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Falling literacy revives debate over Chinese characters in classrooms

2 in 10 students fail to understand textbooks without substantial help in Korea, where much of the vocabulary has Hanja roots

The National Education Commission said Thursday it may review ways to strengthen education of Chinese characters, or "Hanja," including the possible addition of Chinese character annotations in textbooks, as part of broader efforts to improve student literacy.

“I think our discussions will mainly focus on reading, writing and vocabulary, but the issue of Hanja education will likely be the most controversial,” said Kim Kyung-hoe, chair of the NEC’s special committee on literacy. Hanja are Chinese characters traditionally used in written Korean.

“We will discuss the issue openly, but we will make sure there is no confusion among students or parents before anything is finalized,” Kim added.

The government move comes as growing percentage of teachers voice concern over what they call are falling literacy in classroom, as significant number of students struggle to understand Korean words derived from Hanja.

Park Young-hwan, a non-standing NEC member and chair of the Korean Teachers and Education Workers Union, cautioned against moving toward a conclusion that would mandate Chinese character annotations in textbooks.

“There was major turmoil during the Park Geun-hye administration over the proposal to add Hanja to textbooks, and it was ultimately scrapped due to strong opposition from schools,” Park said. “I hope this discussion does not end with a push for textbook annotations.”

Another non-standing NEC member, Kim Geon, also voiced opposition to the idea.

“I oppose adding Hanja annotations,” Kim said. “The issue will almost certainly come up during discussions, but I do not think there is a high chance that Chinese characters will suddenly be added.”

The Hanja debate

South Korea is facing what some describe as a literacy crisis. In a 2024 survey, 92 percent of teachers said students’ literacy had declined compared with the past.

The survey, conducted by the Korean Federation of Teachers’ Associations, found that 2 in 10 students could not understand textbooks without substantial help. It also found that 48 percent of teachers believed 2 in 10 students had literacy skills below grade-level expectations.

While the survey identified excessive smartphone and gaming use as the leading cause of declining literacy, some critics argue that the lack of Hanja education is also a major factor.

“Hanja education is essential for properly understanding and using the Korean language,” said Ko Moon-hyun, a law professor at Soongsil University.

According to the National Institute of the Korean Language, about 57 percent of Korean vocabulary is derived from Hanja. Teachers say students increasingly struggle to understand those words.

The teachers’ survey included several examples.

One teacher recalled that during a mock debate on easing school hair regulations, a student confused the word dubal — a Sino-Korean term for hair, derived from characters meaning “head” (du) and “hair” (bal) — with a homophone meaning “two feet.”

In another case, students mistook geumil, the Sino-Korean word for “today,” for geumyoil, meaning Friday.

But others confused jungsik, the Sino-Korean word for lunch, with a similar-sounding word meaning Chinese food. In this case, the hanja are the same.

Professors interviewed earlier also said the problem extends into universities. In one example, students misunderstood the term budongcheung, or “swing voters,” interpreting it as referring to voters with fixed preferences rather than undecided voters because they misread the underlying Chinese-character roots.

“Efforts to improve Korean literacy should be based on Hanja education,” said Yoon Kun-young, superintendent of North Chungcheong Province. “Some provincial education offices are already pushing for it.”

Hanja was Korea’s first writing system, with recorded use dating back to the first century BC. It remained the primary written system on the peninsula for centuries and continued to be used alongside Hangeul through the Joseon era and until the end of Japanese colonial rule in 1945.

After liberation, the South Korean government promoted an exclusive Hangeul policy to strengthen national identity while also improving literacy and administrative efficiency. In 1948, the government required public documents to be written primarily in Hangeul.

Hanja continued to be taught in schools until 1970, when the Park Chung-hee administration abolished Hanja education and removed it from textbooks. Since then, it has been offered only as an elective in middle and high school.

In 2015, the Park Geun-hye administration briefly sought to reintroduce Chinese character annotations in textbooks, citing concerns over deteriorating literacy. The plan was abandoned after strong backlash from the education community.

Critics argue that reviving Hanja education could undermine Korean linguistic identity and fuel private education spending.

“Understanding the meanings of Hanja does not necessarily lead to better literacy,” said Kim Joo-won, professor emeritus of linguistics at Seoul National University.

Jang Seung-hyuk, spokesperson for the KFTA, said Hanja education could help improve literacy, but warned that it could also deepen educational inequality among students if not carefully designed.

“Hanja education may help improve literacy, but there are concerns that it could worsen polarization among students,” Jang said. “The amount students are expected to learn would need to be set appropriately.”