Korean name

Korean names, like names in many other East Asian countries, begin with the family name and end with the given name.

For instance, Kim In is properly addressed as Mr. Kim, not Mr. In.

Korean family names typically consist of one syllable, while given names usually comprise two syllables. There is a relatively small number of family names that account for a large percentage of the population.

Kim (Hangul: 김, Hanja: 金, RR: Gim, M-R: Kim) is by far the most common family name.

Other common family names include:

• Park (Hangul: 박, Hanja: 朴, RR: Bak, M-R: Pak)
• Lee (Often romanized as Lee, I, Rhee, Ri, and Yi)
  • South Korean form (Hangul: 이, Hanja: 李, RR: I, M-R: Yi)
  • North Korean form (Hangul: 리, RR: Ri, M-R: Ri)
• Choi (Hangul: 최, Hanja: 崔, RR: Choe, M-R: Cho'e) - pronounced "ch'way"

Koreans often romanize personal names and names of companies in ad-hoc manners; romanized names tend to reflect personal preference instead of specific romanization styles.

A full name is known as a seongmyeong (Hangul: 성명, Hanja: 姓名, RR: seongmyeong, M-R: sŏngmyŏng), or more informally, simply 'ireum' ('이름', RR: Ireum, M-R: Irŭm).

North Koreans no longer use Hanja (Chinese characters) at all, while South Koreans rarely use Hanja.

RSM? The normal word for 'name' in general is 'ireum.' 'Seongmyeong' is a polite way of saying 'name,' as when asking an older person for their name, or as used in forms and documents.

See also

• List of Korean Names

• Chinese name
• Japanese name
• Vietnamese name