Hangul and the Void: Bayesian Evidence for a Philosophical Motif (Preprint v1 — not peer reviewed)

Hangul, the Korean alphabet, is widely recognized as a rational script designed for ease of
learning, yet its form also resonates with philosophical traditions of Joseon Korea. This paper
re-examines Hangul through a two-part “void” motif: the Hangul syllable 무 (mu, nothingness)
and the classical character 無 (read wú in Chinese, mu in Sino-Korean). A minimal Bayesian
model tests whether these cues—together with an anthropomorphic reading of 무—lend ex-
planatory weight beyond coincidence. Under conservative assumptions, Bayes factors range
from strong to very strong, favoring a structured pattern over chance. A key observation is
that the syllable 무, which denotes “void,” shows an uncanny resemblance to a standing human
figure, a “man drawn from emptiness.” On this basis, I advance a moderate claim: the motif
plausibly helped organize minimal graphical primitives (axis line and dot-derived stroke), in
a way consistent with the Hunminjeongeum Haerye. Moreover, while Appendix B sets out a
more speculative seed-glyph hypothesis, the broader contribution is methodological: the paper
develops a portable protocol for turning iconographic hunches into explicit cues with transpar-
ent priors and auditable updates.