Korean Name Spacing: Sounds, Rules and Examples

What you'll learn

• Write a Korean full name with the family name first and no space inside it.
• Add 씨 and a title with one space, as in 김민수 씨 and 김민수 대리.
• Choose between 씨 and a title with 님.
• Write foreign names in Hangul.

Prerequisites: you can read Hangul and know that Korean names have a family name first. Time: about 25 minutes.

Key facts

• Family name and given name: no space (김민수).
• 씨 and titles: separate words (김민수 씨, 김민수 대리).
• A title in a 님 form is one word (김 과장님).
• Foreign names in Hangul: a space between given name and family name.

Listen to the name, then the name with 씨 and with a title.

The next section defines the key terms.

What Is Korean Name Spacing?

Korean name spacing is the set of rules for where to put spaces when writing a person's name with a title or with 씨. The rule comes from Article 48 of the Hangul Orthography (한글 맞춤법), published by the National Institute of Korean Language (국립국어원). It says that a family name and a given name are written together, and that a term of address or a title after them is written separately.

씨 is a dependent noun, which means a noun that cannot stand on its own and must follow a name or a modifier. It is written as a separate word, like the titles.

Everything is built from these four moves, and the next section shows how Korean order differs from English order.

Why Do English Speakers Struggle with Korean Name Spacing?

English speakers expect the given name to come first and to be a separate word. In Korean, the family name comes first, and the whole name is a single unit. Writing 김 민수 looks natural to an English eye, because "Minsu Kim" has two words. In Korean writing, however, 김민수 has none inside it.

The English honorific "Mr." goes before the name, while the Korean 씨 comes after it. Titles also come after the name, never before it. The next section covers the full-name rule.

How Are Korean Names Written?

A Korean name is written with the family name first and the given name next, with no space between them. Most family names have one syllable (김, 이, 박, 최, 정) and most given names have two (민수, 지은, 하나). A full name is therefore usually three syllables, written as one unit.

A few family names have two syllables, such as 남궁, 제갈, 선우 and 황보. They are written attached to the given name too: 남궁서진. The orthography also allows a space to show where the family name ends when readers might be unsure: 남궁 서진. Both forms are acceptable.

The same rule applies to names on forms, name cards and school lists: 김민수, not 김 민수. For writing your own name in Hangul, see the section your name in Korean.

The next section covers 씨 and titles.

How Do Titles and 씨 Work?

씨 and titles are separate words that come after the name, and a particle after them attaches. 씨 follows a full name or a given name. Titles follow a full name or a family name.

Titles such as 대리, 과장, 부장, 사장, 교수 and 박사 are written separately from the name. A title with 님, such as 과장님 or 교수님, is one word, so the polite form has no space inside it.

씨 or a title? 씨 suits colleagues of equal or lower rank, people you have just met, and neutral polite address. It does not suit a boss or an older person, for whom a title plus 님 is the safer choice. The honorifics section, Korean honorifics, covers the grammar of respect.

씨 after a surname alone. 김 씨 is used when talking about a person, but addressing someone as 김 씨 can sound cold or condescending. Use the full name, the given name or a title instead.

The next section covers foreign names.

What about Foreign Names?

Foreign names written in Hangul are usually spaced between the given name and the family name, in the original order. John Smith becomes 존 스미스, with a space, and the family name comes last. Korean order does not apply, because the person's name is still John Smith.

A middle dot can link names that are listed as a pair or a group, as in 김민수·이지은. The orthography does not fix every case for foreign names, so check the style guide of the publication or workplace you write for.

This lesson focuses on Korean names and on common Western names. Chinese and Japanese names have their own Hangul conventions, which this lesson does not cover.

A particle after the name still attaches to its last word: 존 스미스 씨는, 스미스 박사는. The Korean emails and letters section uses these forms in greetings.

How Do Names Look in Messages and Forms?

In messages and forms, the same rules apply, and a few fixed patterns appear again and again. A greeting at the start of an email names the person, adds the title with 님, and ends with the particle 께, which means "to" for a respected person. A sign-off puts the sender's name first, then a separate word such as 드림 ("respectfully yours").

Notice that 대리님께 and 선생님께 are one unit each, with the particle 께 attached, while the name and the title have one space between them. In a form field, the name is written without a space, as in 성명: 김민수. The Korean emails and letters section gives full greetings and endings with these name patterns.

The next section builds a full example.

Worked Example: 김민수 씨

To write "Mr. Kim Minsu is a student" correctly, follow five steps.

1. Identify the name parts. The family name is 김 and the given name is 민수.
2. Join them. 김 + 민수 gives 김민수, with no space.
3. Add 씨. 씨 is a separate word, so a space goes before it: 김민수 씨.
4. Add the particle. The topic particle 는 attaches to 씨: 김민수 씨는.
5. Finish the sentence. 김민수 씨는 학생이에요.

You'll know it worked when the only space in the subject is the one before 씨. Try a variant with a title: 김민수 대리님은 회사에 계세요 uses the full name, a space, the title with 님, and the particle attached.

The next section lists the mistakes learners make.

What Mistakes Do Learners Make with Name Spacing?

Learners make five predictable mistakes, and each has a one-step fix.

Learners often assume a space separates family name and given name. Actually the full name is one unit. Wrong: 김 민수. Right: 김민수. Fix: write the name as one word unless a title follows.

Learners often join 씨 to the name. Actually 씨 is a separate word. Wrong: 민수씨. Right: 민수 씨. Fix: leave a space before 씨 and attach only a particle after it.

Learners often join the title to the name. Actually titles are separate words. Wrong: 김민수대리. Right: 김민수 대리. Fix: space before any title, and join only the 님 to the title.

Learners often use 씨 for people of higher rank. Actually a title plus 님 is the respectful form. Wrong: 사장 씨. Right: 사장님. Fix: use 씨 for peers and juniors only.

Learners often put the title before the name. Actually Korean titles follow the name. Wrong: 과장 김민수. Right: 김민수 과장. Fix: say the name first, then the title.

An honest limit: the orthography sets the spacing, but real usage varies. On name cards, in signs and in messages you will see 김민수씨 and 김 민수. Both are common in informal use and neither is standard in formal writing. Also, 님 after a plain personal name (민수 님) is usually spaced in forms and messages, while titles with 님 are one word. Practise with the standard forms. A spell checker catches many spacing errors, as the Korean spell checker guide explains.

The next section tests the rule.

Practice and Answer Key

Write each name correctly.

1. 김 민수 (a full name)
2. 민수씨
3. 김민수씨
4. 김과장님
5. 이지은대리
6. 박교수님
7. 정하나씨는
8. 남궁서진 씨 (two-syllable family name)
9. 존스미스 씨 (John Smith)
10. 사장 씨 (to a boss)

Answer key

1. 김민수 (no space)
2. 민수 씨
3. 김민수 씨
4. 김 과장님
5. 이지은 대리
6. 박 교수님
7. 정하나 씨는
8. 남궁서진 씨 (or 남궁 서진 씨; both are allowed)
9. 존 스미스 씨
10. 사장님

A score of 9 or 10 means the pattern is working. If you missed items 8 and 9, review the two-syllable family names and the foreign-name sections. The next section points to what comes after this lesson.

Where to Go Next after Korean Name Spacing

After Korean name spacing, continue to Korean hada verbs spacing, the last of the six spacing decisions. It deals with 하다 verbs such as 공부하다 and the question of when a space appears inside them.

For the whole set, return to Korean spacing rules, and for the spelling side see Korean spelling rules. This lesson covers Korean and common Western names with 씨 and titles. It does not cover pen names, stage names or the honorific vocabulary in full. About this page. Last updated 2026-10-09. The Korean text, spoken forms and Revised Romanization were reviewed and signed off by Min-ji Park on 15 October 2026. Romanization is shown only as a learning aid.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is there a space between a Korean surname and given name? No. Under the Hangul Orthography, the family name and given name are written together, as in 김민수, 이지은 and 정하나. The family name comes first. A space appears only before a title or before 씨, as in 김민수 씨. Two-syllable family names such as 남궁 normally attach too, although a space is allowed to show where the surname ends.

How do I write 씨? Write 씨 as a separate word after a full name or a given name, with one space, as in 김민수 씨 or 민수 씨. A particle after 씨 attaches to it, as in 민수 씨는. Use 씨 for peers and people of equal or lower standing. For a superior, use the title plus 님 instead.

How do I write titles? Write a title after the name with one space, as in 김민수 대리 or 이순신 장군. If the title is a polite form ending in 님, it forms one word, as in 김 과장님 and 박 교수님. When the surname alone precedes a title, the surname is also spaced, as in 김 과장.

How do foreign names appear in Hangul? Foreign names are usually written in Hangul in the order given name, family name, with a space between them, as in 존 스미스. A title or 씨 follows with its own space, as in 존 스미스 씨. Check the style guide of the publication you write for.

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