{{Short description|1527 Korean educational book}} {{Infobox book |name=Hunmong chahoe |image=訓蒙字會 cover.jpg |image_caption=Cover of a copy of the book |author=Ch'oe Sejin |pub_date=1527 |wikisource=Hunmongjahoe |native_wikisource=훈몽자회 |orig_lang_code=ko |module={{infobox Korean name/auto |child=yes |hangul=^훈몽_자회 |hanja=訓蒙字會 }} }} '''''Hunmong chahoe''''' ({{Korean|훈몽자회|訓蒙字會}}) is an educational text published in 1527 by Korean linguist Ch'oe Sejin. The text was intended to help children learn Hanja: Chinese characters. It saw significant use for this purpose, and was reprinted numerous times, even into the early 20th century.<ref name="encyko">{{Cite encyclopedia |last=Lee |first=Ki-Moon |author-link=Ki-Moon Lee |url=https://encykorea.aks.ac.kr/Article/E0065801 |publisher=Academy of Korean Studies |access-date=2025-11-12 |language=ko |encyclopedia=Encyclopedia of Korean Culture |script-title=ko:훈몽자회 (訓蒙字會) |trans-title=Hunmong chahoe}}</ref> It is considered to be of significant interest to modern linguistics and has had a lasting impact on the Korean alphabet Hangul.
== Description ==
A section at the end of the text, called ''Ŏnmun chamo'' ({{Korean|hangul=언문자모|hanja=諺文字母|labels=no}}<ref name="encyko" />), was an adaptation of the ''Hunminjeongeum'' meant to serve as a more practical guide for learning Hangul. Ahn evaluated it as a superior educational tool to the original, and argued that its structure made it a predecessor to the later ''panjŏl'' ({{Korean|hangul=반절|hanja=反切|labels=no}}) tables that became ubiquitous teaching tools for Hangul in the early modern period.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Ahn |first=Pyong-hi |author-link=Ahn Pyong-hi |title=Studies in Hunminjeongeum |publisher=National Hangeul Museum |year=2018 |isbn=979-11-89438-00-5 |edition=English |translator-last=Jung |translator-first=Ha-yun |orig-year=2007 |pages=230–233}}</ref>
The text is considered to be of significant interest to modern linguists for a number of reasons. It is the earliest known direct attestation to names for the letters of Hangul; letter names in current use are based on the ones found here. However, it is unclear if Ch'oe coined the letter names himself. Many possibly incorrectly believe that Ch'oe coined the names. However, that is not clear from the text. Ch'oe states elsewhere in the work that his intent was to document current practice at the time.<ref name="encyko" /> The order of Hangul letters found in this text form the basis of orders used today.<ref>{{Cite journal |author=홍윤표 |year=2016 |script-title=ko:한글 자모의 명칭과 배열순서에 대한 역사적 연구 |trans-title=A Historical Study of the Names and Alphabetical Orders of Hangul Letters |url=https://www.dbpia.co.kr/journal/articleDetail?nodeId=NODE07430976 |journal=한국어사 연구 |language=ko |publisher=국어사연구회 |volume=2 |page=296 |issn=2383-4978 |via=DBpia}} {{Closed access}}</ref> In addition, the text documented actual pronunciations of the time instead of attempting to enforce artificial prescriptivist pronunciations, which aids linguists in trying to understand authentic contemporary phonology.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Lee |first=Ki-Moon |author-link=Ki-Moon Lee |url=https://www.cambridge.org/core/books/history-of-the-korean-language/53A69B381D2534210A336CCB8879F605 |title=A History of the Korean Language |last2=Ramsey |first2=S. Robert |author-link2=S. Robert Ramsey |date=2011 |publisher=Cambridge University Press |isbn=9780511974045 |page=113}}</ref>
The oldest known copy of the text, produced in 1527, is held in Japan.<ref name="encyko" />
== References == {{reflist}}
== External links ==
* {{Wikisource-inline|ko:훈몽자회|single=true}} * {{Commons category-inline|Hunmong chahoe}}
Category:1527 books Category:Korean-language books Category:Literature in Classical Chinese Category:History of Hangul Category:16th century in Korea