Table of Contents
On Hangul Supremacy & Exclusivity – Mixed Script Predates the Japanese Colonial Period
Mixed Script Predates the Japanese Colonial Period
Claim: Hangul-Hanja Mixed Script (國漢文混用, 국한문혼용) is a Japanese creation, and was imposed upon the Korean people during the Japanese colonial period. Late 19th century works in mixed script already show Japan’s influence upon Korea.
Rebuttal: While its use did increase in the late 19th century, Hangul-Hanja Mixed Script has been in continual existence since the promulgation of Hangul in the 15th century.
Mixed Script’s Continual Existence Since the 15th Century
Hangul-Hanja Mixed Script has been in continual use since the inception of Hangul. Some of the very first works using Hangul were in mixed script. Some of these were written by the Chosun Court. The Songs of Dragons Flying to Heaven (龍飛御天歌, 용비어천가) was written by King Sejong (世宗, 세종, 1379-1450, r. 1418-1450) in 1447. Three other works, all Buddhist, the Seokbosangjeol (釋譜祥節, 석보상절) in 1446, the Weol’inseokbo (月印釋譜, 월인석보) in 1459, and the A Vernacular Translation of the Lotus Sutra (法華經諺解, 법경화언해) in 1463 were written by King Sejo (世祖, 세조, 1417-1468, r. 1455-1468) himself.
In the proceeding centuries, many Buddhist and Confucian works and Gasa (歌辭, 가사), a form of Korean poetry, were written in mixed script. To name just a few: A Vernacular Translation of the Minor Learning (小學諺解, 소학언해), a Confucian catechism, in 1588; Childaemanbeop (七大萬法, 칠대만법), a Buddhist catechism, in 1569; Akjang Gasa (樂章歌詞, 악장가사), the oldest collection of Gasa, sometime during the 16th century; Haeho Byeolgok (海湖別曲, 해호별곡), a Gasa, in 1625; A Vernacular Translation of the Classic of Histories (書經諺解, 서경언해), a Confucian work, in 1695; Cheongguyeong’eon (靑丘永言, 청구영언), a Gasa, in 1728; and Damrakga (湛樂歌, 담락가), a Gasa, in the early 19th century. Kim Satgat (金笠, 김삿갓, 1807-1863), one of the most famous Korean poet from the Chosun dynasty who primarily wrote Classical Chinese poetry, himself wrote a few poems in mixed script.
The Concept of Mixed Script Prior to Hangul
As an aside, the concept of “mixed script” in Korea even predates Hangul. Prior and even after to the promulgation of Hangul, Koreans used two writing systems known as Idu (吏讀, 이두) and Gugyeol (句結, 구결) to transcribe Korean grammatical particles to aid in reading in Classical Chinese texts. Both these were mixed script. Idu used either the pronunciation or the Korean native reading of the character to transcribe the grammatical particle. Gugyeol used specialized marking based on simplifications of Hanja for the same purpose. Both of these systems were gradually superseded by Hyeonto (懸吐, 현토), which uses Hangul to transcribe Korean grammatical particles in Classical Chinese texts. Many Korean books today with side-by-side Classical Chinese text plus Korean translation use Hyeonto.