Explanation 1 · Principles of Creation
HANGUL, The Cosmic Philosophy · p.88 / 428
Clarity and turbidity
The clarity and turbidity of sounds can be categorized as
follows:
ㄱ ㄷ ㅂ ㅈ ㅅ ㆆ (G D B J S [ʔ]) are clear and pure plain
sounds.
ㅋ ㅌ ㅍ ㅊ ㅎ (K T P Ch H) are slightly stronger
aspirated sounds, which are less clear than the plain sounds.
ㄲ ㄸ ㅃ ㅉ ㅆ ㆅ (KK TT PP JJ SS HH[x]) are very turbid
and heavy tense sounds.
ㆁ ㄴ ㅁ ㅇ ㄹ ㅿ ([ŋ] N M ◌ R Z) are neutral resonant
sounds, which are neither clear nor turbid.
Neutral resonant sounds as the root consonants
The basic principle of creating Hangul consonants is to use
the neutral resonant sounds as the root shapes.
ㄴ ㅁ ㅇ (N M [ɦ/◌]) are soft and gentle sounds that are
not strong or sharp.
In terms of clarity and turbidity, they come later in the order
because they are softer.
However, they are used as the root shapes for creating other
consonants because of their neutral and stable form.
ㅅ (S) and ㅈ (J) are very clear sounds, but ㅅ is less harsh
than ㅈ. Therefore, ㅅ is used as a base shape for creating
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