A Study on the Analysis of Word Types, Semantic Structures, and Etymology of Special School Names in Korea

School names carry significant meaning, not merely serving as a designation, but reflecting uniqueness, identity, social perception, and both the values and goals of education. This study analyzed the names of 195 special schools in Korea based on word types, semantic structures, and etymology. The results revealed that 71.3% of school names are composed of Chinese characters and 72.8% are linked to administrative or regional names including references to national entities. Only 10.8% of school names include terms related to disability, with 90.5% of these representing schools for students with visual or hearing impairments. The average number of morphemes in school names is 2.8, with 72.8% consisting of three morphemes. From an etymological perspective, the most frequently used Chinese characters are 惠 (Hye: benefit), 光 (Gwang: light), and 聖 (Seong: sacred). In native Korean, common morphemes include ‘sol’ (pine tree), ‘hae’ (sun), ‘sae’ (new), and ‘narae’ (wing). Since 2011, there has been a significant increase in the use of native Korean words in special school names.