Your name in Korean

How your name becomes Korean

Korean letters (Hangul) write sounds, not meanings. So your name is not translated — it is written the way it sounds, in Korean letters. Korean puts the letters of each syllable together in one square block, so Emma becomes two blocks: 엠마.

1. Names we checked by hand. We checked the Korean spelling of 300 of the most common English first names by hand, looking at how Korean writes real people with those names.
2. Names already written in Korean. Thousands more names are spelled the way they are already written for real people in Korean.
3. Everything else. We go by how the name is pronounced, from a pronunciation dictionary. If the name is not in the dictionary, we guess from its spelling, and the page tells you so, because Koreans may write it a little differently.

If you type a Korean name in English letters, like Minji or Jung Kook, it is read as a Korean name instead.

Questions about your name in Korean

How do I write my name in Korean?

Type your first name above and press Show me. Then press Write your name: the page shows the stroke order for each block (for a few rare blocks it is still coming), and you write it with your finger or mouse. You can also print a worksheet and practice on paper.

Why can my name have more than one spelling?

Some English sounds have no exact match in Korean, so people choose different letters. Thomas, for example, is written 토머스 or 토마스. We show one spelling first, and the others under Also written.

Is this my Korean name?

It is your own name, written in Korean letters the way Koreans would usually write it. A Korean name is different: it is a new name, usually chosen for its meaning, and this page does not make one.

What about my last name?

This page writes first names. If you type more than one word, it uses the first one, so put your first name first. A Korean family name like Kim or Park is skipped.

Is the name I type saved?

Your name is turned into Korean in your browser. If it is not in our hand-checked list, or its stroke order is not ready, we store the name, how many times it was asked and when — not your IP address or anything that identifies you — so we know which names to add next. A name we cannot find in any list is also sent to our server once, to estimate how it sounds. See Names you type.