{"id":11225,"date":"2020-10-08T12:00:40","date_gmt":"2020-10-08T12:00:40","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/1stopasia.com\/blog\/?p=11225"},"modified":"2023-11-15T09:12:28","modified_gmt":"2023-11-15T09:12:28","slug":"about-korean-fonts","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.1stopasia.com\/blog\/about-korean-fonts\/","title":{"rendered":"About Korean Fonts"},"content":{"rendered":"

Desktop publishing is all around us. From the pamphlets and leaflets we receive when we walk into a shop, to brochures, magazines, and newspapers.<\/p>\n

With a wide range of proponents claiming that print is dead, it may seem surprising to be focusing on the topic of desktop publishing (DTP), but professional DTP is, and will continue to be, a part of our lives as long as information needs to be disseminated.<\/p>\n

In this blog post, we\u2019ll cover the topic of desktop publishing, and specifically, professional DTP as it relates to the Korean language and Korean fonts.<\/p>\n

The Korean alphabet<\/h2>\n

Known as Hangul in South Korea, and as Chosongul in North Korea, the Korean alphabet may appear to share many similarities with Chinese and Japanese.<\/p>\n

But, there are some significant differences.<\/p>\n

The Korean alphabet, Hangul, was created relatively late, historically speaking, by King Sejong the Great.<\/p>\n

Korean letters, or \u201cjamo\u201d (\uc790\ubaa8) comprise the alphabet, which in turn, consists of 14 consonants and 10 vowels.<\/p>\n

The interesting thing about Korean letters is that they were very logically created, with some calling the alphabet as \u201cthe most perfect phonetic system\u201d ever devised. And here\u2019s why.<\/p>\n

Each shape of each letter is devised in such a way as to mirror the sound that they make. For example, consonants are written in a way that mirrors the shape of the mouth and the position of the tongue when making the sound.<\/p>\n

On the other hand, vowels have been built onto a simplified system of horizontal and vertical lines, making them easy to distinguish.<\/p>\n

About Korean Fonts<\/h2>\n

There are three main font categories:<\/p>\n

1. \ubc14\ud0d5 Batang (“background”) – the corners of the characters have serifs (a serif is a small line or stroke regularly attached to the end of a larger stroke)
\n\"desktop<\/p>\n

2. \ub3cb\uc6c0 Dotum (“stand out”) or Gothic – characters have no serifs – just like in Latin sans serif fonts
\n\"professional<\/p>\n

3. \uad81\uc11c\uccb4 Gungsuhche (“Palace Style”) – brush script, imitation of hand-written calligraphy
\n\"korean<\/p>\n

Where to find them?<\/h2>\n

With the Korean language, however, the issue of fonts can be a difficult task if you are a novice and don\u2019t know where to start.<\/p>\n

Keeping in mind the Korean language\u2019s use of characters and the specific structure of the Korean language, it\u2019s also important to know when, how and if to emphasize certain words and the font that will be chosen to emphasize this.<\/p>\n

Luckily, there are several sources of Korean language fonts which you can use.<\/p>\n

These sources include Google\u2019s<\/a> selection of Korean fonts, Korea\u2019s search engine, Naver<\/a>, as well as Naver\u2019s Hangul site, which offers the Nanum Pro<\/a> font series.<\/p>\n

Some Important Highlights:<\/strong><\/p>\n