📖 Origin of the Hanja
Korean Ma is said to descend from Ma Ryeo (馬黎), an aide to Onjo, the founder of Baekje. Jangheung Ma is the largest seat. The hanja "馬" is a pictograph of a horse — mane and four legs drawn directly. In East Asia, the horse was not mere livestock but the core of military, culture, and transport. The most famous Korean Ma is Ma Hae-song (1905-1966), father of Korean children's literature, who wrote "The Rock Lily and the Baby Star" (1923) — Korea's first original fairy tale.
🏯 Main Clans (Bongwan)
※ Bongwan refers to the ancestral home where the founder settled. Same surname, different bongwan = different clan branch.
🌟 Famous Figures
""馬" — the horse, the animal that cannot be tied to one place. A path-maker, the 馬 within each person."
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