McCune-Reischauer facts for kids
McCune-Reischauer romanization (pronounced Maek'yun-Raisyawŏ P'yogipŏp) is a way to write Korean language words using the English alphabet. It's one of the two main systems used for this purpose. The other main system is called Revised Romanization of Korean.
In South Korea, Revised Romanization became the official way to write Korean in English in the year 2000. It replaced a changed version of McCune-Reischauer. However, a different version of McCune-Reischauer is still the official system used in North Korea.
Contents
What is Romanization?
Romanization is like a special code that helps people who don't know Korean read Korean words. It changes words written in the Korean alphabet (called Hangul) into letters we use in English. This makes it easier for people around the world to understand Korean names, places, and other words.
Why Do We Need It?
Imagine you're traveling to Korea or reading about Korean culture. If everything was only in Hangul, it would be hard to know how to say names or find places. Romanization helps connect Korean words to the English alphabet, making them readable for more people. It's especially useful for maps, signs, and international documents.
History of McCune-Reischauer
The McCune-Reischauer system was created in 1937 by two American scholars, George M. McCune and Edwin O. Reischauer. They wanted to make a clear and consistent way to write Korean using the English alphabet. Their system became very popular and was used for many years, especially outside of Korea.
How It Works
This system uses special marks, like apostrophes and breve symbols (a small curved line over a letter), to show how Korean sounds are pronounced. For example, it helps tell the difference between similar-sounding letters in Korean that might sound the same to an English speaker. This makes the pronunciation more accurate.
Example of Pronunciation
Let's look at an example. In McCune-Reischauer, the Korean word for "mountain" (산) is written as san. But if there's a slightly different sound, it might use a special mark. These marks help people say the words more correctly, even if they've never heard them spoken before.
McCune-Reischauer Today
Even though South Korea now uses Revised Romanization as its official system, McCune-Reischauer is still important.
In North Korea
A slightly changed version of McCune-Reischauer is the official romanization system used in North Korea. This means that if you see North Korean names or places written in English, they are likely using this system.
For Older Texts
Many older books, articles, and maps about Korea use McCune-Reischauer. So, if you're doing research or reading older materials, knowing this system can help you understand them. It's like learning an older language version to read historical documents.
Related pages
Images for kids
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This sign in Seoul shows Korean place names written in English. The names Chamshil (잠실역) and Amsa (암사역) are written using the McCune-Reischauer system. If they were written using the newer Revised Romanization, they would be Jamsil and Amsa.
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See also
In Spanish: Romanización McCune-Reischauer para niños
