Lesson Transcript

Welcome to Fun and Easy Korean by KoreanClass101.com!
Did you know that getting a Korean name is pretty easy?
여러분, 안녕하세요. 케이진입니다.
Hi everyone! I’m K-Jin.
In this lesson, you'll learn all about Korean names.
Names are very important in every culture, and Korea is no exception.
In this video, you'll learn how important names are to Koreans, and how to get a Korean name of your own!
Let’s go over the 11 essential rules for writing and pronouncing names in Korean.
The first rule is each syllable should have at least one consonant and one vowel.
A very common mistake is trying to write your name according to the way it’s spelled in your own language.
Instead, you should write your name according to how it’s pronounced.
Let's take the name Jane for example.
If you try to write “Jane” as it’s spelled, using 자 for the letters “J” and “a,” and 네 for the letters “n” and “e,” the pronunciation will be off. Together, it’s pronounced (ja-ne) 자-네, not “Jane.”
Here, you may fall into your first dilemma.
As we said earlier, each syllable should have at least one consonant and one vowel. However, some foreign names contain only one consonant sound.
In this case, you would add the Korean vowel ㅡ(eu).
For example, Chris becomes 크리스 (keu-ri-seu) by adding eu to the k and s sounds.
So whenever a consonant doesn’t have a vowel sound, just add eu at the end.
Again, Chris becomes Keu plus ri plus seu, 크리스.
The second rule is the -r sound at the end of a syllable is silent.
For example, the r sound at the end of Peter isn’t pronounced in the Korean equivalent, 피터 (pi-teo).
This is because you don’t need to add the consonant ㄹ at the end of a syllable if it ends with an r sound.
This follows the rules set by the National Institute of Korean Language, which designates that borrowed words and names are to be written in a particular way to avoid confusion.
It’s also said it’s because there are not so many hangul names with the batchim ㄹ at the end.
For those who don’t know, a batchim is a consonant letter placed at the bottom of a character.
So remember, don’t add the batchim ㄹ if the syllable ends with r.
So Peter in Korean is 피터 (pi-teo), and Alexander is 알렉산더 (a-lek-san-deo).
The third rule applies to syllables that end with an h sound.
If a word ends with an h sound, then the final syllable is silent.
For example, Hannah becomes 한나 (hanna), not 한낳.
The fourth rule is the sound -SH at the end of a syllable can be either 시 or 쉬.
For example, Josh can be written as either 조시 (josi) or 조쉬 (joswi).
The fifth rule is P or PH at the end of a syllable can be either ㅂ or 프, depending on your preference.
For example, the name Joseph is commonly written as 조셉 (josep) in Korean, but you’ll also see people write it as 조세프 (josepeu).
Another example would be Phillip, 필립 (pillip), which is even used as a native Korean name. But you could also write it as 필리프 (pillipeu).
Again, 필립 is used more often.
The sixth rule is the T at the end of a syllable can be either ㅅ or 트.
For example, Scott can be written as 스콧 (seukot) or 스코트 (seukoteu).
Matt can be written as 맷 (maet) or 매트 (maeteu).
The seventh rule is F is pronounced as P (ㅍ).
There’s no f sound in Korean, so names that start with f, along with names that start with p, are written using the consonant ㅍ.
For example, Felicity in Korean becomes 펠리시티 (pellisiti).
Pamela is written as 파멜라 (pamella).
The eighth rule is V is pronounced as B (ㅂ).
There’s no v sound in Korean, so syllables that start with v, along with names that start with b, are written using the consonant ㅂ.
For example, Vanessa in Korean is written as 바네사 (banesa).
Becky in Korean is written as 베키 (beki).
Steve is written in Korean as 스티브 (seutibeu).
The ninth rule is Z is pronounced as J (ㅈ).
Names that start with j or z are written using the consonant ㅈ.
For example, Joe is written in Korean as 조 (jo).
Jack and Zack are both written in Korean as 잭 (jaek).
The tenth rule is one L followed by a vowel in the middle of a name becomes double ㄹ plus a vowel.
For example, Julia is written in Korean as 줄리아 (jullia).
Nicolas is pronounced 니콜라스 (nikollaseu).
But if L comes at the beginning of a name, it doesn't change to a double ㄹ.
Lena is just 레나 (rena).
If there are two Ls in the middle of a name, write it as is. You don't need to add more ㄹ sounds. For that reason, both Gabriella and Gabriela are 가브리엘라.
The last rule is a K at the end of a syllable can be either ㄱ or 크, but ㄱ is more common.
For example, Patrick is written in Korean as 패트릭 (paeteurik).
Eric is written in Korean as 에릭 (erik).
Now, let’s have a look at Korean names that already sound like English names.
First, some feminine names:
제인 (Je-In): Jane
조안 (Jo-An): Joanne
미나 (Mi-Na): Mina
사라 (Sa-Ra): Sara
한나 (Han-Na): Hannah
하나 (Ha-Na): Hana
진희 (Jin-Hui): Jeanie
아라 (A-Ra): Ara
진 (Jin): Jean
And now some masculine names:
제이 (Je-I): Jay
태빈 (Tea-Bin): Tevin
이안 (I-An): Ian
유진 (Yu-Jin): Eugene
노아 (No-A): Noah
필립 (Pil-Lip): Phillip
Next, pick out a Korean name for yourself!
If you really want a Korean-sounding name, one fun way to do so is to use popular Korean names.
Or try using your birthday to come up with a Korean name—here’s a fun chart you can use to come up with a name for yourself.
For example, if you're a woman and your birthday is September 1st, 1996, your full name would be 최진희 (Choe Jin-Hui).
최진희
Your surname is the month in which you were born. So if you were born in September, your surname would be 최 (Choe).
Your given name is the day of your birthday and the last number of your birth year. So if you were born on the 1st of the month in the year 1996, your given name would be 진희 (Jin-Hui).
However, if you're a man with the same birthday, September 1st, 1996, your full name would be 최진훈 (Choe Jin-Hun).
최진훈
Same as before, your surname is the month in which you were born. So in this case, your surname would also be 최 (Choe).
But the difference is in the given name. The day of your birthday and the last number of your birth year are still the same, but if you’re a man, your given name would be 진훈 (Jin-Hun) instead of 진희 (Jin-Hui).
Finally, how are Korean names written?
There is a famous Korean saying about names:
호랑이는 죽어서 가죽을 남기고 사람은 죽어서 이름이 남긴다
“A tiger will die and leave its skin, and a person will die and leave their name.”
This saying epitomizes the importance of names to Koreans.
You’ll commonly see parents with newborns asking advice about names from their elders.
Or they might go to a naming guru to get a name that’ll bring prosperity and luck to their children.
Some parents even give their children ‘태명’, which are nicknames given to children before they’re born!
Having said that, how is a Korean name given?
In English, the given name comes first and surname after. For example, John Smith.
However, in Korean, the order is reversed! The surname is given first, and the given name last. For example, 박지민 (Bak Ji-Min).
In this lesson you learned all about Korean names!
If you want to learn how to read and write in Korean and master Hangul FAST, click the link in the lesson description and sign up for a FREE lifetime account to get access to our Hangul worksheet.
You can print it out, practice it, and master all the characters.
That’s it for today!
See you next time!
다음에 또 봐요!

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