Analysis of the configurational attributes of Korean Gukja ( 國 字)

Abstract

This article examines the configurational attributes of Gukja defined from the analysis of the 2012 Gukja characters compiled in the Hanguk-hanja-jajeon or Dictionary of Korean Chinese Characters 韓國漢字字典 in accordance with the theory of Chinese character configuration. The number, functions, and combination patterns of the components constructing a Chinese character constitute the most important attributes in discerning this character. The configurational attributes analyzed in this article are defined on the basis of the total numbers, appearance frequencies and character-construction count of primitive components, and the combination structures and patterns of Gukja. Based on the analysis, the article compares attributes of the Gukja characters used for the writing of old Korean with the traditional Chinese characters, and it elicits attributes shared with the Chinese and those unique to Korean-coined Chinese characters.