Korean Morse code adapts the dot-dash alphabet to Hangul by assigning a sequence to each jamo — the individual consonants and vowels that make up a syllable. Because written Korean stacks jamo into square syllable blocks, the encoder first decomposes each block back into its parts, then sends each jamo in order. It all runs in your browser.
How it works
Every modern Hangul syllable in Unicode is built from a lead consonant (초성), a vowel (중성), and an optional final consonant (받침/종성). Given a syllable code point, the position of each component can be recovered arithmetically:
S = code - 0xAC00
final = S % 28
vowel = (S / 28) % 21
lead = S / (28 * 21)Each recovered jamo is then mapped to its Korean Morse dot-dash sequence. Within a syllable the jamo codes are joined by short gaps, and a larger gap separates one syllable from the next, mirroring how letters and characters are spaced in Morse.
History: SKATS and Korean telegraphy
Korean Morse is often associated with SKATS (Standard Korean Alphabet Transliteration System), which assigned dot-dash codes to each jamo so that Korean text could be transmitted by Morse telegraph. The system was used during the Japanese colonial period and in the Korean War era for military and civilian communications. Unlike romanization systems that mapped Korean sounds to Latin letters, SKATS worked at the jamo level — preserving the alphabetic structure of Hangul rather than transliterating its pronunciation.
Today, Korean Morse is primarily an amateur radio and historical interest rather than a practical communication tool, since digital modes have replaced Morse in most contexts. It remains a study topic for Korean ham radio operators and anyone interested in the history of Korean telegraphy.
Encoding example
Take the syllable 간 (meaning “liver” or the name particle):
- Decompose: ㄱ (choseong lead), ㅏ (jungseong vowel), ㄴ (jongseong final)
- Map each to its dot-dash sequence — three codes in order
- Join with intra-syllable spacing, then separate 간 from the next syllable with a character gap
Compound jamo such as the vowel ㅘ or the double consonant ㄲ are decomposed to their base components so every piece is encoded separately. As with Wabun (Japanese Morse), Korean Morse reuses the familiar dots and dashes but assigns them new meanings — operators must agree on the mode before sending, since a Korean Morse sequence means nothing to a standard international Morse operator.
Tips for study and practice
- Memorise the jamo sequences in groups: basic consonants first (ㄱ ㄴ ㄷ ㄹ ㅁ), then basic vowels (ㅏ ㅣ ㅗ ㅜ), then the remainder.
- Decode by syllable: collect three sequences (or two if no final consonant), recompose the block, then move to the next.
- Practise with short, common words — proper nouns and place names make good targets because you know what to expect.
- Remember that Korean Morse is strictly for Hangul; Latin letters in a mixed text need standard international Morse.
Use this tool for study and amateur practice. Everything runs locally in your browser.