What’s Your Name in Korean? Discovering Korean Through Names
Turning your English name into Korean is surprisingly simple. In fact, it's just as straightforward as converting it into many other languages. This is because Hangul, the Korean alphabet, is a phonetic writing system similar to the alphabet used in English.
Let’s start with an easy example: the name Paul. In Korean, it would be spelled as follows:
- P = ㅍ
- au = ㅗ
- l = ㄹ
So Paul becomes 폴 in Korean. You might notice that while English and Korean both have phonetic systems, there's a key difference in how they organize their letters. In English, names like Paul are written in a horizontal line, letter by letter. However, in Korean, letters are grouped into blocks representing syllables.
For example, rather than writing "ㅍㅗㄹ" as separate characters, in Korean, you combine them into 폴, which forms a single syllabic block.
Now let’s look at a female name, like Julia:
- J = ㅈ
- u = ㅜ
- l = ㄹ
- i = ㅣ
- a = 아
The result is 줄리아 (Julia). Each syllable is formed by grouping consonants and vowels into blocks. Jul-ia becomes 줄 + 리 + 아, with three syllable blocks.
Though this might seem a little complex at first, remember that Hangul is incredibly logical and easy to learn once you understand the basics. Hangul has 14 consonants and 10 vowels, which can be combined to represent almost any sound.
Hangul Consonants (14):
ㄱ · ㄴ · ㄷ · ㄹ · ㅁ · ㅂ · ㅅ · ㅇ · ㅈ · ㅊ · ㅋ · ㅌ · ㅍ · ㅎ
Hangul Vowels (10):
ㅏ · ㅑ · ㅓ · ㅕ · ㅗ · ㅛ · ㅜ · ㅠ · ㅡ · ㅣ
For reference, here’s how the consonants and vowels sound in terms of English phonetics.
Korean consonants
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| Example of Hangul notation (Hangul, Source: Wikipedia) |
What About Korean Names?
Just like in many Western countries, Korean names follow the format of surname + given name. For instance, Kim Jisoo is written as Kim (the family name) and Jisoo (the given name). Most Korean names are composed of a single syllable for the surname and two syllables for the given name, which is typically three characters when written in Hangul.
In the next post, I’ll delve more into Korean surnames and names, and why you might hear certain names like Kim or Park so frequently.
Whether you're curious about Korean names, Hangul, or Korean culture, stay tuned for more fascinating insights!
