What Is McCune-Reischauer?
McCune-Reischauer (MR) is named after two American scholars, George M. McCune and Edwin O. Reischauer, who devised it in the late 1930s and published it in 1939 in the journal of the Korea Branch of the Royal Asiatic Society. Their goal was a system that let English readers say Korean words roughly right. It became the standard in English-language scholarship for most of the twentieth century.
How McCune-Reischauer Marks Korean Sounds
McCune-Reischauer marks Korean sounds with three devices that Revised Romanization does not use.
- Breves for two vowels: 어 is ŏ and 으 is ŭ, as in Sŏul (서울) and Han'gŭl (한글).
- Apostrophes for aspiration: ㅋ, ㅌ, ㅍ and ㅊ are k', t', p' and ch', as in k'al (칼, knife).
- Sound-based consonants: ㄱ, ㄷ, ㅂ and ㅈ are k, t, p and ch at the start of a word but g, d, b and j between voiced sounds: in Taegu (대구), ㄷ is t at the start and ㄱ is g in the middle.
Why Do Apostrophes Appear in MR?
Apostrophes appear in MR for two jobs. After a consonant letter, the apostrophe marks aspiration, the extra puff of air in ㅋ, ㅌ, ㅍ and ㅊ: plain ㄱ in 김 is k, aspirated ㅋ in 칼 is k'. Between n and g, the apostrophe marks a syllable break, so Han'gŭl is read 한 + 글, not 항 + 을.
Why Does McCune-Reischauer Still Matter?
McCune-Reischauer still matters because it fills older maps, books and library records. North Korea's official romanization is based on it, which is why North Korea's name for its script, 조선글, usually appears in English as Chosŏn'gŭl, an MR spelling. The Library of Congress romanization table for Korean (ALA-LC), used in many university libraries, is also MR-based. South Korea itself used a modified MR from 1984 until 2000.
McCune-Reischauer vs Revised Romanization
South Korea replaced MR with Revised Romanization in July 2000. The two systems differ in four main ways.
| Attribute | McCune-Reischauer | Revised Romanization |
|---|---|---|
| ㅓ / ㅡ | ŏ / ŭ (breves) | eo / eu |
| Aspirated ㅋ ㅌ ㅍ ㅊ | k' t' p' ch' | k t p ch |
| Word-initial ㄱ ㄷ ㅂ ㅈ | k t p ch | g d b j |
| Special marks | breves and apostrophes | none (hyphen optional) |
| Official in | North Korea (MR-based) | South Korea since 2000 |
For side-by-side rules with many more words, read Revised Romanization vs McCune-Reischauer. Linguists often use Yale romanization instead of either.
Examples of McCune-Reischauer Spellings
- 부산: MR Pusan, RR Busan. The famous film festival kept "Pusan" in its English name for years.
- 김포: MR Kimp'o, often printed Kimpo without the apostrophe; RR Gimpo, as in Gimpo International Airport.
- 대구: MR Taegu, RR Daegu.
Is McCune-Reischauer Wrong?
No. Learners often assume Pusan is a misspelling of Busan; actually both are correct spellings in different systems. MR was designed for English readers' ears, so word-initial ㅂ, which sounds close to English p, became p. RR was designed for consistency and easy typing. Neither system is a pronunciation guide; see Korean romanization for how the systems compare.
Related Hangul Terms
- Revised Romanization: South Korea's current official system.
- Yale romanization: the spelling-based system used by linguists.
- the Hangul terms glossary: all related definitions.
If you read older English books about Korea, a quick look at McCune-Reischauer turns names like Kimpo and Taegu back into Hangul.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Han'gŭl McCune-Reischauer? Yes. Han'gŭl is the McCune-Reischauer spelling of 한글. The breve on ŭ marks the vowel ㅡ, and the apostrophe after n shows that n and g belong to different syllables, 한 and 글, rather than forming ng. Revised Romanization writes the same word Hangeul, and English often drops all marks: Hangul.
Do Koreans use McCune-Reischauer today? South Koreans rarely do. Road signs, passports and government documents have used Revised Romanization since 2000. McCune-Reischauer survives in North Korea's official system, in many Western library catalogues, in older books and maps, and in some academic writing on Korean history. Many older personal names also keep MR-style spellings.
Why do people drop the breves? Breves are hard to type. Most keyboards have no key for ŏ or ŭ, so writers often leave them out and type o and u. That loses information, because ㅓ and ㅗ both become o, and ㅡ and ㅜ both become u. Dropped breves were one practical reason South Korea switched to Revised Romanization.
Is McCune-Reischauer better for pronunciation? Somewhat, for English speakers. Writing 부산 as Pusan shows that the ㅂ at the start sounds closer to English p than b, and the apostrophe flags the extra breath of aspirated letters. But no romanization shows Korean sounds exactly. Learn Hangul and listen to audio; that works better than either system.
