Explanation of combining the letters合字解
初中終三聲，合而成字。初聲或在中聲之上，或在中聲之左。如君字ㄱ在ㅜ上，業字ㆁ在ㅓ左之類。中聲則圓者橫者在初聲之下，ㆍㅡㅗㅛㅜㅠ是也。縱者在初聲之右ㅣㅏㅑㅓㅕ是也。如呑字ㆍ在ㅌ下，卽字ㅡ在ㅈ下，侵字ㅣ在ㅊ右之類。終聲在初中之下。如君字ㄴ在구下，業字ㅂ在ᅌᅥ下之類。
The three sounds — initial, medial and final — join to form a letter.
The initial stands sometimes above the medial and sometimes to its left. In the character 君 gun, ㄱ stands above ㅜ; in the character 業 eop, ㆁ stands to the left of ㅓ. And so on in like manner.
Among the medials, the round one and the horizontal ones stand beneath the initial, namely ㆍㅡㅗㅛㅜㅠ, and the upright ones stand to the right of the initial, namely ㅣㅏㅑㅓㅕ. In the character 呑 tan, ㆍ stands beneath ㅌ; in the character 卽 jeuk, ㅡ stands beneath ㅈ; in the character 侵 chim, ㅣ stands to the right of ㅊ. And so on in like manner.
The final stands beneath the initial and the medial. In the character gun, ㄴ stands beneath 구; in the character eop, ㅂ stands beneath ᅌᅥ. And so on in like manner.
初聲二字三字合用並書，如諺語ᄯᅡ〮爲地，ᄧᅡᆨ爲雙，ᄢᅳᆷ〮爲隙之類。各自並書，如諺語혀〮爲舌而ᅘᅧ〮爲引，괴여〮爲我愛人而괴ᅇᅧ〮爲人愛我，소다〮爲覆物而쏘다〮爲射之之類。中聲二字三字合用，如諺語과〮爲琴柱홰〮爲炬之類。終聲二字三字合用，如諺語ᄒᆞᆰ〮爲土，낛〮爲釣，ᄃᆞᇌ〮ᄣᅢ〮爲酉時之類。其合用並書，自左而右，初中終三聲皆同。文與諺雜用則有因字音而補以中終聲者，如孔子ㅣ魯ㅅ사〯ᄅᆞᆷ之類。
To write two or three initial letters together, they are written side by side. In our own language ᄯᅡ〮 is earth, ᄧᅡᆨ is a mate, and ᄢᅳᆷ〮 is a crack, and so on.
The same letter may also be written twice side by side. In our own language 혀〮 is the tongue and ᅘᅧ〮 is to pull something along; 괴여〮 is my loving another and 괴ᅇᅧ〮 is another's loving me; 소다〮 is to pour something out and 쏘다〮 is to shoot, and so on.
Medials too are written two or three together. In our own language 과〮 is the bridge-peg of a geomungo and 홰〮 is a torch, and so on.
Finals too are written two or three together. In our own language ᄒᆞᆰ〮 is earth, 낛〮 is a fishhook, and ᄃᆞᇌ〮ᄣᅢ〮 is the hour of yu (酉時), and so on. When letters are joined and written side by side they go from left to right, and the three sounds — initial, medial and final — are all alike in this.
When Chinese and our own language are written mixed together, there are cases where a medial or a final is patched in to follow the Chinese reading, as in 공자(孔子)ㅣ 노(魯)ㅅ사〯ᄅᆞᆷ, Confucius, a man of Lu, and so on.
諺語平上去入，如활爲弓而其聲平，돌〯爲石而其聲上，갈〮爲刀而其聲去，붇爲筆而其聲入之類。凡字之左，加一點爲去聲，二點爲上聲，無點爲平聲，而文之入聲，與去聲相似。諺之入聲無定，或似平聲，如긷爲柱，녑爲脅。或似上聲，如낟〯爲穀。깁〯爲繒。或似去聲，如몯〮爲釘，입〮爲口之類。其加點則與平上去同。平聲安而和，春也，萬物舒泰。上聲和而擧，夏也，萬物漸盛。去聲擧而壯，秋也，萬物成熟。入聲促而塞，冬也，萬物閉藏。
The even, rising, high and entering tones of our own language are as follows. 활 is a bow, and its sound is the even tone; 돌〯 is a stone, and its sound is the rising tone; 갈〮 is a knife, and its sound is the high tone; 붇 is a brush, and its sound is the entering tone. And so on in like manner.
In every case, adding one dot to the left of a letter gives the high tone, two dots the rising tone, and no dot the even tone. The entering tone of Chinese is much like the high tone. The entering tone of our own language has nothing fixed about it: it may be like the even tone, as 긷 a pillar and 녑 the flank; or like the rising tone, as 낟〯 grain and 깁〯 silk; or like the high tone, as 몯〮 a nail that is driven in and 입〮 the mouth. And so on in like manner. The adding of dots is as with the even, rising and high tones.
The even tone is calm and gentle: it is spring, when all things spread out in abundance. The rising tone is gentle yet rising: it is summer, when all things grow gradually thick and full. The high tone is rising and vigorous: it is autumn, when all things ripen. The entering tone is quick and closed off: it is winter, when all things shut up and are stored away.
初聲之ㆆ與ㅇ相似，於諺可以通用也。半舌有輕重二音。然韻書字母唯一，且國語雖不分輕重，皆得成音。若欲備用，則依脣輕例，ㅇ連書ㄹ下，爲半舌輕音，舌乍附上腭。ㆍㅡ起ㅣ聲，於國語無用。兒童之言，邊野之語，或有之，當合二字而用，如ᄀᆝᄀᆜ之類。其先縱後橫，與他不同。訣曰
Among the initials, ㆆ and ㅇ are much alike, and in our own language they may be used throughout for one another.
The semi-lingual sound has two sounds, a light one and a heavy one. Yet the rhyme books have but one letter-mother for it, and besides, in our own language the sound is formed in either case without dividing light from heavy. If one wishes to write it out in full, then following the example of the light labial sound, ㅇ is written joined beneath ㄹ to make the light semi-lingual sound, in which the tongue touches the upper gum only for a moment.
The sounds in which ㆍ and ㅡ rise from ㅣ are not used in our own language. They occur here and there in the speech of children and in country speech, and should properly be written by joining the two letters, as in ᄀᆝ and ᄀᆜ. Here the upright letter is written first and the horizontal one after, which is not as it is elsewhere. Let us sing it in brief.
初聲在中聲左上 挹欲於諺用相同 中聲十一附初聲 圓橫書下右書縱 欲書終聲在何處 初中聲下接着寫 初終合用各並書 中亦有合悉自左 諺之四聲何以辨 平聲則弓上則石 刀爲去而筆爲入 觀此四物他可識 音因左點四聲分 一去二上無點平 語入無定亦加點 文之入則似去聲 方言俚語萬不同 有聲無字書難通 一朝制作侔神工 大東千古開朦朧
The initial stands to the left of the medial or above it, and eup and yok are alike in their use in our own language. The eleven medials are attached to the initial: the round and the horizontal are written beneath, the upright to the right. And where is the final to be written? It is written joined beneath the initial and the medial. When initials and finals are written together they are each set side by side, and the medials too have their joinings, and all of them go from the left. By what are the four tones of our own language told apart? The even tone is 활 a bow, and the rising tone is 돌 a stone; a knife is the high tone, and a brush the entering tone. Look at these four and the rest may be known. The sound is sorted into four tones by the dot at the left: one for the high tone, two for the rising, and no dot for the even. Our entering tone has nothing fixed about it, yet it too takes a dot, and the entering tone of Chinese is much like the high tone. Provincial speech and common speech differ in ten thousand ways, and there were sounds but no letters, so that writing them was hard; then in a single morning his making matched the craft of the spirits, and the dark of a thousand years in our East was opened.