Hanja

Hanja are Chinese characters used to write Korean, especially in historical texts and Sino-Korean vocabulary. Their use reflects centuries of cultural and linguistic exchange with China.

Chinese characters: Logographic characters used to write Chinese and adapted for several other languages. Hanja are Korean uses of this broader character system.
Mixed-script Korean: A Korean writing style that combines Hangul with Chinese characters. It places Hanja alongside Hangul within the same text.
Classical Chinese: The literary language used across East Asia for formal writing over many centuries. Korean scholars used it extensively alongside Hanja-based practices.
Hangul-only policy: Policies favoring Hangul and restricting or reducing Chinese characters in Korean public writing and education. These policies explain Hanja’s reduced presence in modern Korean texts.
Kanji: Chinese characters used in Japanese writing, with Japanese readings and conventions. Kanji shares character origins with Hanja but developed within Japanese.
Sino-Korean vocabulary: Korean words borrowed from Chinese or formed from Chinese morphemes, generally pronounced using Korean readings. Hanja commonly clarify the Chinese-derived roots of these words.
Korean names: Personal names used in Korea, many of which have meanings associated with Chinese characters. Hanja can specify the meaning of a name’s Sino-Korean syllables.
Chinese writing in Korea: The historical use and adaptation of Chinese writing in the Korean peninsula. It provides the setting in which Hanja became established.
Korean language reform: Changes to Korean spelling, vocabulary, and writing practices through deliberate standardization and policy. Reform reshaped the balance between Hanja and Hangul.
Hanzi: Chinese characters as used to write Chinese languages. Hanzi is the source tradition, while Hanja names Korean usage.

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SinosphereBroader topic: Their use connected Korean scholarship to the wider Classical Chinese tradition.