03-14|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220314060318/http://www.uriminzokkiri.com/index.php?ptype=ckodic&skey=%ED%95%9C%EC%9E%90%ED%8E%98#link_238424}}</ref> while it continues in South Korea to a limited extent. However, with the decrease in ''hanja'' education, the number of ''hanja'' in use has slowly dwindled, and in the twenty-first century, very few ''hanja'' are used at all.<ref>Song, J. (2015). "Language Policies in North and South Korea" in ''The Handbook of Korean Linguistics''. Brown, L. & Yuen, J. (eds.) (pp. 477–492). Chichester, UK: John Wiley & Sons.</ref> In [[Yanbian Korean Autonomous Prefecture]] in China, local newspaper ''Northeast Korean People's Daily'' published the "workers and peasants version" which used all-hangul in text, in addition to the existing "cadre version" that had mixed script, for the convenience of {{Clarify span|text=grassroots Korean people|date=March 2024}}. Starting on April 20, 1952, the newspaper abolished the "cadre version" and published in hangul only. Soon, the entire publishing industry adopted the hangul-only style.<ref>{{cite news |title=我国朝鲜语言文字发展的缘由 |url=http://www.ybzx.gov.cn/wenshitiandi/2019-07-30/3662.html |publisher=中国人民政治协商会议延边朝鲜族自治州委员会 |date=2019-07-30}}</ref>

==History and development==
The development of {{lang|ko-Latn|hanja-honyong}} required two major developments in orthographic traditions of the Korean Peninsula. The first was the adoption of {{lang|ko-Latn|[[hanja]]}}, around the beginning of the [[Three Kingdoms of Korea|Three Kingdom]] period of Korea. The second was the introduction of {{lang|ko-Latn|[[hangul]]}} in 1446.

===Promulgation of {{lang|ko-Latn|Hunminjeongeum}}===
====Introduction====
{{See also|Hangul}}
[[File:Korean old.jpg|thumb|right|Example of {{lang|ko-Latn|hangul}} written in the traditional vertical manner.  On the left are the original text in {{lang|ko-Latn|Hunminjeongeum Haerye}} and on the right are modern orthography.]]

Despite the advent of vernacular writing in Korean using {{lang|ko-Latn|hanja}}, these publications remained the dominion of the literate class, comprising royalty and nobility, Buddhist monks, Confucian scholars, civil servants and members of the upper classes as the ability to read these texts required proficient ability to understand the meaning of the Chinese characters, with both their adopted [[Sino-Korean vocabulary|Sino-Korean]] pronunciation and their native gloss.  To rectify this, King [[Sejong the Great]] ({{Korean |hangul=조선 세종대왕 |hanja=朝鮮 世宗大王 |labels=no }}) summoned a team of scholars to devise a new script for the Korean language, leading to the 1446 promulgation of the {{lang|ko-Latn|[[Hunminjeongeum]]}} ({{Korean |hangul=훈민정음 |hanja=訓民正音 |labels=no }}, 'correct pronunciation for teaching the people') which is later critiqued in {{lang|ko-Latn|[[Hunminjeongeum Haerye]]}}. The problems surrounding literacy in [[Literary Chinese]] to the common populace was summarized in the Sejong's preface, written in Literary Chinese:
[[File:Hunminjeongum.jpg|thumb|right|The opening page of {{lang|ko-Latn|[[Hunminjeongeum Haerye]]bon}} written in Literary Chinese, reading from top to bottom and right to left. The second to fifth columns are transcribed in this article. The final column depicts the letter {{lang|ko|[[ㄱ]]}}, and that its sound is the initial of the Sino-Korean pronunciation of {{lang|lzh|君}} ({{Korean|hangul=군|rr=gun|mr=kun}}).]]
<blockquote>
{{lang|lzh|國之語音。異乎中國。與文字不相流通。故愚民。有所欲言而終不得伸其情者。多矣。予。爲此憫然。新制二十八字。欲使人人易習。便於日用矣。}}{{efn|In this last line, some digital transcriptions including the one by the [[Academy of Korean Studies]] replaces {{lang|lzh|矣}} with {{lang|lzh|耳}}.<ref>{{Cite web |script-title=ko:한국고전원문자료관 |title=hanguggojeon-wonmunjalyogwan |trans-title=Korean Classical Literature Archives |url=https://kostma.aks.ac.kr/classic/gojunTextView.aspx?dataUCI=G002+CLA+KSM-WO.1446.0000-00000000.0002 |access-date=3 November 2024 |website=kostma.aks.ac.kr}}</ref>}}
<br/>
[Because] the spoken language of this country is different from that of China, it does not flow well with [Chinese] characters. Therefore, even if the ignorant want to communicate, many of them in the end cannot state their concerns. Saddened by this, I have [had] 28 letters newly made. It is my wish that all the people may easily learn these letters and that [they] be convenient for daily use. 
</blockquote>

====Spread====
[[File:Songganggasa15-2.jpg|thumb|''Songangasa'', a collection of poems in mixed script by Jeong Cheol, printed in 1768]]
[[File:2007 11 25 WarMemorial 120.JPG|thumb|left|Preamble of the first version of the [[Constitution of South Korea]] written in mixed script]]

The new script rapidly spread to all parts of society, including the segments of the population formerly denied access to education such as farmers, fishermen, women of the lower classes, rural merchants and young children. It was known as vernacular script, ({{Korean |hangul=언문 |hanja=諺文 |rr=eonmun }}, and {{Korean |hangul=언문청 |hanja=諺文廳 |rr=eonmuncheong |labels=no }}), or national script ({{Korean |hangul=국문 |hanja=國文 |rr=gukmun |labels=no }}), by the state.<ref name="HangulNames">{{Cite web |url=https://encykorea.aks.ac.kr/Article/E0061508#section-9 |script-title=ko:한글 |title=Hangeul |trans-title=Korean |language=Korean |work=[[Encyclopedia of Korean Culture]] |access-date=5 November 2024}}</ref> Several attempts to ban or over-turn the use of {{lang|ko-Latn|hangul}} were initiated but failed to halt its spread, the most notable being during the 10th year of the tyrannical reign of [[Yeonsangun of Joseon|prince Yeonsan]], where he banned the use, learning, and teaching of Hangul on 19 July 1504 after the public mocked and insulted him in posters; the total ban ended five months later in December of the same year, when he ordered the translation of ''calendar-books'' ({{Korean |hangul=역서 |hanja=曆書 |rr=yeokseo |labels=no }}) into Hangul.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://digitalchosun.dizzo.com/site/data/html_dir/2019/10/01/2019100180090.html |script-title=ko:'연산군'은 왜 한글 사용을 금지했을까? |title='Yeonsangun'eun wae Hangeul sayong-eul geumjihaess-eulkka? |trans-title=Why did the 'Yeonsangun' ban the use of Hangul? |language=Korean |work=Digital Chosun Ilbo |access-date=5 November 2024 }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.hangeul.go.kr/webzine/201809/sub1_2.html |script-title=ko:한글수난의 역사, 연산군의 언문 탄압, 한글나누기2 |title=Hangeulsunan-ui yeogsa, Yeonsangun-ui eonmun tan-ab, Hangeulnanugi2 |trans-title=History of Hangul Suffering: King Yeonsangun's Suppression of the Vernacular, and the Division of Hangul 2 |language=Korean |work=Hanbaksseumo |issue=62 |publisher=[[National Hangeul Museum]] |date=September 2018 |access-date=5 November 2024  }}</ref> These attempts were initiated by several rulers, who discovered disparaging remarks about their reigns, and the upper classes, whose grip on power and influence was predicated upon their ability to read, write and interpret classical Chinese texts and commentaries thereof. Some scholarly elite mocked the sole use of {{Lang|ko-Latn|hangul}} pseudo-deferentially as {{Lang|ko-Latn|jinseo}} ({{Korean|hangul=진서|hanja=真書|labels=no}}), 'real script'.  Other insults such as 'women's script',<ref name="HangulNames" /> 'children's script' and 'farmer's hand' are known anecdotally but are not found in the literature.<ref name="TayTay">Taylor, I. & Taylor, M. M. (1994). pp. 180–182.</ref>

Despite the fears from the upper classes and scholarly elite, the introduction of the early {{lang|ko-Latn|hangul}} actually increased proficiency in literary Chinese.  New-style {{lang|ko-Latn|hanja}} dictionaries appeared, arranging words according to their alphabetic order when spelled out in {{lang|ko-Latn|hangul}}, and showing compound words containing the {{lang|ko-Latn|hanja}} as well as its Sino-Korean and its native, sometimes archaic, pronunciation — a system still in use for many contemporary Korean-language {{lang|ko-Latn|hanja}} dictionaries.  The syllable blocks could be written easily between meaningful units of Chinese characters, as annotations, but also began to replace the complex notation of the early {{lang|ko-Latn|[[gugyeol]]}} and {{lang|ko-Latn|[[idu script|idu]]}}, including {{lang|ko-Latn|hyangchal}}, although {{lang|ko-Latn|gugyeol}} and {{lang|ko-Latn|idu}} were not officially abolished until the end of the 19th century in part because literary Chinese was still the official written language of the royal court, nobility, governance and diplomacy until its usage was finally abolished in the early twentieth century and its local production mostly ceased by mid-century.<ref name="TayTay"/>

The real spread of {{lang|ko-Latn|hangul}} to all elements of Korean society was the late eighteenth century beginning of two literary trends.  The ancient {{lang|ko-Latn|sijo}} ({{Korean|hangul=시조|hanja=時調|labels=no}}), 'seasonal tune', poetry.  Although {{lang|ko-Latn|[[sijo]]}}, heavily influenced by Chinese [[Tang dynasty]] poetry, was long written in Chinese, authors began writing poems in Korean written solely with ''hangul,'' previously only possible with {{lang|ko-Latn|[[gugyeol]]}} and {{lang|ko-Latn|[[idu script|idu]]}}.  At the same time, {{lang|ko-Latn|[[gasa (poetry)|gasa]]}} ({{Korean|hangul=가사|hanja=歌詞|labels=no}}), 'song lyric', poetry was similarly spread.  Korean women of the upper classes created {{lang|ko-Latn|gasa}} by translating or finding inspiration in the old poems, written in literary Chinese, and translating them into Korean, but as the name suggests, were popularly sung.<ref>Kim, K. (1996). pp. 76–81.</ref>  Although Catholic and Protestant missionaries initially attempted to evangelise the Korean Peninsula starting with the nobility using Chinese translations and works, in the early nineteenth century, Bishop [[Siméon-François Berneux]], or {{lang|ko-Latn|Jang Gyeong-il}} ({{Korean|hangul=장경일|hanja=張敬一|labels=no}}) mandated that all publications be written only in {{lang|ko-Latn|hangul}} and all students in the missionary schools were required to use it.  Protestant and other Catholic missionaries followed suit, facilitating the spread of [[Christianity in Korea]], but also created a large corpus of Korean-language material written in {{lang|ko-Latn|hangul}} only.<ref>{{cite journal |last=Cho |first=K. |date=1984 |title=The Meaning of Catholicism in Korean History |journal=Korean Journal |volume=24 |issue=8 |pages=20–21 }}</ref>

The script is now the primary and most commonplace method to write the Korean language, and is known as {{lang|ko-Latn|hangul}} ({{lang|ko|한글}}) in South Korea, from {{lang|ko-Latn|han}} ({{Korean|hangul=한|hanja=韓|labels=no}}), as in 'Korea', and {{lang|ko-Latn|gul}} ({{lang|ko|글}}), 'script'.  In North Korea, the script is known as {{lang|ko-Latn|joseongul}} ({{Korean|hangul=조선글|hanja=朝鮮글|labels=no}}). The promulgation of the indigenous script is celebrated as a national holiday on 9 October in the south and 15 January in the north, respectively.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Lee |first1=I |author2=S. R. Ramsey |date=2003 |title=The Korean Language |pages=39–34 |location=[[Albany, New York]] |publisher=[[SUNY Press]] }}</ref><ref name="TayTay" />

===Mixed script or {{lang|ko-Latn|Hanja-honyong}}===
[[File:대한제국_애국가.svg|left|thumb|The lyrics to the [[National anthem of the Korean Empire]] in Korean mixed script.  The smaller {{lang|ko-Latn|hangul}} after each {{lang|ko-Latn|hanja}} group would normally be unwritten, but are presented to indicate the pronunciation of the Sino-Korean elements.]]

The practice of mixing {{lang|ko-Latn|hangul}} into {{lang|ko-Latn|hanja}} began as early as the introduction of {{lang|ko-Latn|hangul}}.  Even King Sejong's promulgation proclamation was written in literary Chinese and {{lang|ko-Latn|idu}} passages to explain the alphabet and mixed passages that help 'ease' the reader into the use of the alphabet.  The first novel written in {{lang|ko-Latn|hangul}}, {{lang|ko-Latn|Yongbieocheonga}} ({{Korean|hangul=용비어천가|hanja=龍飛御天歌|labels=no}}, ''Songs of the Dragons Flying to Heaven'') is actually mostly written in what would now be considered mixed-script writing.  Another major literary work touted as a masterpiece of {{lang|ko-Latn|hangul}}-based literature, the 1590 translation of ''The [[Analects]] of [[Confucius]]'' ({{Korean|hangul=논어|hanja=論語|labels=no}}) by [[Yi I|Yi Yulgok]] ({{Korean|hangul=이율곡|hanja=李栗谷|labels=no}}) is also written entirely in {{lang|ko-Latn|hanja-honyong}}.

Many Koreans today attribute {{lang|ko-Latn|hanja-honyong}} to the [[Japanese occupation of Korea]]. This is in part due to the visual similarity of Chinese characters interspersed with alphabetic text of Japanese-language texts to Korean-language texts in mixed script, and the numerous assimilation and suppression schemes of the occupational government carried out against the Korean people, language and culture.  In fact, {{lang|ko-Latn|hanja-honyong}} was commonplace amongst the royalty, {{lang|ko-Latn|[[yangban]]}} ({{Korean|hangul=양반|hanja=兩班|labels=no}}) and {{lang|ko-Latn|jung-in}} classes for personal records and informal letters shortly after the introduction of the alphabet, and replaced the routine use of {{lang|ko-Latn|idu}} by the {{lang|ko-Latn|jung-in}}.  The heyday of {{lang|ko-Latn|hanja-honyong}} arrived with the [[Gabo reform|Gap-o reforms]] ({{Korean|hangul=갑오|hanja=甲午|labels=no}}) passed in 1894–1896 after the [[Donghak Peasant Rebellion]] ({{Korean|hangul=동학농민혁명|hanja=東學農民革命|labels=no}}). The reforms ended the client status of Korea to the [[Qing dynasty]] emperors, elevating King Gojong to Emperor Gwangmu ({{Korean|hangul=고종 광무제|hanja=高宗 光武帝|labels=no}}), ended the supremacy of literary Chinese and {{lang|ko-Latn|idu}} script, ended the {{lang|ko-Latn|gwageo}} imperial examinations.  In place of literary Chinese, the Korean language written in the 'national letters' ({{Korean|hangul=국문|hanja=國文|labels=no}})—now understood as an alternate name for {{lang|ko-Latn|hangul}} but at the time referred to {{lang|ko-Latn|hanja-honyong}}—was now the language of governance.<ref>{{cite book |last=Kim |first=K. |date=1996 |title=An Introduction to Classical Korean Literature: From Hyangga to P'ansori |page=211–217 |location=[[New York City]] |publisher=M. E. Sharpe }}</ref>

[[File:Yu Kil-chun.jpg|thumb|right|[[Yu Kil-chun|Yu Giljun]] ({{Korean|hangul=유길준|hanja=兪吉濬|labels=no}}), author of the {{lang|ko-Latn|hanja-honyong}} publication {{lang|ko-Latn|Seoyu Gyeonmun}} ({{Korean|hangul=서유견문|hanja=西遊見聞|labels=no}}) or ''Observations on Travels to the West'']]
Due to over a thousand years of literary Chinese supremacy, the early {{lang|ko-Latn|hanja-honyong}} texts were written in a stiff, prosaic style, with a preponderance of Sino-Korean terms barely removed from {{lang|ko-Latn|gugyeol}}, but the written language was quickly adapted into the current format with a more natural style, using {{lang|ko-Latn|hanja}} only where a Sino-Korean loan word was read in Sino-Korean pronunciation and {{lang|ko-Latn|hangul}} for native words and grammatical particles. One of the most important publications at the end of the Joseon period was the weekly newspaper, {{lang|ko-Latn|Hanseong Jugang}} ({{Korean |hangul=한성주간 |hanja=漢城週刊 |labels=no }}), one of the first written in the more natural style several years before the {{lang|ko-Latn|Gap-o}} reforms.  The popular newspaper was originally started as a {{lang|ko-Latn|hanja}}-only publication that lasted only a few weeks before they switched formats.  During the reforms, [[Yu Kil-chun|Yu Giljun]] ({{Korean |hangul=유길준 |hanja=兪吉濬 |labels=no}}) published his travel diaries, {{lang|ko-Latn|Seoyu Gyeonmun}} ({{Korean|hangul=서유견문|hanja=西遊見聞|labels=no}}) or ''Observations on Travels to the West'' was a best-seller at this time.  The success of {{lang|ko-Latn|Hanseong Jugang}} and {{lang|ko-Latn|Seoyu Gyeonmun}} urged the literati to switch to vernacular Korean in {{lang|ko-Latn|hanja-honyong}}.<ref>Taylor, I. & Taylor, M. M. (1994). pp. 268–270.</ref>

===Decline of mixed script===
{{See also|Korean language and computers|Keyboard layout}}
Mixed script was a commonly used means of writing, although {{lang|ko-Latn|hangul}} exclusive writing has been used concurrently, in Korea after the decline of literary Chinese, known as {{lang|ko-Latn|hanmun}} ({{Korean|hangul=한문|hanja=漢文|labels=no}}). Mixed script could be commonly found in non-fiction writing, newspapers, etc. until the enacting of President [[Park Chung-hee]]'s 5 Year Plan for Hangul Exclusivity<ref>{{Cite web |author=Jeong Dong-hwan (정동환) |script-title=ko:문자 생활과 한글 |title=Munja saenghwalgwa hangeul |trans-title=Text life and Hangul |url=https://www.korean.go.kr/nkview/nklife/1996_2/1996_0205.pdf |publisher=Department of Creative Writing, [[Hyupsung University]] }}</ref> ({{Korean |hangul=한글전용 5개년 계획안 |hanja=한글專用 5個年 計劃案 |rr=Hangeul Jeonyong Ogaenyeon Gyehoegan |labels=n o}}) in 1968 banned the use and teaching of {{lang|ko-Latn|hanja}} in public schools, as well as forbade its use in the military, with the goal of eliminating {{lang|ko-Latn|hanja}} in writing by 1972 through legislative and executive means. However, due to public backlash in 1972, Park's government allowed for the teaching of Hanja in special classes but maintained a ban on {{lang|ko-Latn|hanja}} use in textbooks and other learning materials outside of the classes. This reverse step however, was optional so the availability of {{lang|ko-Latn|hanja}} education was dependent on the school one went to. 

Another reason for the decline is found in the [[Korean keyboard|Hangul typewriter and keyboard]]. The push for better Hangul typewriters mainly began in 1949, but as it was way before the {{lang|ko-Latn|hanja}} ban, government institutions did not prefer typewriters altogether as they could not write in {{lang|ko-Latn|hanja}} nor mixed script. Kong Byung Wo's notable {{lang|ko-Latn|Sebeolsik}} type first appeared in March 1949, jointly winning second place in the {{lang|ko-Latn|Joseon balmyong jangryohoe}}'s ({{lang|ko|조선발명장려회}}) Hangul type contest, and Kim Dong Hoon's typewriter winning joint 3rd. During the 1950s and 1960s, alongside the Korean government's support for typewriting, new Hangul typewriters were developed, distributed, and adopted. Hangul type with both horizontal writing and {{lang|ko-Latn|Moa-sugi}} ({{lang|ko|모아쓰기}}; the style of Hangul where Hangul consonants and vowels mix in together to form a full letter, which is the default style being used today) first appeared in the same period as government policy.<ref>{{cite |author=Kim Yu-jin (김유진) |script-title=ko:한글 타자기의 재질특성 및 보존방안 연구 |title=Hangeul tajagiui jaejilteugseong mich bojonbang-an yeongu |trans-title=A Study on the Material Characteristics and Preservation Methods of Korean Typewriters (masters thesis) |publisher=[[Korea National University of Cultural Heritage]] |date=2023 }}</ref> With further adoption, during the 1970s, even when {{lang|ko-Latn|hanja}} and mixed script were still used widely in society both as a writing system and as a style option, Koreans mostly gave up on mixed script at least in government documents and memorandums;<ref>{{cite web |url=https://theme.archives.go.kr/next/koreaOfRecord/typewriter.do |script-title=ko:기록으로 만나는 대한민국 > 생활 > 타자기 |title=Meeting the Republic of Korea through records > Life > Typewriter |trans-title=gilog-eulo mannaneun daehanmingug > saenghwal > tajagi }}</ref> The use of Hanja in type hindered the speed of writing and printing compared to only-Hangul usage, especially after the advent of the {{lang|ko-Latn|Sebeolsik}} layout ({{lang|ko|세벌식 자판}})

Park's Hanja ban was not formally lifted until 1992 under the government of [[Kim Young-sam]]. In 1999, the government of [[Kim Dae-jung]] actively promoted Hanja by placing it on signs on the road, at bus stops, and in subways. In 1999, Hanja was reintroduced as a school elective and in 2001 the Hanja Proficiency Test ({{Korean |hangul=한자능력검정시험 |hanja=漢字能力檢定試驗 |mr=Hanja nŭngryŏk gŏmjŏng sihŏm |labels=no }}) was introduced. In 2005, an older law, the Law Concerning Hangul Exclusivity ({{Korean |hangul=한글전용에 관한 법률 |hanja=한글專用에 關한 法律 |mr=hangŭl jŏnyonge gwahak pŏmnyul |labels=no }}) was repealed as well. In 2013, all elementary schools in Seoul started teaching Hanja. However, the result was that Koreans who were educated in this period, having never been formally educated in Hanja, were unable to use them and thus the use of Hanja plummeted in orthography until the modern day. Hanja is now very rarely used and is almost only used for abbreviations in newspaper headlines (e.g. {{lang|lzh|中}} for China, {{lang|lzh|韓}} for Korea, {{lang|lzh|美}} for the United States, {{lang|lzh|日}} for Japan, etc.), for clarification in text where a word might be confused for another due to homophones (e.g. {{lang|ko|이 사장(李 社長)}} vs. {{lang|ko|이사장(理事長)}}), or for stylistic use such as the {{lang|lzh|辛}} ({{Korean|hangul=신라면|hanja=辛拉麵|labels=no}}) used on [[Shin Ramyun|Shin Ramyŏn]] packaging.

==Structure==
In a typical ''hanja-honyong'' texts, traditionally all words that were of Sino-Korean origin, either composed from Chinese character compounds natively or loan words directly from Chinese, were written in ''hanja'' although particularly rare or complicated ''hanja'' were often disambiguated with the ''hangul'' pronunciation and perhaps a gloss of the meaning.  Native words, including Korean grammatical postpositions, were written in ''hangul.'' Due to the reforms at the close of the Joseon dynasty, native words were not supposed to be written in ''hanja'', as they were in the ''idu'' and ''hyangchal'' systems which were abolished at this time.

==Visual processing==
In Korean mixed-script writing, especially in formal and academic contexts, the majority of [[semantic]] or 'content' words are generally written in ''hanja'' whereas most [[syntax]] or 'function' is conveyed with grammatical endings, particles and honorifics written in ''hangul.''  Japanese, which continues to use a heavily Chinese character-laden orthography, is read in the same way.  The Chinese characters, have different angled strokes and oftentimes more strokes than a typical syllable block of ''hangul'' letters, and definitely more so than Japanese ''kana'', enabling readers of both respective languages to process content information very quickly.<ref name="TaylorInsup1980">Taylor, Insup (1980). '[https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/978-1-4684-1068-6_5 The Korean writing system: An alphabet? A syllabary? A logography?]' (p. 74-75). New York, NY: Plenum Press.</ref>

Korean readers, however, have a few more handicaps than Japanese readers.{{citation needed|date=February 2022}}  For instance, although academic, legal, scientific, history and literature have a higher proportion of Sino-Korean vocabulary, Korean has more indigenous vocabulary used for semantic information, so older Korean readers often scan the ''hanja'' first and then piece together by reading the ''hangul'' content words to piece the meaning.<ref name="TaylorInsup1980"/>  Japanese avoids this problem by writing most content words with their Sino-Japanese equivalent of ''kanji'', whereas reading Sino-Korean vocabulary according to their native Korean pronunciation or translation was banned in previous reforms, so ''only'' a Sino-Korean word can be written in ''hanja''.{{citation needed|date=February 2022}}  The handicaps are avoided by the adoption of spaces inserted between phrases in modern Korean, limiting phrases, generally, to a content word and grammatical particle(s), allowing readers to spot the native Korean content words faster.{{citation needed|date=February 2022}}

In reading texts, Koreans are faster at reading out passages written in ''hangul'' than in mixed script.{{citation needed|date=February 2022}}  However, although 'reading' is faster, understanding the texts is facilitated with the use of ''hanja'' in higher order language to the large number of homophones in the language, such as the continued role of '''hanja'' disambiguation' even in ''hangul''-only texts.  For instance, ''daehan'' (대한), usually understood in the context of the 'Great Han' (大韓, 대한) or 'Great Korean people,' can also indicate (大寒,대한) 'big winter,' the coldest part at the end of January and beginning of February, (大旱, 대한) 'severe drought,' (大漢, 대한) 'Great Chinese people,' (大恨, 대한) 'deep resentment,' (對韓, 대한) 'anti-Korean,' (對漢, 대한), 'anti-Chinese,' or (對한) 'about or 'toward.'<ref>대한. Naver Hanja Dictionary (in Korean). Retrieved 2018-02-19.L.</ref>  Readers of technical and academic texts often have to clarify terms for the listener to avoid ambiguity, and most ''hanja'' are only used when necessary to clear confusion.  As can be seen in the example below, the ''hanja'' in an otherwise mostly native vocabulary song stand out from the ''hangul'' text, thus appearing almost like bolded and enlarged text.  This was further amplified in older texts, when ''hangul'' blocks were sometimes written smaller than the surrounding ''hanja.''<ref name="TaylorInsup1980"/>

{| class="wikitable"
! colspan="10" style="text-align: center;" | First and Third Refrain from Seoul version of the Korean epic song ''[[Arirang]]'' (아리랑)
|-
! rowspan="4" | First Refrain
! Mixed script
| <small>나를</small>
| <small>버리고</small>
| <small>가시는</small>
| <small>임은</small>
| <big>'''十里'''</big><small>도</small>
| <small>못가서</small>
| <small>발</small><big>'''病'''</big><small>난다</small>
| rowspan="3" | 
|-
! Hangul only
| 나를
| 버리고
| 가시는
| 임은
| 십리도
| 못가서
| 발병난다
|-
! English
| 'I-[object]'
| 'to abandon-[serial sentence connector]'
| 'to go'-[topic]
| 'you-[topic]'
| 'ten li (distance)-[additive]'
| 'to be able to go-[primary conjunctive]'
| 'to have sore feet-[conjunctive/gerund]'
|-
! Translation
| colspan="8" | My love, you are leaving me. Your feet will be <big>'''SORE'''</big> before you go <big>'''TEN LI'''</big>.<br />'You are going to abandon me and will not be able to go ten li [before] having sore feet.'<br />
|-
! rowspan="4" | Third Refrain
! Mixed script
| <small>저기</small>
| <small>저</small>
| <big>'''山'''</big><small>이</small>
| <big>'''白頭山'''</big><small>이라지</small>
| <big>'''冬至'''</big>
| <small>섣달에도</small>
| <small>꽃만</small>
| <small>핀다</small>
|-
! Hangul only
| 저기
| 저
| 산이
| 백두산이라지
| 동지
| 섣달에도
| 꽃만
| 핀다
|-
! English
| 'that-[nominal clause]'
| 'that'
| 'mountain-[nominative]'
| 'Baekdu Mountain-[plain declarative]-[nominative]-[casual declarative]'
| 'winter solstice'
| 'twelfth month-despite-[additive]'
| 'to bloom'
| 'to blossom'
|-
! Translation
| colspan="8" | There, over there, that <big>'''MOUNTAIN'''</big> is <big>'''BAEKDU MOUNTAIN'''</big>, where, even in the middle of <big>'''WINTER DAYS'''</big>, flowers bloom.<br />'That one, that is Baekdu Mountain, surely.  Despite the [middle of] winter [around the time of the] winter solstice, flowers bloom.' 
|}

==Hanja disambiguation==
Very few ''hanja'' are used in modern Korean writing, but are occasionally seen in academic and technical texts and formal publications, such as [[newspaper]]s, where the rare ''hanja'' is used as a shorthand in newspaper headlines, especially if the native Korean equivalent is a longer word, or more importantly, to disambiguate the meaning of a word. Sino-Korean words make up over 70% of the Korean language, although only a third of them are in common usage, but that proportion increases in formal and highbrow publications.  A native Korean syllable may have up to 1,300 possible combinations compared to the Sino-Korean inventory of 400.{{citation needed|date=February 2022}}  Although [[Middle Korean]] developed tones that may have facilitated differentiation of words, this development was lost in the transition to modern Korean, making many words homophones of each other. [[Cantonese]], whose pronunciation of the characters is similar to the Sino-Korean pronunciation due to its conservative phonology and the ancient age in which these words entered Korean, has several words pronounced {{IPA|/san/}}: {{zh|t=新|labels=no}} 'new', {{zh|t=身|labels=no}} 'body', {{zh|t=神|labels=no}} 'deity', {{zh|t=辛|labels=no}} 'difficult' or 'spicy', {{zh|t=蜃|labels=no}} 'large clam', {{zh|t=腎|labels=no}} 'kidney' and {{zh|t=呻|labels=no}} 'to lament.'  Although even in Cantonese {{zh|t=新|labels=no}}, {{zh|t=身|labels=no}} and {{zh|t=辛|labels=no}} are true homophones with the pronunciation of {{IPA|/sân/}} with the high tone, each of the other examples is pronounced with a unique tone that distiniguish them from the first three and each other: {{zh|t=蜃|labels=no}} {{IPA|/sa̜n/}}, {{zh|t=腎|labels=no}} {{IPA|/sàn/}} and {{zh|t=呻|labels=no}} {{IPA|/sān/}}.  In Korean, the ''hanja-eo'' reading of all these characters is {{IPA|/sin/}} and in ''hangul'' spelling all share {{lang|ko|신}} and no tone to distinguish them.<ref>Patrick Chun Kau Chu. (2008). Onset, Rhyme and Coda Corresponding Rules of the Sino-Korean Characters between Cantonese and Korean. Paper presented at the 5th Postgraduate Research Forum on Linguistics (PRFL), Hong Kong, China, March 15–16.</ref>

By the mid-1990s, when even the most conservative newspapers stopped publishing in ''hanja-honyong'', with most ceasing in the 1980s, and switched to a generally all-''hangul'' format, the use of characters to clarify the meaning of a word, '''hanja'' disambiguation', is still common, in part due to complaints from older subscribers that were educated in the mixed script and were used to using ''hanja'' glosses.<ref name="goggy">Taylor, I. (1997). 'Psycholinguistic Reasons for Keeping Chinese Characters in Japanese and Korean' in ''Cognitive Processing of Chinese and Related Asian Languages.'' Chen, H. (ed.) (pp. 299–323). Hong Kong, China: University of Hong Kong Press.</ref><ref name="dumb">Taylor, I. & Taylor, M. M. (2014). p. 177.</ref> From this 2018 article from the conservative newspaper ''[[The Chosun Ilbo]]'', two phrases are disambiguated with ''hanja'':<ref>Choe, U. S. (2018 June [for July]). '[http://monthly.chosun.com/client/news/viw.asp?ctcd=F&nNewsNumb=201807100037 세계 최고 무패 우승팀은 영국 프리미어리그 2003~04시즌을 통째로 집어삼킨 벵거의 아스널]. ''朝鮮日報''. (in Korean)</ref> 
* {{lang|ko|정점은 2003~04시즌 '''무패'''('''無敗''') 리그 우승이라는 위업을 이룬 것이었다<br />아직도 당시의 무패 우승은 '''회자'''('''膾炙''')되고 있다}} (''hangul'' with ''hanja'' disambiguation)
* {{lang|ko|頂點은 2003~04시즌 '''無敗'''('''무패''') 리그 優勝이라는 偉業을 이룬 것이었다<br />아직도 當時의 無敗 優勝은 '''膾炙'''('''회자''')되고 있다}} (''hanja'' with ''hangul'' disambiguation)
* "The pinnacle years of the 2003–2004 season was a championship victory for the undefeated league.  The undefeated championship of that period is still 'roast meat' (praised)."

Although in many instances, context can help discern the meaning, and many of the possible variants are obscure or rare characters that would be encountered only in either classical literature or literary Chinese thus limiting choices.  In more relaxed publications, where ''hanja'' disambiguation is less common, Sino-Korean terms are avoided as much as possible, although this may appear as "dumbed down" material to some readers.<ref name="dumb"/>  Context can often facilitate the meaning of many terms.  Many Sino-Korean terms that are rare and only encountered in ancient texts in literary Chinese are almost unknown and would not even be part of the ''hanja'' taught in education, limiting the number of likely choices.<ref name="goggy"/>

{| class="wikitable"
! colspan="6" | Sino-Korean (漢字語, 한자어, ''hanja-eo'') homophones
|-
!신지<br />''sinji''
!종고<br />''jonggo''
!선공<br />''seon-gong''
!가기<br />''gagi''
!국<br />''guk''
!광<br />''gwang''
|-
|信地
*patrol zone
|仙種(?)
*types of ghost
|先攻
*first strike
|佳期
*good season
*nuptial consummation
|局
*bureau
*administration
|光
*light (as in illumination)
|-
|宸旨
*minister
|宗高
*noble ancestry
|扇工
*[[hand fan]] laborer
|可期
*expectation
*to pledge
|國
*country
*nation
*region
|廣
*breadth
|-
|信之
*truthfulness
|終古
*ancient times
|船工
*shipmate
|佳氣
*noble aura
|菊
*[[chrysanthemum]]
|鑛
*mine (as in an excavation where ores and minerals are found)
|-
|愼之
*caution
*fearfulness
|從姑
*paternal cousin
|善恐
*throat disease
|家妓
*housemaid
|鞠
*to bend
*to curve
*to bow
*leather ball
|狂
*madness
|-
|臣指
*official
*court minister
|從古
*previous times
|善功
*virtuous success
|家忌
*[[death anniversary]]
|鵴
*[[cuckoo]]
|匡
*rectify
|-
|新地
*reclaimed land
|鐘鼓
*bell and drum
|rowspan="4" | 
|哥器
*[[Ge ware]]
|椈
*[[cypress]]
|壙
*tomb
|-
|新枝
*spring growth
*new branches
|rowspan="3" | 
|稼器
*farm implements
|麯
*malt
|胱
*bladder
|-
|新知
*new knowledge
|rowspan="2" | 
|攫
*grasp
|筐
*basket made of bamboo
|-
|神地
*tutelary deity
|}

==Examples==
{| class="wikitable"
! colspan="4" | Korean in hanja-honyong and hangul<ref>Hanja. Wisinet Korean. Retrieved 17 Nov 2019.</ref>
|-
! Hanja-honyong (top), Hangul (middle) and Romaja (last)
! English
|-
| {{fs interlinear|lang=ko|italics2=no
  |失業者가 繼續 늘어나서 政府는 對策을 磨鍊하고 있다.
  |'''실업자'''가 '''계속''' 늘어나서 '''정부'''는 '''대책'''을 '''마련'''하고 있다.
  |'''Sireopja'''ga '''gyesok''' neureonaseo '''jeongbu'''neun '''daechaeg'''eul '''maryeon'''hago itda.|}}
| As the number of unemployed continues to rise, the government is planning improvements.
|-
| {{fs interlinear|lang=ko|italics2=no
  |大韓民國 農業이 더 發展할 수 있도록 도와주는 硏究 結果가 公開되었다.
  |'''대한민국''' '''농업'''이 더 '''발전'''할 수 있도록 도와주는 '''연구''' '''결과'''가 '''공개'''되었다.
  |{'''Daehan Minguk'''} '''nong-eob'''i deo '''baljeon'''hal su itdorok dowajuneun '''yeongu''' '''gyeolgwa'''ga '''gonggae'''doe-eotda.|}}
| The research results that may improve Korean agriculture are now public.
|-
| {{fs interlinear|lang=ko|italics2=no
  |朝鮮日報는 1920年에 創刊되었다. 100年이 다 되어 간다.
  |'''조선일보'''는 1920'''년'''에 '''창간'''되었다. 100'''년'''이 다 되어 간다.
  |{'''Joseon Ilbo'''neun} 1920(cheongubaegisim)'''nyeon'''e '''changgan'''doe-eotda  100(baeng)'''nyeon'''i da doe-eo ganda.|}}
| Chosun Ilbo was first published in 1920. Almost 100 years have been passed since then.
|-
| {{fs interlinear|lang=ko|italics2=no
  |休暇 中 心肺 蘇生術로 사람을 살린 兵士가 話題가 되고 있다.
  |'''휴가''' '''중''' '''심폐''' '''소생술'''로 사람을 살린 '''병사'''가 '''화제'''가 되고 있다.
  |'''Hyuga''' '''jung''' '''simpye''' '''sosaengsul'''lo sarameul sallin '''byeongsa'''ga '''hwaje'''ga doego itda.|}}
| The soldier who revived an elderly person with CPR while on vacation became a headline.
|-
| {{fs interlinear|lang=ko|italics2=no
  |인터넷 豫買가 電話 豫買보다 便하더라.
  |인터넷 '''예매'''가 '''전화''' '''예매'''보다 '''편'''하더라.
  |Inteonet '''yemae'''ga '''jeonhwa''' '''yemae'''boda '''pyeon'''hadeora.|}}
| Internet reservations are more convenient than telephone reservations.
|-
| {{fs interlinear|lang=ko|italics2=no|glossing=no abbr
  |어제 日出은 5:10, 日沒은 19:53이었다.
  |어제 '''일출'''은 5:10, '''일몰'''은 19:53이었다.
  |Eoje '''ilchur'''eun {5:10(daseot-si sip-bun)}, '''ilmor'''eun, {19:53(ilgop-si osipsam-bun)}i-eotda.|}}
| Yesterday, sunrise was at 5:10 and sunset was at 19:53.
|}
The text below is the preamble to the [[constitution of the Republic of Korea]]. The first text is written in Hangul; the second is its mixed script version; and the third is its unofficial English translation.

<blockquote style="max-width:38em" lang="ko-Hang">
유구한 역사와 전통에 빛나는 우리 대한 국민은 3⸱1 운동으로 건립된 대한민국 임시 정부의 법통과 불의에 항거한 4⸱19 민주 이념을 계승하고, 조국의 민주 개혁과 평화적 통일의 사명에 입각하여 정의⸱인도와 동포애로써 민족의 단결을 공고히 하고, 모든 사회적 폐습과 불의를 타파하며, 자율과 조화를 바탕으로 자유 민주적 기본 질서를 더욱 확고히 하여 정치⸱경제⸱사회⸱문화의 모든 영역에 있어서 각인의 기회를 균등히 하고, 능력을 최고도로 발휘하게 하며, 자유와 권리에 따르는 책임과 의무를 완수하게 하여, 안으로는 국민 생활의 균등한 향상을 기하고 밖으로는 항구적인 세계 평화와 인류 공영에 이바지함으로써 우리들과 우리들의 자손의 안전과 자유와 행복을 영원히 확보할 것을 다짐하면서 1948년 7월 12일에 제정되고 8차에 걸쳐 개정된 헌법을 이제 국회의 의결을 거쳐 국민 투표에 의하여 개정한다.<br/>

1987년 10월 29일
</blockquote>

<blockquote style="max-width:38em" lang="ko-Hang">
悠久한 歷史와 傳統에 빛나는 우리 大韓國民은 3⸱1 運動으로 建立된 大韓民國臨時政府의 法統과 不義에 抗拒한 4⸱19 民主理念을 繼承하고, 祖國의 民主改革과 平和的統一의 使命에 立脚하여 正義⸱人道와 同胞愛로써 民族의 團結을 鞏固히 하고, 모든 社會的弊習과 不義를 打破하며, 自律과 調和를 바탕으로 自由民主的基本秩序를 더욱 確固히 하여 政治⸱經濟⸱社會⸱文化의 모든 領域에 있어서 各人의 機會를 均等히 하고, 能力을 最高度로 發揮하게 하며, 自由와 權利에 따르는 責任과 義務를 完遂하게 하여, 안으로는 國民生活의 均等한 向上을 基하고 밖으로는 恒久的인 世界平和와 人類共榮에 이바지함으로써 우리들과 우리들의 子孫의 安全과 自由와 幸福을 永遠히 確保할 것을 다짐하면서 1948年 7月 12日에 制定되고 8次에 걸쳐 改正된 憲法을 이제 國會의 議決을 거쳐 國民投票에 依하여 改正한다.<br/>

1987年 10月 29日
</blockquote>

<blockquote style="max-width:38em">
We, the people of Korea, proud of a resplendent history and traditions dating from time immemorial, upholding the cause of the Provisional Government of the Republic of Korea born of the March First Independence Movement of 1919 and the democratic ideals of the April Revolution of 1960, having assumed the mission of democratic reform and peaceful unification of our homeland and having determined to consolidate national unity with justice, humanitarianism and brotherly love, and to destroy all social vices and injustice, and to afford equal opportunities to every person and provide for the fullest development of individual capabilities in all fields, including political, economic, social and cultural life by further strengthening the free and democratic basic order conducive to private initiative and public harmony, and to help each person discharge those duties and responsibilities concomitant to freedoms and rights, and to elevate the quality of life for all citizens and contribute to lasting world peace and the common prosperity of mankind and thereby to ensure security, liberty and happiness for ourselves and our posterity forever, do hereby amend, through national referendum following a resolution by the National Assembly, the Constitution, ordained and established on July 12, 1948, and amended eight times subsequently.

October 29, 1987
</blockquote>

<gallery caption="Gallery">
File:每日申報19260429 1 (cropped 2).jpg|A newspaper on 29 April 1926
File:1933年6月30日「東亜日報」.jpg|A newspaper on 30 June 1933
File:MaeilShimpo (August14-1945).jpg|A newspaper on 14 August 1945
File:8239th AU leaflet 2508.png|[[Operation Moolah]] propaganda leaflet by the US Army during the [[Korean War]] promising a $100,000 reward to the first North Korean pilot to deliver a Soviet MiG-15 to UN forces
File:DecIndep31.jpg|The [[Korean Declaration of Independence]] on display at [[Tapgol Park]], Seoul
</gallery>

==See also==
{{Portal|Language}}
* [[Hanja]] and [[Sino-Korean vocabulary]]
* [[Debate on the use of Korean mixed script|Debate on mixed script and Hangul exclusivity]]
* [[Kanji]] and [[Sino-Japanese vocabulary]]
* [[Chữ Hán]] and [[Sino-Vietnamese vocabulary]]
* [[New Korean Orthography]]
* [[Egyptian hieroglyphs]], another mixed [[Logogram|logographic]] and [[Phoneme|segmental]] writing system.

==Notes==
{{Notelist}}

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==Further reading==
* [[Fred Lukoff|Lukoff, Fred]] (1982). "Introduction." ''A First Reader in Korean Writing in Mixed Script''. Seoul: Yonsei University Press.

{{DEFAULTSORT:Korean Mixed Script}}
[[Category:Korean writing system]]