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Han: A Programming Language Written Entirely in Korean

Hacker News •
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A developer has created Han, a compiled programming language where every keyword is written in Hangul, the Korean writing system. Built in Rust, Han features a complete compiler pipeline including lexer, parser, AST, interpreter, and LLVM IR code generation. The project emerged from seeing AI convert C++ to Rust in two weeks, inspiring the creator to build a language from scratch with AI assistance.

Han supports arrays, structs with impl blocks, closures, pattern matching, try/catch error handling, file I/O, module imports, a REPL, and an LSP server. The language includes Korean keywords like 함수 (function), 만약 (if), 반복 (for), 변수 (variable), and 출력 (print). It compiles to native binaries through LLVM IR and offers instant execution through its tree-walking interpreter.

This side project isn't positioned as a Python replacement but rather explores what programming looks like when expressed in Korean. The creator welcomes feedback on language design and compiler architecture. Han represents an intersection of technical innovation and cultural expression, bringing the elegance of Hangul - one of the world's most scientifically designed scripts - into software development.