Han'gŭl

Korean is written in Han'gŭl, a simple yet sophisticated script invented in Korea in the mid-1400s. The Korean writing system is known as Han'gŭl (or Hangeul) in general but as Chosŏn'gŭl in North Korea. It is composed of phonetic symbols that accurately represent the distinctive sounds of Korean. Several systems have been developed to represent Korean in the Roman alphabet, which is used for English and other Western languages. These romanization systems enable English-speaking readers to approximate Korean pronunciation. This article uses the common McCune-Reischauer system of romanization.