Korean Hangul: A Featural Alphabet

In 1444, King Sejong the Great, the king of Korea, announced a new alphabet called Hangul:

國之語音異乎中國與文字不相流通故愚民 有所欲言而終不得伸其情者多矣予爲此憫然新制二十八字欲使人人易習便於日用矣Because the speech of our country is different from that of China, Chinese writing does not match our language. Therefore, when commoners wish to communicate, many of them cannot express their feelings. Saddened by this, I have newly made 28 letters. It is my wish that every person may easily learn them and that they be convenient for daily use. 

King Sejong the Great

This alphabet is very special because:

1) Many consonant letters are simple pictures which show how these sounds are made.

2) Sounds made in the same place in your mouth (place of articulation) or made in the same way (manner of articulation) are written in a similar way. This is a "featural alphabet."

Here is a Hangul consonant chart:

Here is a Hangul vowel chart:

Notice how the consonant letter shapes for 'N' and 'G' are similar:

What a clever king!