Sino-Korean describes those elements of the Korean language that come directly or indirectly from Chinese — namely, Hanja and the words formed from them (hanjaeo (한자어; 漢字語; "Han-character words")).
Hanja were first introduced into the Korean Peninsula during the Chinese Han (한; 漢) Dynasty (202 BC–AD 220) — largely through the Cheonjamun (천자문; 千字文; Thousand-Character Classic) — and their introduction into Korea was closely tied to the spread of Buddhism.
Although many of the most frequently used words in Korean are of native Korean origin, Sino-Korean words today make up over 50% of the Korean vocabulary.
See also
Last updated: 10-08-2005 05:04:04
