교육부 제정 1800한자의 의미범주 분류 試探

Abstract

Approximately 70% of Korean vocabulary consists of Chinese characters. It is, therefore, no exaggeration to say that one cannot understand the Korean language without understanding Chinese characters. However, it is not easy for Koreans to learn Chinese characters, which are not used in Korean writing. Consequently, the need to learn Chinese characters is an urgent issue in Korean education. A common approach to teaching and learning Chinese characters uses glossaries organized by meaning. The characters for related concepts, such as words referring to humanity, vegetation, astronomy, geography, etc., are learned together. For instance, all the Chinese characters for body parts (eye (眼), ear (耳,) nose (鼻), foot (足), leg (腿), kidney(腎), etc.) are grouped together. This method facilitates memorization through association. This paper groups 1,800 commonly used Chinese characters into 34 categories based on their modern meanings. The four criteria used to categorize the characters are familiarity, subdivision, interrelationship, and the law of modernization. The 34 categories in this study are astronomy, geography, time, space, color, number, presence, animal, vegetation, humanity, body, sensation, motion, language, disease, contemplation, study, emotions, morals, faith, art, shapes, change, degree, administration, norm, commerce, other industries, military, tools, architecture, food, and clothing.