It is a basic text that contains a preface, the alphabet letters (jamo), and brief descriptions of their corresponding sounds. It is later supplemented by a longer document called Hunmin jeong-eum haerye. To distinguish it from its supplement, Hunmin jeong-eum is sometimes called the Samples and Significance Edition of Hunmin jeong-eum (훈민정음예의본 ; 訓民正音例義本).
The first paragraph of the document reveals King Sejong's motivation and reason for making the Hangul:
Our national language's sounds differ from those of the Middle Kingdom, so the scripts cannot be exchanged. As a result, my humble commoners -- those wish to write, but forever cannot express their feelings are common. I sympathize with this, so have made twenty-eight new letterss, which all people can easily learn, and conveniently use daily. (國之語音, 異乎中國, 與文字不相流通, 故愚民, 有所欲言, 而終不得伸其情者, 多矣. 予為此憫然, 新制二十八字, 欲使人人易習, 便於日用耳.)
The manuscript of the original Hunmin jeong-eum has two versions:
- Seven pages of Hanja and written in Classical Chinese, except where the Hangul symbols are mentioned. Three copies are left:
- The one found at the beginning of the Haerye copy
- The one included in Sejong Silog (世宗實錄 "The Sejong Chronicles"), Volume 113.
- Another, 36 pages, extensively annotated in Hangul, and all Hanja used have their Hangul counterpart written smaller immediately below them slightly to the right. The Hangul were written in both ink-brush and geometric styles. Four copies are left:
