If you are raising children in Korea, you may have noticed that October 9 is a national holiday.
It is Hangeul Day, or 한글날.
But what exactly is Hangeul Day?
And why is the Korean alphabet important enough to have its own national holiday?
For families living in Korea, Hangeul Day is a fun opportunity to introduce children to Korean language, history, and culture without turning it into a big history lesson.
What is Hangeul?
Hangeul is the Korean writing system.
It was created during the reign of King Sejong the Great in the 15th century.
At the time, Koreans used Chinese characters for writing, but Chinese characters did not match the Korean language perfectly and were difficult for many people to learn.
King Sejong wanted a writing system that could better represent Korean sounds and be easier for ordinary people to learn.
The new writing system was completed in 1443.
In 1446, Hunminjeongeum Haerye was published. It explained the principles behind the new letters and how they were designed.
Today, we call the writing system Hangeul.
The Hunminjeongeum Manuscript was also inscribed on UNESCO’s Memory of the World Register in 1997.
Why did King Sejong create Hangeul?
This is probably the easiest part to explain to young children.
You don’t need to start with a complicated history lesson.
You can simply say:
King Sejong wanted more people to be able to read and write.
That simple idea gives children a reason to understand why Hangeul was created.
The original name, Hunminjeongeum, refers to the idea of teaching the people the proper sounds of the Korean language.
How does Hangeul work?
One of the interesting things about Hangeul is that Korean letters are combined into syllable blocks.
For example:
ㄱ + ㅏ = 가
ㅁ + ㅏ = 마
ㅎ + ㅏ + ㄴ = 한
Instead of writing each letter separately across the page, consonants and vowels are arranged together to form a syllable.
This makes Hangeul especially fun for children to explore.
They can actually move the letters around and see how different syllables are created.
Hangeul has consonants and vowels
Korean has consonants and vowels, just like many other writing systems.
Some basic consonants are:
ㄱ ㄴ ㄷ ㄹ ㅁ ㅂ ㅅ
And some basic vowels are:
ㅏ ㅑ ㅓ ㅕ ㅗ ㅜ ㅡ ㅣ
Young children don’t need to memorize all of them at once.
Start with just a few.
For example:
ㄱ + ㅏ = 가
Then change the vowel:
ㄱ + ㅗ = 고
ㄱ + ㅜ = 구
Suddenly, learning Korean letters becomes more like a little puzzle.
A fun fact about Korean consonants
The basic shapes of several Hangeul consonants are connected to the shape or position of the speech organs used to make their sounds.
This is one of the things that makes Hangeul interesting from a linguistic point of view.
For young children, you can keep it simple.
Show them a letter such as ㄱ and explain that the shape is connected to how the sound is made.
You don’t need to explain all the details.
Letting children notice that the letters have a reason behind their shapes is enough to get them curious.
Why is Hangeul Day on October 9?
Hangeul Day is celebrated every year on October 9 and is a national holiday in Korea.
The day is connected to the history of Hunminjeongeum and the Korean writing system.
And 2026 is a particularly meaningful year for Hangeul.
The Korean government is marking:
- the 580th anniversary of the promulgation of Hunminjeongeum
- the 100th anniversary of the establishment of Hangeul Day
The 2026 Hangeul Week will take place from October 6 to October 17 across Korea under the theme Hangeul by My Side.
There are exhibitions, performances, hands-on activities, and family-friendly programs happening in different parts of Korea.
How can families celebrate Hangeul Day?
You don’t need to plan anything complicated.
For young children, I think the easiest approach is simply to let them play with Korean letters.
Try making syllables
Write a few consonants and vowels on small pieces of paper.
For example:
ㄱ ㄴ ㅁ ㅂ
ㅏ ㅗ ㅜ ㅣ
Then ask your child:
Can you make 가?
How about 나?
Can you make 모?
You can also use familiar Korean words:
엄마
아빠
사랑
한국
For children growing up in Korea, this can be a fun way to notice that they already know more Korean than they may realize.
Hangeul Day activities for young children
If your child is around preschool or early elementary school age, I wouldn’t try to teach everything about Hangeul in one day.
A few simple ideas are enough:
King Sejong created Hangeul.
Hangeul was designed for the Korean language.
Korean syllables are made by combining consonants and vowels.
October 9 is Hangeul Day.
Then let your child play with the letters.
If they become curious, you can gradually introduce more of the history.
That is often much more memorable than trying to teach everything at once.
Hangeul is part of everyday life in Korea
For children growing up in Korea, Hangeul is everywhere.
On street signs.
In children’s books.
At school.
On food packages.
In text messages.
Because it is part of everyday life, children may not always stop to think about where it came from.
Hangeul Day is a nice opportunity to take a closer look.
For a young child, it can simply be a day to play with Korean letters.
As they grow older, they can learn more about King Sejong, Hunminjeongeum, and the history behind the writing system.
You don’t need to start with a big history lesson.
Sometimes it can start with just one little letter.
ㄱ
And then…
가.
More Korean Culture & Parenting
If you are raising children in Korea, explore more EVERIJOY articles about Korean culture, traditions, language, and everyday life in Korea.
