Hangul

Hello, I am Hangul. I am a very special alphabet. Long, long ago, in a beautiful land called Korea, people wanted to read and write. But the letters they used were like a tricky, tricky puzzle. It was so hard for most people to learn. It made them sad because they could not write down their favorite songs or share their wonderful stories with friends. Writing was for only a few people, and that wasn't fair. I wanted to help everyone be able to share their ideas and feelings. I knew I could make it easy and fun.

A wonderful, kind king helped bring me to life. His name was King Sejong the Great. He was a very good king who loved his people. Around the year 1443, he saw that so many people could not read or write. This made him feel sad. He thought, "Everyone should be able to share their thoughts.". So, King Sejong and his smart friends worked together to create me. They had a brilliant idea. They looked at how a person's mouth moves when they make sounds. My letters are special because they look just like the shapes your mouth and tongue make when you talk. Isn't that neat. One shape looks like your open mouth saying "ah.". Another looks like your tongue touching the top of your mouth. This makes me easy and fun to learn, like a happy game.

I was so excited. In the year 1446, the king shared me with everyone in Korea. People were so happy. They cheered because now they had an alphabet made just for them. For the very first time, children could write letters to their friends. Moms and dads could read stories to their little ones. Everyone could write down their thoughts, their poems, and their dreams. I helped everyone's voice be heard. Today, I am still used all over Korea. I love helping people read big books and write amazing stories. I am so proud to be an alphabet for everyone.