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Aheui — The Korean Hangul-Based Programming Language

What is Aheui?

Aheui is an esoteric programming language designed by Korean developer Yoo Eui-young. It uses Korean Hangul syllables as its instructions, making it one of the rare programming languages where code looks like written natural language. Instead of Latin characters or symbols, Aheui uses consonants and vowels as operations, storage commands, and movement instructions.

The language operates on a two-dimensional grid, meaning the instruction pointer can move up, down, left, or right depending on the vowel following the consonant instruction. This gives Aheui a similar feel to languages like Befunge, but with the unique twist of using phonetic rules from Hangul.

Aheui is not designed for everyday programming. Instead, it exists to explore linguistic structure as executable code, blending language, culture, and computation in a playful and artistic way.

Specs

Language type: Esoteric

Released: 2005

Creator: Yoo Eui-young

Execution model: Two-dimensional grid

Characters used: Korean Hangul

Typing: Stack-based behavior

CODE EXAMPLE (Hello World)

아희희희밧밧따빠빠빠다뚜붏뻐뻐뻐어

(This prints “Hello, World!” if run in an Aheui interpreter.)
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How It Works

Aheui instructions are determined by consonants, while vowels control movement and flow direction. Some consonants represent arithmetic, others control stack manipulation, and some handle input/output. If you already speak or read Korean, understanding the structure feels more natural. If not, Aheui looks like decorative text until you learn the rules.

Each Hangul block is treated as an instruction with logic based on Korean pronunciation structure. The interpreter moves across the grid, executing these based on the arrangement and direction.

Strengths

  • Unique language that treats writing systems as executable logic.
  • Visually interesting and culturally meaningful.
  • Encourages understanding programming in new ways.
  • A creative exploration of computational linguistics and symbol mapping.

Weaknesses

  • Hard to learn without familiarity with Hangul.
  • Debugging and flow visualization can be confusing.
  • Not practical for software development outside experimentation.
  • Tooling and ecosystem are limited.

Where to Run

Aheui can be executed on TIO.run and several community-built interpreters available on GitHub. Some visual debuggers exist to make execution easier to follow.

Should You Learn It?

For a job: No

For curiosity and experimentation: Yes

For exploring programming through language and culture: Yes

For writing maintainable code: No

Summary

Aheui transforms the Korean writing system into a functional programming environment. Instead of syntax based on symbols or keywords, it uses linguistic structure to represent logic and execution flow. It is one of the most creative and culturally expressive esolangs ever made, existing not for practicality but for exploration, fun, and artistic expression.

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