Hangul Day 2021谷歌涂鸦标志标志

In Korea, citizens and scholars alike take great pride in their unique writing script known as Hangul. So much so, in fact, that there is an annual holiday in its honor! Today’s Doodle, illustrated by Seoul, South Korea-based guest artist Soman, commemorates Korea’s Hangul Day (한글날), the only holiday in the world for an alphabet!

So what makes Hangul important enough to warrant a holiday celebrating it? In the 15th century, many Koreans could not effectively put their thoughts down on paper as the Korean language had no dedicated writing system to express the intricacies of its spoken word. This all changed when the Korean government developed an innovative written script called Hangul that represented the sounds of spoken Korean.

Thanks to the implementation of this efficient writing system, literacy increased dramatically. Today, Korea boasts near 100% literacy nationwide! With a growing global interest in learning about Korean culture and its language, a phenomenon known as “Hallyu” or the Korean Wave, what better time than Hangul Day to try learning it for yourself?

Happy Hangul Day, Korea!