Idu
1131490
222476664
2008-06-29T15:26:53Z
218.39.209.216
{{otheruses4|an archaic writing system of Korea|the ethnic group in Tibet|Lhoba}}
{{Infobox Korean name
|img=Yuseopilji.jpg
|caption=A page from the 19th-century yu seo pil ji.
|hangul=이두
|hanja=吏讀
|rr=Idu
|mr=Idu
}}
{{Korean writing}}
'''Idu''' is an archaic [[writing system]] which represents the [[Korean language]] using [[hanja]]. The term "idu" is used in two senses. It may refer to various systems of representing [[Korean phonology]] through [[Chinese character]]s, which were used from the [[Three Kingdoms of Korea|Three Kingdoms]] to [[Joseon Dynasty|Joseon]] periods. In this sense it includes ''[[hyangchal]]'' and ''[[gugyeol]]'' writing, as well as the narrower sense of "idu". The narrower sense refers solely to the system developed in the [[Goryeo]] period, and first referred to by name in the ''[[Jewang Ungi]]''.
The ''idu'' script used [[Chinese characters]], called [[hanja]], along with special symbols to indicate Korean verb endings and other grammatical markers that were different in Korean from Chinese.{{Fact|date=February 2008}} This made both the meaning and pronunciation difficult to parse, and was one reason why the system was gradually abandoned, to be replaced with [[hangul]], after the 15th century. In this respect, it faced problems analogous to those which confronted early efforts at representing the [[Japanese language]] with [[kanji]] due to the grammatical differences between these languages and [[Chinese language|Chinese]].
Characters were selected for ''idu'' based on their Chinese sound, their adapted Korean sound, or their meaning, and some were given a completely new sound and meaning. At the same time, 150 new Korean characters were invented, mainly for names of people and places. This process led to the Koreans borrowing large numbers of Chinese words, and the ''idu'' system was quite difficult to learn. Only a small minority of the male aristocracy ever gained literacy.{{Fact|date=February 2008}}
==References==
*Nam Pung-hyeon(남풍현)(2000): Idu Study(吏讀研究), Taehak Publishing(太學社), Seoul, Korea.
==See also==
*[[Korean language]]
*[[Hunmin Jeongeum]]
{{writingsystem-stub}}
[[Category:Korean writing system]]
[[Category:Syllabary writing systems]]
[[de:Idu]]
[[ko:이두]]
[[ja:吏読]]
[[zh:吏讀]]