Romanization of Korean Names: Surnames, Given Names and Rules

How Does the Romanization of Korean Names Work?

The romanization of Korean names works in two layers: an official rule and personal choice. The official rule is in the Revised Romanization of 2000, which says to write the surname first, then a space, then the given name as one word or with a hyphen. The personal layer is that people may keep any spelling they already use, and most do.

A typical name shows both layers. The name 김민수 has the surname 김 and the given name 민수. Under strict Revised Romanization it would be Gim Minsu. In practice it is almost always Kim Minsu, because the family spelling Kim is far older than the 2000 rules.

• Surname: usually one syllable, written first. Examples: 김, 이, 박, 최, 정.
• Given name: usually two syllables. Examples: 민수, 서연, 지훈.
• Order: surname first in Korea; often flipped abroad.

Names are a special case within Korean romanization, so ordinary word rules apply only partly. The clearest example of that gap is the most famous Korean surname spelling of all.

Why Is 이 Spelled Lee?

The surname 이 is spelled Lee because families chose that English spelling long before Revised Romanization existed, and the strict RR form, I, looks like the English pronoun. The Korean pronunciation is a simple [i], close to the vowel in English "see". Lee gives English readers that vowel.

There is also a historical reason for the L. The surname comes from the Chinese character 李, which was once pronounced 리 (ri) in Korean. In South Korea, a sound rule called the initial sound law (두음법칙, dueumbeopchik) dropped ㄹ before ㅣ at the start of a word, so 리 became 이. Many writers link the L in Lee to that older form, though the spelling choice itself was never set by one rule. North Korea did not adopt that sound change for this name, so the same surname appears there as 리, romanized Ri.

The same name therefore has at least five spellings in English: Lee (most common in the South), Yi (common in scholarship and some families), Rhee (used by South Korea's first president, Syngman Rhee), Ri (North Korea) and I (strict RR, rarely used). Lee is only the best-known case; the next three surnames follow a similar pattern.

Why Park, Kim and Choi Instead of Bak, Gim and Choe?

Park, Kim and Choi survive because they were established family spellings before 2000, and Revised Romanization allows established spellings for people. The RR forms Bak, Gim and Choe are correct under the rules, but few people use them on passports.

Each spelling has a reason:

• Kim (김). The older McCune–Reischauer system writes a plain ㄱ at the start of a word as k, so Kim matched the standard of its time. To English ears the Korean sound sits between g and k.
• Park (박). The MR form is Pak. Park is commonly explained by non-rhotic English, as spoken in much of Britain, where the r in "park" is silent, so Park sounds close to [박]. It also avoids an unwanted English reading of Pak.
• Choi (최). The vowel ㅚ is hard to spell in English. Choe (RR) and Ch'oe (MR) are accurate, but Choi was easier to read.

Common Surnames and Their Spellings

The table shows a pattern: the commonest English spelling is usually the MR form or an English-friendly respelling, rarely the RR form. Kim, Lee and Park are the three most common surnames in South Korea, so you will meet these spellings constantly. What the rules actually require for names is narrower than many people think.

Two-Syllable Surnames

A small number of Korean surnames have two syllables, such as 남궁 (Namgung), 제갈 (Jegal), 선우 (Seonu, often spelled Sunwoo) and 황보 (Hwangbo). They are rare, but they cause confusion in romanization because the first syllable looks like a whole surname. In 남궁민, the surname is 남궁 and the given name is 민, so the name is Namgung Min, not Nam Gungmin. When a name has three syllables and the first two match a known two-syllable surname, check before splitting it.

What Does Revised Romanization Say about Names?

Revised Romanization says three things about personal names, in Chapter 3, Article 4 of the 2000 rules. The surname comes first, the given name may be written joined or with a hyphen, and sound changes between given-name syllables are not written. The rules also say surnames will be romanized under a separate standard, and Article 7 lets people keep spellings they already use.

Surname First, Given Name Joined or Hyphenated

Write the surname, a space, and then the given name as one word. A hyphen between the two given-name syllables is allowed.

• 민용하 → Min Yongha or Min Yong-ha
• 송나리 → Song Nari or Song Na-ri

The hyphen is useful when a joined name could be read two ways. 하은 written Haeun could be read as Hae-un or Ha-eun. Ha-eun shows the correct break.

No Sound Changes inside Given Names

Sound changes between given-name syllables are not written, so the name keeps the sound of each syllable on its own. 한복남 is pronounced [한봉남], but the name is Han Boknam, not Han Bongnam. 홍빛나 is pronounced [홍빈나] but romanized Hong Bitna.

This is the opposite of ordinary words. A place such as 백마 is written Baengma, with the sound change, while a person named 석민, pronounced [성민], is Seokmin. The reason is practical: a name should look the same however it is said in a sentence. The full word rules are in the Revised Romanization rules lesson. With the rule clear, you can romanize any given name yourself.

How Do You Romanize a Korean Given Name?

Romanize a Korean given name syllable by syllable, using the RR letter table and ignoring sound changes between the syllables. Follow four steps.

1. Split the name into syllables. 서연 → 서 + 연.
2. Romanize each syllable on its own. 서 = seo, 연 = yeon.
3. Join or hyphenate. Seoyeon or Seo-yeon. Pick one and keep it.
4. Capitalise the first letter only. Seoyeon, not SeoYeon.

You'll know it worked when you can turn the romanization back into the Hangul syllables without guessing. Watch two letters in particular. ㅢ is always ui, so 영희, pronounced [영히], is Yeonghui. And a final ㄱ before a nasal stays k: 석민 is Seokmin, even though you hear [성민].

Given names in the media rarely follow these steps exactly, which is the next problem.

How Should You Read Celebrity and K-Pop Names?

Read celebrity and K-pop names as personal brand spellings, not as strict romanization. Entertainment companies and athletes choose spellings that look good and are easy to say in English, so the same Korean syllable can appear in several forms.

Notice how often ㅓ becomes u in names. Jungkook, Ji-sung and Yuna all use u or yu for ㅓ or ㅕ, because English readers say "u" closer to the Korean sound than they say "eo". The same mismatch is explained in why Korean romanization looks wrong.

Hyphen, Space or One Word

Three formats are common for the given name: hyphenated (Son Heung-min), joined (Kim Yuna) and separated by a space (Kim Jong Un). The hyphen and the joined form are both allowed by Revised Romanization. The space format is common for North Korean names and in some older Western publications, and it makes a two-syllable given name look like a middle name.

Given-Name-First Order in English Media

News agencies usually keep Korean names surname first: Son Heung-min, not Heung-min Son. Koreans living abroad, and some sports leagues and universities, often put the given name first to fit Western forms, as in Minsu Kim. When the two orders meet in one list, look for the hyphen: the hyphenated part is almost always the given name. Official documents settle which spelling a person uses.

Who Decides Passport Spellings?

The applicant decides the spelling of their name on a South Korean passport, within rules set by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Revised Romanization is the default, but an applicant may use an established spelling, and family members commonly match the surname spelling already used by a parent.

Once a spelling is on a passport, changing it is restricted. The passport rules allow a change only in limited cases, such as a clear error or a long record of using a different spelling abroad. This is why advice to Korean families is to choose carefully the first time, and why a person who is Park on a first passport usually stays Park for life. Check current guidance with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs or a consulate before applying, because the detailed rules change from time to time.

The restrictions also explain why one person can appear under several spellings across different records.

Why Does the Same Korean Name Have Different Spellings?

The same Korean name has different spellings because at least four systems and habits overlap: Revised Romanization, the older McCune–Reischauer system, family spellings, and personal brand choices. A single name can pass through all four in one lifetime.

Take the footballer 박지성 as an example:

• Personal spelling: Park Ji-sung (his passport and media name)
• Revised Romanization: Bak Jiseong
• McCune–Reischauer: Pak Chi-sŏng
• Library catalogues: often MR-based, so Pak Chi-sŏng

Each is a correct answer to a different question. For more on the older system, see McCune–Reischauer in the glossary. Several spellings for one person create a real problem when you need to find them in a database.

How Are North Korean Names Romanized?

North Korean names are romanized with North Korea's MR-based system and keep sounds that South Korean spelling drops. The biggest visible difference is the initial ㄹ. South Korean spelling applies the initial sound law, so the surnames 李, 柳 and 林 are usually 이, 유 and 임. North Korean spelling keeps 리, 류 and 림, romanized Ri, Ryu and Rim. The singer and First Lady 리설주 is therefore Ri Sol Ju in North Korean sources, while a South Korean with the same surname would usually be Lee.

North Korean names are also often printed as three separate capitalised words with no hyphen, as in Kim Jong Un. Read the first word as the surname and the last two as the given name. South Korea has moved slightly toward the northern forms for surnames: courts have allowed people to register surnames such as 류 and 라 with the initial ㄹ, so both Yu and Ryu now appear among South Koreans.

How to Find a Korean Name in a Database or Library

To find a Korean person in a library, archive or search engine, search for every likely spelling and, if possible, the Hangul. Use this checklist:

1. Search the Hangul name first. 박지성 finds Korean sources directly and avoids spelling variants.
2. Try the RR form and the MR form. Bak Jiseong and Pak Chi-sŏng, with and without the breve.
3. Try the common surname spellings. Lee, Yi and Rhee; Park, Pak and Bak; Choi and Choe.
4. Try both name orders and both formats. Ji-sung Park, Jisung Park, Park Jisung.
5. Use an identifier where one exists. An ORCID iD for researchers or a catalogue authority record stays the same whatever the spelling.

Expert insight: in academic work, cite a Korean author under the spelling they use on their own publications, and give the Hangul in brackets the first time. That one habit prevents most mix-ups. The examples below let you practise the official rule itself.

Examples: Romanizing Five Given Names

Romanize each full name with Revised Romanization, using surname first and a hyphenated given name. Answers follow.

1. 김서연
2. 이민준
3. 박하은
4. 최영희
5. 정석민

Answers (strict RR, then common family spelling):

1. Gim Seo-yeon (Kim Seo-yeon)
2. I Min-jun (Lee Min-jun)
3. Bak Ha-eun (Park Ha-eun)
4. Choe Yeong-hui (Choi Yeong-hui)
5. Jeong Seok-min (Jung Seok-min)

If you wrote Seong-min for 석민, you romanized the sound change; names keep each syllable's own spelling.

Common Mistakes with Korean Names

Five mistakes cause most confusion with Korean names in English.

• Treating the second part of the given name as a surname. In Kim Jong Un, the surname is Kim; Jong Un is the given name.
• Capitalising after the hyphen. Write Seo-yeon, not Seo-Yeon, unless the person writes it that way.
• "Correcting" family spellings. Lee is not a misspelling of I; it is the person's legal name.
• Writing sound changes in names. 석민 is Seokmin, not Seongmin.
• Assuming one spelling means one person. Many people share the name Kim Minsu; check the Hangul and other details.

What This Page Does Not Cover

This page covers how Korean names are written in Latin letters. It does not cover naming customs, such as generation names, how names are chosen, or why married women keep their surname; those topics are in Korean names. It also does not cover the reverse direction. To go the other way, learn to write your name in Korean.

The honest limit of name romanization is that no spelling tells you how to say the name. Jungkook and Jeongguk are the same sound, and neither shows it exactly. The only reliable guide is the Hangul with audio.

The Bottom Line

The romanization of Korean names follows a simple official rule, surname first and given name joined or hyphenated without sound changes, but personal and family spellings override it. That is why 이 is usually Lee, 박 is Park and 김 is Kim. When you need to identify a person, rely on the Hangul and the spelling they use themselves, not on what the rules would predict.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is it rude to change the order of a Korean name? It is not rude, but it can cause confusion. Many Koreans who live or work abroad write their given name first, such as Minsu Kim, to fit Western forms. In Korea and in most news reports, the surname comes first. If you are unsure, ask the person how they write their own name.

Why do some Koreans have English names? Some Koreans pick an English name, such as Jennie or David, for school, work abroad or international business, because foreigners find it easier to say and remember. The English name usually sits alongside the Korean name rather than replacing it, and it does not appear on Korean ID cards.

How do I write my own name in Korean? Writing a foreign name in Hangul is the reverse of romanization. You match each sound in your name to the closest Korean syllables, following the National Institute of Korean Language's loanword rules. For example, Emma becomes 엠마 and David becomes 데이비드. Our separate guide walks through the steps.

Do Korean women change their surname when they marry? No. Korean women traditionally keep their own surname after marriage, so a married couple usually has two different surnames, such as Kim and Park. Children have usually taken the father's surname, although South Korean law has allowed the mother's surname by agreement since 2008. The romanized spelling of each surname does not change.