Korea. First names, last names, addresses to each other

Modern female and male Korean names differ significantly from those used in the West. They have a completely different sound, meaning and structure. In South Korea, names are written using the Chinese characters Hanja. 5038 of them can be used to name a child. This is the number of characters included in the official list compiled by the Supreme Court of South Korea. It is worth noting that in recent years, beautiful male and female names in Korean have become increasingly common. However, entries in official documents are still made in khanchcha.

Female and male Korean names are also remarkable in their structure. Most of them consist of two syllables, and only a few of one or three. It is noteworthy that the first name is always indicated after the last name. Thus, it is worth writing down Russian names in Korean.

Meaning of Korean Boy and Girl Names

Koreans pay a lot of attention to the content of names. This is what parents focus on when naming their children. The meaning of modern Korean names for girls and boys can be very diverse. Most often it is associated with various things: courage, wisdom, sincerity, beauty, etc. Names can also denote various animals, plants, celestial bodies, natural phenomena and objects of the material world.

For a more detailed look at the unusual Korean nomenclature, I suggest looking through the lists below. The first lists the most beautiful Korean names for boys and their meaning, and the second lists names for girls.

List of beautiful male Korean names

1. Jung. Translated into Russian it means “love”
2. Iseul. Interpreted as "dew"
3. Jung. Korean male name which means "prosperous"
4. Kuang. Translated into Russian it means “clear”
5. Meong. Interpreted as "light"
6. Ozhin. Means "wise and kind person"
7. Seung. Korean male name meaning "winner"
8. Khanyly. Translated into Russian it means “heaven”
9. Jin. Interpreted as "precious"
10. Yuong. Korean boy name meaning "bravery"

List of original female names in Korean

1. Yeon. Interpreted as "courageous"
2. Jin-Ho. Means "precious lake"
3. Kwon. Korean girl name meaning "circle"
4. Kanya. Interpreted as "girl"
5. Moncut. Translated into Russian it means “crown”
6. Pada. Korean girl name that means "sea"
7. Pakpao. Means "paper kite"
8. Seung. Translated into Russian it means “victory”
9. Heya. Feminine Korean girl name meaning "wisdom"
10. Chow. Interpreted as "pearl"

How to choose female and male Korean names

In Korea, it is customary to choose a name according to the horoscope, as well as in accordance with various concepts of Eastern philosophy. In view of this, many parents turn to professional fortune tellers working in specialized Jakmyeonseo centers for help. These specialists carry out the necessary calculations and determine which female or male Korean name will be the most favorable for a newborn child.

Many peoples believe that a name can say a lot about a person. This is a kind of information code that is the key to personality and destiny. To name a boy beautifully and unusually, you can refer to the list of Korean male names.

History of the origin of Korean male names

Old, native Korean names for boys were popular many centuries ago. With the passage of time, in the process of mixing races and the cultural influence of other peoples, they constantly changed. Currently, in Korea, children are called with names that have Manchu, Mongolian, Chinese and even Japanese origin. They are designated by hieroglyphs, which should not only have a meaning that matches each other, but also look beautiful when written.

Thanks to this, many original and beautiful Korean names have appeared. Surnames in this country are not very diverse; there are no more than three hundred of them. The most common are Kim, Pak and Tsoi. Therefore, it is not surprising for a Korean to meet a namesake, which cannot be said about namesakes.

On a note. There are hieroglyphs that are used both to create a name and when writing a surname.

For example, "shin" means "faith, trust" and is often found in boys' and girls' names. But many people of Asian descent also have the same surname.

List of beautiful names for a boy

If Korean surnames contain one syllable, then names are often made up of two. Moreover, the components are written separately, each with a capital letter.

Among representatives of this nationality you can find the following unusual names for boys:

• Bao Binh (protector, peacemaker);
• Jin Ho (leader, heroic personality);
• Duong (noble and courageous);
• Dung Quan (brave warrior);
• Yung (always prosperous);
• Kim (gold);
• Lan (peaceful);
• Meng Huo (brave tiger);
• Ngoc (gemstone);
• Thang (bright, radiant, clear);
• Jeon Il (true sun).

In naming a baby, a unique message is encoded, in a sense predicting his character traits and future life. Since ancient times, it was believed that a child who was called brave or courageous would become so in the future. Therefore, when choosing a beautiful and unusual name for a boy, you need to study its meaning.

Rare male names of Korean origin

Among Koreans, names written in one word are less common than two-syllable ones. Often they are formed from two words, slightly modified for ease of pronunciation.

Koreans who live far from their homeland, but want to preserve folk traditions, name their children in a similar way.

Among these adapted names you can find the following:

• Amen;
• Bojing;
• Bokin;
• Wenyan;
• Gengis;
• Guren;
• Deming;
• Janji;
• Zian;
• Zengzhong;
• Yongnian;
• Yongliang;
• Kiang;
• Longway;
• Mingli;
• Tengfei;
• Changming;
• Chenglei;
• Chuanli;
• Shanyuan;
• Yusheng;
• Yaoting.

As a rule, the word reflecting the meaning of such names is encrypted in its first part. The second is added for euphony; it can simply be a set of combined sounds that do not carry meaning.

List of Korean male names with meanings

When naming a child, Koreans most often use two hieroglyphs that match the semantic content and are in harmony with each other.

For the names of sons choose:

• Bao (defender);
• Scourge (jade);
• Wang (clouds);
• Vien (completion);
• Jung (love);
• Jin (leader);
• Dinh (peak);
• Duong (masculinity);
• Yong (fearlessness);
• Yung (well-being);
• Kim (gold);
• Kuang (purity);
• Lan (world);
• Monkut (crown, crown);
• Min (radiance, brightness);
• Nguyen (source, beginning);
• Ngoc (jewel);
• Sek (rock);
• Tien (spirituality);
• Tu (star);
• Tuan (radiant);
• Tuen (rays of the sun);
• Thai (friendly);
• Hanyul (heaven);
• Hyun (insight, wisdom);
• Hung (courage);
• Shin (loyalty and devotion);
• Yuong (bravery).

On a note. Koreans do not have a clear division of names into male and female; only the meanings of the hieroglyphs are important.

For example, a boy will not be named Hoa Lien (lotus flower) or Huong Nguyet (pink moon), but a name that includes Jung (love) or Yong (dew) can be given to a child of any gender.

The most popular names and their meanings

Koreans try to reflect the best masculine qualities in a boy's name, such as strength, courage and nobility. Therefore, when naming their sons, they choose the appropriate words.

Popular Korean names include:

• Vien. Literally translated, this means “completion,” and it is implied that such a child will bring all undertakings to a victorious end.
• Dinh. This word translates as “peak,” and when a boy is given such a name, his parents “program” him to achieve heights in life.
• Gin. This name is similar in meaning to the previous one and reflects the leadership qualities of the individual.
• Yong. The word is translated as "courage" and is often combined with "Kuan" (soldier). Most often this is the name given to boys born into warrior families.
• Heh. The name means “respectful”; it is expected that such a child will treat his parents and others with respect.

In addition, Asian peoples quite often give boys names containing the names of animals. For example, in Korea, the name Yuong Ho, meaning “brave tiger,” is very common.

How to choose a Korean name for a boy

When choosing what to name a child, Koreans are guided by several rules that are strictly observed:

1. The first name goes well with the last name.
2. Hieroglyphs look beautiful when written.
3. The words that make up the adjective match each other in meaning.

In addition, the child’s name often reflects his time of birth, zodiac sign and other personal information. For example, a boy born in the spring months may be named using the word “Lin” (spring). And if a son is born in the year of the tiger, the name of this animal will be present in the name.

By adhering to the main rules for naming a child, you can come up with an original and very beautiful name for a boy. But at the same time, you should not get too carried away with difficult-to-pronounce words, which will be difficult to remember the first time. No person can like it when others constantly forget or distort his name.

Among Asian names, the Russian average person most often hears Japanese and Chinese forms. But few people in our country encounter the specifics of the Korean onomasticon. In this article we will cover this topic a little and find out what Korean names and surnames are.

About Korean names and surnames

The first step is to touch upon the principle by which Korean surnames and given names are built. Firstly, it must be said that the overwhelming majority of surnames are monosyllabic, that is, they consist of one syllable. But Korean names, on the contrary, are most often compound, including two syllables. For example, the president of South Korea is named Moo Hyun, and his last name is Noh. The surname is pronounced first, so in official chronicles he is called No Moo Hyun. Although it is customary to write a Korean name in Russian as two words, this is just a feature of the established method of transmitting hieroglyphic writing in Russia. It is important to understand that these are not actually two names, but one name, consisting of two hieroglyphs-syllables.

It should also be noted that the vast majority of Korean names are of Chinese origin. As for surnames, they are most often based on a Korean root, although significantly sinicized. In general, there are relatively few surnames in Korean usage. But there are a huge variety of names. They are selected by fortune tellers trained in the rules of naming using a special ceremony. Since the name is selected from two hieroglyphs, this leads to the fact that a fixed onomasticon simply does not exist in Korea. Korean names can be a wide variety of variations of two syllables. Plus, almost any Chinese character can be included in the name, of which there are about seventy thousand in total. Although, of course, there are those that are used more often than others. But still, the probability of meeting two people with the same names in Korea is practically zero. It happens that occasionally two people have the same name. Even so, they will likely be spelled differently, since many Chinese characters that sound different start to be pronounced the same in Korea. This is where translation difficulties sometimes arise. After all, if it is not known how Korean names are written in hieroglyphs, then it may be impossible to adequately translate them.

Another feature of the Korean onomasticon is that Korean male and female names are written and pronounced the same. In other words, they are simply not divided into male and female, which is somewhat unusual for the European consciousness. The only way to determine the gender of a person by name is to understand the meaning. For example, it is unlikely that a girl will be named Meng Huo, which means “brave tiger.” But, as one should assume, such a system of gender identification does not always work and the results are only speculative.

Beautiful Korean names

Next, we will move directly to the list of Korean names. But, as mentioned above, it is simply impossible to compile such a list. Therefore, all the Korean names of girls and men that will be given below are only examples. We will give a list of the most common and beautiful syllables in sound and meaning, without making pairs of full-fledged nominal forms from them. All Korean names in this list will be arranged in alphabetical order.

A

Amen. This is the syllable used to denote a child's name.

B

Bao. This is a root that is included in many Korean names, mostly masculine. It means "protection".

IN

Vien. This is a word that means "completion."

D

Jung. A very popular syllable in Korean nominal forms. This is not surprising, since its meaning is love.

Duk. In this case we are talking about desire. This is exactly how this word is translated.

HER

En. This is a word that is translated into Russian as “peace”.

Yeonam. This name means “swallow rock.”

I, J

Yong. This name is an example of the tradition of naming a child with some noble quality. In this case, it's courage.

Iseul. This word is called morning dew. It has also become an integral part of many Korean names.

TO

Kim. A very popular form in Korean first and last names. Means "golden" or "golden".

L

Lin. This is one of the names that has its origins in the seasons. Means spring.

Lien. This word hides the name of such an important plant for Asian spirituality as lotus.

M

Munyeol. A very interesting name, which can literally be translated as “literary feat.”

N

Nung. This word translates as “velvet”. Many Korean girl names include it.

Ngoc. This is the name of any precious stone.

Nguyet. Almost all cultures have names that reference the moon. This syllable is a designation of the night luminary.

ABOUT

OK. This word is nothing more than a designation for a stone known in Russia under the name “jasper.”

P

Pakpao. Translated into Russian, this word means “paper kite.”

Puong. This word in Korean refers to the bird we know as the phoenix.

WITH

Sunan. This name can be translated both as “good word” and “blessing”.

Juice. This is a name that means "stone".

Soo. Complex abstract concept. It can be roughly translated into Russian by the phrase “noble in spirit.”

T

Thai. This syllable can be translated into Russian by the concept of “friendly” or “friendly”, “comradely”.

Thi. Under this syllable lies a literary work, which in Russian we would call a poem.

Tuen. The meaning that this word hides is translated into Russian by the word “ray”.

X

Hoa. Plant names are common in Korea. This, for example, simply means "flower".

C

Jin. This name can be adequately conveyed by the word “jewel”.

H

Chow. This syllable means "pearl". Often used when composing female names.

Chi. This syllable conveys what in Russian we call “tree branch.”

Sh

Shin. Another name that reflects good character. In this case, the syllable is translated as “trust.”

YU

Yuong. A very noble name, the direct meaning of which is courage.

I

Young. This is the name most often given to girls. This fact is quite natural, because its literal meaning is forever young.

Beautiful Korean names for girls and boys

If you want to give your newborn baby some exotic name, then turning to the Korean list will be the right decision. It sounds beautiful, resonant and unusual. But if you are of Korean descent, you should be more thoughtful in choosing a name for your baby. Like all other peoples, the name of a child encodes not only his family affiliation, but also his destiny. At least the one his parents want for him. In this article, we will list beautiful Korean names and describe their meanings so that you can make your choice.

Namesakes and namesakes

In all countries it is much more common to meet a person with the same name than with the same surname. In Korea, it's the other way around. There are not even two hundred and ninety names in the entire country. And there are three most common ones: Kim, Lee and Park. So meeting a person with the same last name in Korea is not an oddity, but a pattern. However, this person will not necessarily be your relative. Twenty million people in the southern part of the country alone have five common surnames. But meeting a namesake among these people is quite difficult. Korean names are very numerous. Moreover, very often they do not know sexual differentiation. That is, both a man and a woman can have the same name. But a person’s own, unique designation is written in one or two hieroglyphs. To them is added tollimcha - a syllable common to the entire generation of a given family. Therefore, the names of brothers, sisters and even cousins ​​sound very similar.

Writing

Korean names are mostly two-syllable, while surnames, on the contrary, are very short. But since the name of a person and his family affiliation are written in hieroglyphs (in Hangul or Khancha), then in Latin or Cyrillic transcription they are indicated with a space and a capital letter. But they should be pronounced together. It's like writing Key Rill or Ol Ga. When designating a Korean, the surname is placed first, and then the given name. If it happens that the first consists of more than one syllable, the second should be very short. For example, a Korean singer named Somun goes by the name Tak. But usually two syllables of a person's individual name complete the short gender designation. If you are not Korean, but just want to give your son or daughter one of the names of this people, you may not know these subtleties. However, in the traditional value system, it is important to take into account all these nuances of the pedigree.

How do they come up with names in Korea?

Since the list of surnames in this country is sadly short, the need for a huge number of individual names has arisen. You have to somehow distinguish between several million Kims or Packs. Korean names were compiled in three directions. The first is euphony and (most importantly) a good combination with the surname. The second is beautiful writing so that the hieroglyphs look organic. And the third direction - like other peoples - is the meaning of the name. But this latter was not given much importance in traditional Korea. Such hieroglyphs as lake and cloud were mixed, resulting in Van Ho. Recently, borrowing names from other languages ​​and cultures has become widespread in South Korea. But they are still written in hieroglyphs: Han Na, Da Vid.

We have already mentioned that in this country it is difficult to determine what kind of person is hidden behind his generic and individual name - whether he is a man or a woman. But still, most often girls are given names whose meaning reflects the qualities that parents would like to endow with their daughter. This is quite understandable. After all, other nations also call their daughters Roses, Lilies, Margaritas, etc. Korean names for girls are also not devoid of this logic. Therefore, there is Lien (lotus), Mei (flower), Nguyet (moon), Hong (rose), Tu (star). What mother does not wish her daughter female happiness? Therefore there are names such as Jung (love), Kui (jewel), Jung (prosperous). At the same time, girls are often wished courage (Yuong), wisdom (Hyun), courage (Dung), peace (Lan). The following popular names are common to girls and boys: Ha Neul (sky), Ah Reum (beauty), Kip Peum (joy), Yi Seul (dew, purity). From China came the fashion of identifying girls with precious stones or metals. An example of this is Kim (gold), Beach (jade).

In the traditions of this people, the son has always been the continuer of the family and the further guardian of his parents. Therefore, when naming him, not only the beautiful sound of his name was taken into account, but also the meaning of the latter. The parents tried to “encode” their son, to give him the qualities that they wanted to see in him. Vien means the Finisher (of every work). The name Dinkh is no less popular. That means it's the "top". The implication is that Dinh will always reach the zenith of all his endeavors. A similar name is Jin Ho, which means "leader". In families of military boys, they are often called Yong Kuan - “Brave Soldier”. The name He, who honors parents, is very popular. Just as girls are named after flowers, boys are named after animals. The popular name is Ho - tiger. Let us repeat once again: Koreans connect these monosyllabic words with others. This is how new and unusual names are created.

What do Korean names mean: interpretation and history of origin

The supporting components of the anthroponymic model of Koreans are the surname (son), or hereditary name (NI), and the individual name (AI) (myeonirum). In the traditional anthroponymy of Koreans, the surname always comes before the given name. AI is usually two-syllable. In the press and journalism, AI in Russian transcription is written in two words and the whole AM ​​looks like a three-term one (Pak Chi-won). In the scientific literature, the combined spelling of AI (Pak Chiwon) is accepted. Recruiting AI during the feudal period was difficult; it included the following components: a child's name (amyeon "child's name" or chomyeong "first name"); childhood nickname (dumpling “another name”, “nickname”); the legal name of an adult (gwangmyeon “the name given to a youth upon reaching adulthood”, “the name given to a youth when he first puts on the headdress of an adult”); the name by which a young man (after marriage) is known among his relatives and close friends (cha); a pseudonym chosen by people who embarked on the path of government, scientific, literary or any other creative activity (ho); a name given after death to prominent figures (shiho “posthumous pseudonym”).

A child's name, as a rule, reflected the parents' wishes for health, happiness, good luck, and joy for their heirs. Therefore, among girls’ names there were often names such as Jinju “pearl” and Ippun “beauty”. The word “dragon” (yong) appeared quite often in the names of boys, for example: Kymyong “golden dragon”, Yenyi “dragon”. Sometimes, in a child’s name, parents sought to predetermine the child’s life path, for example: Quinon “return to agriculture.” Often these names denoted family relationships: Chinsong “grandson from a son,” Chansong “eldest grandson.” Some children's names reflected the physical qualities of the child: Ssangame "two tops." A special group of children's names consisted of amulets, which, according to the Koreans, were supposed to protect the child from all sorts of misfortunes, for example, Chilsongtol “boy of the Seven Stars” (since the constellation of the Seven Stars, that is, the Big Dipper, was worshiped and prayed for, asking for birth children and their health). Among children's names there were names with deliberately negative symbolism, for example Tvedzhi “pig”, Kadzhi “puppy”, Tukkobi “toad”, which were intended to “deceive” evil spirits. When the child grew up, he was given a childhood nickname (dumplings), which often had a figurative meaning. Thus, the nickname Tudoji “mole” meant “short-legged”, Keguri “frog” - “fat”, Toksuri “eagle” - “fearless”.

Upon reaching adulthood (and in the past, a young man who got married was considered an adult), the young man received an official name (gwangmyeon), which was entered into official family lists and remained unchanged throughout his life. Most often, gwangmyeon are two-syllable in composition (Sisyp, Yonghee, Byeonyeong), although there are also monosyllabic names (Gyun, Il, I). Male names, as a rule, reflect wishes for success, wealth, happiness, and the desire of parents to see their sons as capable, noble, and successful. Moreover, these well-wishes were often expressed through poetic symbolism, a kind of metaphor. Thus, the name Gyun “bamboo” is associated with the ancient symbolism of plants, according to which bamboo is a symbol of fortitude, strength of character, and the ability to courageously endure adversity; Names such as Byeonyon “light stream”, Yagen “like a large bell”, Jzvon “the beginning of a new 60-year cycle”, Sisyp “constantly comprehending”, Byondo “canopy of fire” are also metaphorical. In recent years, such new names as Pyeonghwa “peace”, Seungni victory”, Sekil “new path” have appeared in the DPRK.

Women's names do not have any formal features that allow them to be distinguished from men's names, however, in most cases, it is possible to determine whether a name belongs to a particular gender by its lexical meaning. The semantics of female names is usually associated with the concepts of beauty, grace, virtue; The names of precious stones and flowers are often used as female names, for example: YONOK “LOTUS and jasper”, Honnyon “scarlet lotus”. In female names, the following words are often used as the second component: ok “jasper”, suk “devoted wife”, hi “wife”, nyon “lotus”, hwa “flower”, wol “moon”, me “plum”, nan “ fragrant grass”, sun “pure”, chong “crystal”, giving the meanings of the names an emotional and affectionate shade.

When choosing official names, especially for men, the system of tollimja, or hannyolja, letters, “the same syllable in the names of relatives,” was often taken into account. This system was based on the idea that prevailed in ancient China about the cyclicity of the five elements: earth, water, fire, metal, wood. In anthroponymy, the concept of the five elements was manifested in the fact that each generation was allegedly associated with one or another element, the sign of which was present in the names of representatives of a given generation. So, if the generation of the father and his brothers belonged to the element of “earth” and, accordingly, had the sign of “earth” in their names, then in the names of their sons there should have been a sign of “metal”, and in the names of their grandchildren there should have been a sign of “water”. The hieroglyphic sign of a particular element could be either one of the components of the name, or a determiner in one of the syllables, or its meaning could be contained in the semantics of the name as a whole. The system of identical syllables in the names of relatives could also manifest itself in the fact that one of the syllables (usually the first) in the names of brothers or sisters was the same: the names of the brothers are Yakchon, Yakchon, Yagyong, the names of the sisters are Enok, Yongsuk, Yonghi.

In the past, upon reaching adulthood, every young man received a name (cha), by which he was known among his relatives and friends. Cha is not a pseudonym, and typically each person only had one cha. The appearance of this name in Korean anthroponymy may be associated with the tradition of prohibiting addressing a particular person by calling him by his personal name, in this case his official name. Usually cha had auspicious symbolism.

A widespread component of the Korean anthroponymic system is the pseudonym (ho). Throughout his life, a person could have several pseudonyms that reflected significant changes in his life. Pseudonyms could be formed from the names of certain places, but for the most part pseudonyms reflected certain views, state of mind, and philosophical position of a particular person. The pseudonyms of many writers, scientists, and statesmen were often more popular than their real names.
Taoist-Buddhist sentiments, abandonment of a career and “retreat to nature” were also reflected in pseudonyms.

However, not only creative workers could have pseudonyms; almost every man had pseudonyms (pelkho).
After death, the most famous figures and outstanding people received posthumous honorary names (shiho).

For example, Munyeol “literary feat” is the posthumous pseudonym of Kim Busik, Munthak “the measure of literature” is the posthumous pseudonym of Park Chiwon.

Korean name

Korean name consists of a surname followed by a personal name.

In most cases, the surname consists of one syllable and the given name consists of two syllables. Both first and last names are often written using hanja, Chinese characters that reflect Korean pronunciation. Hanja are no longer used in North Korea, and their use for names in South Korea has been reduced to 5,038 characters. When using European languages, some Koreans maintain the traditional spelling order, while others change it according to Western patterns. In Korea, when a woman gets married, she usually keeps her maiden name.

There are only about 250 surnames in use in Korea. The most common of them are Kim, Lee and Park. However, most namesakes are not close relatives. The origin of Korean surnames is closely related to Korean history and geography. There are many clans, each associated with a specific place, such as the Kims of Gimhae. In most cases, each clan traces its ancestry back to a common ancestor in the male line.

The use of names has varied throughout Korean history. Ancient names in Korean were found during the Three Kingdoms period (57 BC - 668 AD), but over time, with the adoption of Chinese writing, they were replaced by names written in Chinese characters. During the periods of Mongol and Manchu influence, the ruling elite supplemented their Korean names with Mongol and Manchu names. In addition, in the first half of the 1940s, the Japanese colonial authorities carried out a widespread campaign in which Koreans were forced to change their surnames and given names to Japanese ones.

Review

Surnames

According to the Bureau of Statistics, there are 284 surnames in South Korea as of the 2000 census. Each surname can be carried by several clans ( Pongwanov), identified geographically. For example, the most numerous clan is the Gimhae Kim, that is, the Kim clan from the city of Gimhae. At the end of the 20th century, there were more than 3 thousand clans in Korea, the largest of which had hundreds of thousands and millions of people, for example, Lee from Jeonju and Gyeongju, Park from Miryang. As in other East Asian cultures, Korean women usually keep their surname after marriage, but children take their father's surname. According to tradition, each clan must publish its family tree ( Chokpo) every 30 years.

The origin of Korean surnames was greatly influenced by Chinese tradition. Most Korean surnames consist of one character, hanja, and thus one syllable. There are about a dozen two-syllable surnames (Namgoong and Hwangpo are the most common), but they are all outside the top hundred on the list of most common. Most of them use non-trivial compound Chinese names. The five most common surnames are shared by more than 20 million people in South Korea. There are a great many personal names in Korea, and they are practically not divided by gender, that is, they can belong to both men and women.

Names

Traditionally, boys' names are determined by the name of the generation, a tradition that comes from China. One or two characters in a Korean's name are unique, while others are common to all family members of the same generation. Therefore, cousins' names usually have the same syllable ( tollimcha) at a certain place. In North Korea, generational names are the same for closer relatives - brothers and sisters.

The name consists of Hanja characters, but is usually written in Hangeul. In North Korea, hanja is practically not used, but the meanings of the hieroglyphs remain. For example, the syllable chul(Kor. 철?, 鐵?), used in boys' names, means "iron". In South Korea, paragraph 37 of the Family Registry Law Family Registry Law) requires that the hancha in names be selected from a predetermined list. If the hancha for a name is not selected from the list, it is recorded in the family registry in Hangul. In March 1991, the Supreme Court of South Korea published the List of Hanja Characters for Use in Names, which allows a total of 2,854 different characters (and 61 alternate forms) to be used for names. In 1994, 1997, 2001 and 2005, this list was expanded, and now it consists of 5038 permitted characters.

Although the tradition is still strong, since the late 1970s, some parents have given their children personal names, which are originally Korean words, usually consisting of two syllables. Popular names consisting of Korean words are Haneul (하늘; "sky"), Areum (아름; "beauty"), Kippeum (기쁨; "joy") and Yiseul (이슬; "purity", lit. "dew") . Despite the trend away from traditional practice, people's names are still written down in official documents, family genealogies, etc. in both Hangul and Hancha (if possible).

Names usually consist of two syllables, in rare cases - of one or three, such as, for example, the names of politicians Kim Gu, Ko Kun and Yong Kaesomun. Koreans with two-syllable last names usually have a one-syllable first name, like singer Somun Tak.

Transcription

Romanization

In English-speaking countries, the three most common surnames are spelled "Kim" (김), "Lee" or "Rhee" (리, 이), and "Park" (박). Despite the official romanization of the Korean language, which is used to translate place names and other names into Latin in both North and South Korea, the romanization of Korean names is carried out using phonetic transcription. That is, the surname "Lee" can be written in Latin as "I", "Yi", "Rhee" and "Rhie". The pronunciation used in North Korea is 리 ( ri), and in the South - the pronunciation 이 ( And). The same goes for several other names.

Cyrillization

For the Cyrillization of the Korean language in general and names in particular, the Kontsevich system is most widely used, which separately stipulates the rules and recommendations for the transliteration of Korean names. In Russian, a Korean name is usually written in three (or two) separate words, each of which consists of one syllable. The surname comes first, followed by the name given at birth, for example Lee Seung Man, Kim Dae Jung. Despite this, L. Kontsevich recommends writing two-syllable names and surnames together, for example Kan Gamchang, Lee Gyubo. Traditionally, in Russian-language literature, the spelling of Korean names was preserved based on the North Korean version, for example, Tsoi instead of Choi, but this tradition is now breaking. However, it is recommended [ source not specified 257 days] preserve the spelling of surnames such as Li (not Yi), Liu (not Yu), Lim (not Im).

Among Koreans living in the countries of the former USSR, surnames like Hegai, Yugai, Ogai are often found. These are modified (by adding the suffix -guy) short surnames Yu (Liu), He, O and the like.

Usage

The use of given names and naming by name have strict rules and restrictions in traditional Korean society. In Korean culture, it is considered rude to call someone by their personal name unless it is one of your closest friends. This is especially important when addressing an older person. This rule is often a source of difficulty for Korean language learners.

There are many words to complement a person's real name. Among adults of the same social status, it is considered the norm to address each other by adding a suffix to the full name ssi(씨氏). However, it is impolite to address a person by their last name only, even using this suffix. If the person addressed has official status, they are usually addressed by the name of that status (for example, “manager” or “boss”), often with a respectful suffix him(님). In such cases, a personal name may be added, although this usually indicates that the person making the address is of higher status.

In Korean society, teknonymy is common - the custom of calling a married man (married woman) by the name of his or her child. It is quite common to call a mother by the name of her eldest son, for example, “Mom Cheol Soo” (철수 엄마). However, teknonymy can have as its objects any of the parents and any of the children in the family, depending on the context.

Among children and close friends, calling each other by name is not disrespectful. Nicknames are also often used.

Story

Korean names have changed over time. It should be understood that names were written in hieroglyphic writing and their exact sound before they were sometimes written down in Hangul in the 16th century is unknown, since there is no single phonetic theory generally accepted by all historians regarding the development of the phonetic series of hanja transcription in a historical perspective. The first names to appear in the chronicles date back to the early Three Kingdoms period, when the Korean Peninsula was heavily influenced by Chinese culture, as China eventually became the dominant power in the region. Changes continued during the following periods of Korean history - the Unified Silla State, the Goryeo and Joseon dynasties. For aristocracy of yangban rank, a complex system of alternative names was used, which originated in the Joseon era. This system, including court names, posthumous names, birth names, and pen names, grew out of the Confucian tradition. The court name system is based on Book of Ceremonies, one of the five key books of Confucianism. This system first entered Korea during the Three Kingdoms, but very few aristocrats of that time are known to have had a court name (among them, for example, Seol Cheon 설총 薛聰). This tradition became widespread only during the late Goryeo Dynasty, when the influence of Confucianism in the country began to seriously increase.

According to the Samguk Sagi chronicle, the first surnames were bestowed on the people by the Vans. In particular, in 33 AD. e. Wang Yuri gave the six nobles of the state the names Lee (이), Bae (배), Choe (최), Jeong (정), Song (손) and Sol (설). However, this theory is not widely accepted among modern historians, who believe that sinicized names came into use approximately five hundred years after the events described in the Samguk Saga.

Ancient Korean names

Before the spread of the Chinese-style naming system, Koreans had their own naming system. With the exception of the aristocracy, most Koreans in ancient times did not have surnames. Personal names sometimes consisted of three syllables, such as Misahung (미사흔; 未斯欣) or Sadaham (사다함; 斯多含). Under the influence of Chinese culture in the first millennium AD, surnames became widespread among Koreans. First they appeared among the Vanir, then spread among the aristocracy and finally reached the common people, but this happened quite late - until the 19th century, most common people did not have surnames.

In the ancient Korean states of Goguryeo and Baekje, non-Chinese surnames were common, often consisting of two syllables, and it is believed that most of them were place names. According to Japanese chronicles, some of the characters used to write surnames were pronounced not in Chinese, but in Korean. For example, the governor from Goguryeo Yong Kaesomun (연개소문; 淵蓋蘇文) is mentioned in the Japanese chronicle Nihon Shoki under the name Iri Kasumi (伊梨柯須弥). The word "iri" may have meant "fountain" in Goguryeo.

Mongol influence

During the brief period of Mongol occupation during the Goryeo dynasty, the Korean vans and aristocracy had both Mongolian and Sino-Korean names. For example, Wang Kongmin had the Mongolian name Bayan Temur and the Sino-Korean name Wang Gi (王祺) (later Wang Jeong, 王顓).

Japanese influence

During Japanese colonial rule of Korea (1910-1945), Koreans were forced to adopt Japanese names. In 1939, as part of the policy of cultural assimilation (Japanese: 同化政策 do:ka seisaku) led by Governor General of Korea Jiro Minami, Decree No. 20 (known as the "Names Decree", 창씨개명) was issued into law in April 1940. He allowed (in practice forced) Koreans to adopt Japanese surnames and given names. Although coercion was officially prohibited by the Japanese colonial government, local officials forced Koreans to Japaneseize their names, resulting in about 84% of the Korean population having Japanese surnames by 1944. However, many Koreans close to the ruling elite (most famously Hong Sa Ik, a general in the Imperial Japanese Army) withstood this pressure and retained their national names.

Following the liberation of Korea, the American military command in Korea issued the Name Restoration Order (조선 성명 복구령; 朝鮮姓名復舊令) on October 23, 1946, allowing all Koreans south of the 38th parallel to regain their national names.

What Korean female names do you know?

Bulbasaur ☺☺☺

Of course, now in Korea there are female names with a more “European” sound, and if you take the names of Korean women living outside Korea, then the names are completely in a “modern way”... Example Anita Tsoi
________________________________________________________________
Here are the traditional female Korean names.
_______________________________________________________________
Scourge - jade; Bao - protection; Binh - peace
Van - cloud; Vien - completion; Vinh Bay
Dung - brave; Duk - desire; Jin-Ho - precious lake
Duong - courageous; Jung - love, purposeful
Dinkh - peak; Jung - love
Yong - peace
Isyul - dew
Yong - brave; Yung - eternal, prosperous
Kui - precious; Kuen - bird; Kuan - soldier; Kuang - clear, pure
Kanya is a girl; Kim - golden; Kyung-Sun - tender and proud
Lan - peaceful; Lin - spring; Lien - lotus
May - flower; Min - bright; Monkut - crown
Ngai - grass; Nung - velvet; Nguyen - beginning; Ngoc - gemstone
Nguyet - moon; Nung - velvet
Pakpao - paper kite; Puong - phoenix
Sunan is a good word
Tu is a star; Thi - poem; Tuet - white snow; Thu - autumn
Tray is an oyster; Thai - friendly; Than - bright, clear, Tuan - bright
Tuen - ray; Than - bright, clear; Thuan - tamed; Tien - fairy, spirit
Hanyul - heavenly; Hyun - wise; Xuan - spring; Hyun - wise
Huong - pink; Hoa - flower; Hung - brave; Hong - rose
Chi - tree branch; Chow - pearls
Shin - trust
Yuong - courage

Help me come up with a first and last name for a Korean girl and guy

Sergey k$a

Popular Korean girl names and their meanings:
Scourge. Interpreted as "jade".
Bao. Translated into Russian - “protection”.
Wang. Means "cloud".
Dung. Translated as “brave”.
Jin-Ho. The meaning of the name is "precious lake".
Jung. Interpreted as "love".
Jung. It has two meanings: “eternal” and “prosperous”.
Kui. It has the translation “precious”.
Kim. Means "golden".
Lan. Means "peaceful".
Lien. In Russian it means “lotus”.
May. Meaning "flower".
Moncut. Means "crown".
Nguyet. Interpreted as "moon".
Puong. The semantic meaning of the word "phoenix".
That. This is what Koreans call a “star”.
Trey. Translated as "oyster".
Tien. Meaning "spirit" or "fairy".
Thai. Translated as "Friendly".
Thuan. Means "tamed."
Hyun. Interpreted as “wise”.
Hong. The semantic meaning is "rose".
Chow. In Russian it is “pearl”.
Yuong. "Courage" is implied.
Korean male names
Korean names for boys have individual meanings. They express the parents' hopes for their son. The following characters are often used to compose Korean male names:
Binh. Interpreted as "peace".
Vien. Means "completion".
Vinh. Translated as "bay".
Dinh. In Russian it means “vertex”.
Jin-Ho. The semantic meaning is “leader” or “angry hero”.
Duong. Interpreted as "courageous".
En. Translated as "peace".
Yong. Means "brave".
Quan. In Russian "soldier".
Kuang. Interpreted as “pure”.
Lan. The meaning is "peaceful".
Nguyen. Translated as "beginning".
Nung. It means "velvet".
Pakpao. Translated: "paper kite".
Juice. Translated as "stone".
Sunan. Means "good word".
Thai. The meaning is "friendly".
Tut. Koreans call it “white snow”.
Thu. In Russian it means “autumn”.
Hanyul. Interpreted as "heavenly"
Ho. Means tiger.
He - “honors parents.”
There are many popular Korean male names in Korea today that are very easy to pronounce in English, such as Jaein – Jean.

Russian names in Korean

Translation of meanings!!!

Hello, my name is:

안녕하세요 , 제 이름은 …

Annyeonghaseyo, je ileum-eun (Annyeonaseyo, ze ireom-en)…

Women's

Men's

Alexandra (protector) –보호자의 여성형 (bohojaui yeoseonghyeong) – Buhujae-Yasonghyan

Alena (scarlet) -진홍색 (jinhongsaeg) - Jinyonse

Alice (noble image) - 고귀한 이미지 (gogwihan imiji) – Gogihan-imidzi

Alla, Alina (other) 기타 (gita) - Kita

Anastasia (resurrected) –부활 ( buhwal) - Buwai

Anna (grace) –은혜 (eunhye) - Unhye

Antonina (spatial) –공간의 (gong-gan-ui) - Gong-gan-y

Anfisa, Tsvetana (blooming) –지독한 (jidoghan) - Jidoghan

Valentina (strong) –강한 (ganghan) - Ganhan

Varvara (cruel) –잔인한 (jan-inhan) – Dzyan-inhan

Vasilisa (royal) –제왕의 (jewang-ui) – Juwan-yi

Faith (faith) -신앙 (sin-ang) – Sin-an

Veronica (bringing victory) 승리를 가져다 ( seunglileul gajyeoda) – Senlire-gajoda

Victoria (winner) –수상자 (susangja) - Susanja

Galina (clear) –맑은 (malg-eun) – Mal-yeon

Daria (great fire) –런던대화재 (leondeon daehwajae) – Lon-lon dewadze

Eva (live) –살다 (salda) - Salda

Eugenia (noble) – 고귀한 (gogwihan) - Gugihan

Ekaterina (pure) –그물 (geumul) – Geumul

Elena (sunny) –태양의 (taeyang-ui) - Taeyang-yi

Elizabeth (who worships God) –하나님 (hananim) – Hananim

Zinaida (born of God) -하나님의 출생 (hananim-ui chulsaeng) – Hananim-e Chulsaeng

Zoya (life) –생활 (saenghwal) - Saenghwal

Inna (stormy stream) –난류 (nanlyu) - Nanlyu

Irina (peace) –세계 (segye) - Segye

Karina (dear) –친애하는 (chin-aehaneun) – Chin-Ehenun

Kira (mistress) –부인 (bu-in) – Bu-in

Claudia (limping) –절름발이 (jeolleumbal-i) - Dzyalumbari

Ksenia (alien) -낯선 사람 (nachseon salam) – Nanhseong-saram

Larisa (seagull) –갈매기 (galmaegi) - Galmegi

Lydia (sad song) -슬픈 노래 ( seulpeun nolae) – Sulpyong norae

Lily (lily) –백합 (baeghab) - Beghab

Love love) -사랑 (salang) - Salan

Lyudmila (darling) –달콤한 (dalkomhan) - Daikoman

Margarita (pearl) 진주 (jinju) - Jinju

Marina (sea) –바다의 (badaui) - Badae

Maria (bitter) –쓰라린 (sseulalin) - Sourarin

Nadezhda (hope) –기대 (gidae) - Kide

Natalya (born) –타고난 (tagonan) - Tagonan

Nelly (clove) 정향 (jeonghyang) – Zen-hyang

Nina (queen) –여왕 (yeowang) - Yeowang

Oksana, Ksenia (inhospitable) -머물 곳이없는 (meomul gos-ieobsneun) - Momul go-ieobneun

Olesya (forest) -산림 관리 (sanlim gwanli) – Sanrim - Gwanri

Olga (saint) –거룩한 ( geolughan) - Gyorughan

Pauline (peacock) – 공작 (gongjag) - Gunze

Raisa (light) –쉽게(swibge) - Shchibge

Svetlana (light) –빛 (bich) - Bikh

Seraphim (flaming snake) -불타는 용 (bultaneun yong) – Burtanen-yon

Snezhana (snowy) –눈(nun) - Nun

Sophia (wise) –현명한(hyeonmyeonghan) - Gyeonmyeonghan

Tamara (palm tree) –종려나무 (jonglyeonamu) - Junliaonomu

Tatyana (opposing) –반대(bandae) - Bandae

Ulyana (happiness) –행복(haengbog) - Henbo

Julia (fluffy) -부드러운털의(budeuleoun teol-ui) – Budoryeun tori

Yana (God's grace) -하나님의자비(hananim-ui jabi) – Hananim-yi zabi

Alexander (defender) -옹호자 (onghoja) – Unhuja

Alexey (assistant) -조수 (josu) - Josu

Anatoly (east) -동쪽 (dongjjog) - Dongjo

Andrey (courageous) –남성적인 (namseongjeog-in) -Namseongjogin

Anton (competitor) –경쟁 (gyeongjaeng) – Gyonzen

Arkady (happy country) –럭키 국가 (leogki gugga) – Logki Gugga

Artem (unharmed) –상처없는 (sangcheoeobsneun) - Sanchoobunen

Arthur (big bear) 큰 곰 (keun gom) - Kyun gum

Bogdan (given by God) -신이 주신 (sin-i jusin) – Sin-i-Jusin

Boris (struggling) –파이팅 ( paiting) - Paitin

Vadim (proving)　 ― 　 표현 (pyohyeon) – Pyo-hyeon

Valentin (healthy) -건강한 (geonganghan) – Gyon-gan-ghan

Valery (cheerful) –원기 완성한 ( wongi wanseonghan) – Wongi wanseonghan

Vasily (royal) –제왕의 (jewang-ui) – Jiwan-yi

Veniamin (favorite since yn) -좋아하는 아들 (joh-ahaneun adeul) – Jo-ahaneun-edel

Victor (winner) –수상자 (susangja) - Susanja

Vitaly (life) –필수 ( pilsu) - Kilsu

Vladimir (ruler of the world) –세계의 제왕 (segyeui jewang) – Segeyi Jiwan

Vladislav (owner of fame) 영광을 휘두르는 (yeong-gwang-eul hwiduleuneun) – Yong-gwang-e Hyiduleuneun

Vyacheslav (famous) –　 유명한 ( yumyeonghan) - Yumyeonghan

Gennady – (well-born) –부드러운 (budeuleoun) - Budreun

Georgy, Egor (farmer) –경운기 (gyeong-ungi) - Gyeong-ungi

Gleb (block) –덩어리 ( deong-eoli) – Don-oli

Gregory (not sleeping) -잠 못 잔다 (jam mos janda) – Dzam mu zanda

Daniel (God's judgment) -하나님의 법원 ( hananim-ui beob-won) – Hananim-yi-bob-on

Demyan – (conqueror) –정복하는 사람 (jeongboghaneun salam) – Jeongboghaneun-saram

Denis – (dedicated to wine) –비난에 헌신 (binan-e heonsin) – Binan-e Khonshin

Dmitry (earthly fruit) –지구의 과일 ( jiguui gwail) – Dziguii-ghair

Evgeniy (noble) -고귀한 (gogwihan) - Gugihan

Ivan, Jan – (grace of God) -하나님의 은총 (hananim-ui eunchong) – Hananim and Unchong

Igor – (fertile) –비옥한 ( bioghan) - Byoghan

Ilya - (the fortress of the Lord) -요새 신사 (yosae sinsa) – Yose shinsa

Kirill – (lord) - 귀족 (gwijog) - Gwidzo

Konstantin (permanent) –영구 (yeong-gu) – Yong-gu

Leo (lion) –사자 (saja) - Sadza

Leonidas (son of the lion) –사자의 아들 (sajaui adeul) - Sadze-edir

Maxim (very big) -매우 큰 (maeu keun) – Maeu keun

Michael (like God) –하나님처럼 (hananimcheoleom) – Hananim-tzorom

Nikita (victorious) –승리의 (seungliui) - Senlui

Nikolai (victory of people) -사람들을위한 승리 (salamdeul-eul-wihan seungli) – Saramdarur ihan-senri

Oleg (sacred) –신성한 (sinseonghan) - Shinsonghan

Pavel (small) –작은 (jag-eun) - Dzag-un

Peter (stone) –돌(dol) - Duol

Roman (Roman) –로마 (loma) - Ruma

Ruslan (solid lion) -솔리드 사자 (sollideu saja) – Suride saja

Sergey (highly revered) 높은 존경 (nop-eun jongyeong) – Nopun jongyeong

Stanislav (who became famous) –좋은되고있다(joh-eundoegoissda) - Dzoyonduegoishda

Stepan (wreath) –화환 (hwahwan) - Huahuan

Taras (rebel) -반역자 (ban-yeogja) – Ban yoja

What is your name?

당신의 이름은 무엇입니까 ?

dangsin-ui ileum-eun mueos-ibnikka?

(Dansin-yi ireom-un muos-ibnikka?)

The post can be considered entertaining, informative and educational; there is no strictly scientific background in it. The author was interested, the author is having fun, so he digs here and there. There are different sources - about 10 (Google almighty will help us all). Naturally, those interested, at least in dramas, will not discover anything new for themselves, but nevertheless - repetition is the mother of teaching :))

Perhaps one of the very first questions that any person dealing with Korea and Koreans faces concerns Korean names and surnames.

Korean names have changed over time. The first names to appear in the chronicles date back to the early Three Kingdoms period, when the Korean Peninsula was heavily influenced by Chinese culture, as China eventually became the dominant power in the region. Changes continued during the following periods of Korean history - the Unified Silla State, the Goryeo and Joseon dynasties. For aristocracy of yangban rank, a complex system of alternative names was used, which originated in the Joseon era. This system, including court names, posthumous names, birth names, and pen names, grew out of the Confucian tradition. The court name system is based on Book of Ceremonies, one of the five key books of Confucianism. This system first entered Korea during the Three Kingdoms, but very few aristocrats of that time are known to have had a court name (among them was Seol Cheon 설총 薛聰). This tradition became widespread only during the late Goryeo Dynasty, when the influence of Confucianism in the country began to seriously increase.

According to the chronicle Samguk Sagi, the first surnames were bestowed upon the people by the Vanirs (rulers). For example, in 33 AD. e.. Wang Yuri gave the six nobles of the state the names Lee (이), Bae (배), Choi (최), Jeong (정), Song (손) and Sol (설). However, this theory is not widely accepted among modern historians, who believe that sinicized names came into use approximately five hundred years after the events described in Samguk Sagi.

Before the spread of the Chinese-style naming system, Koreans had their own naming system. With the exception of the aristocracy, most Koreans in ancient times did not have surnames. Personal names sometimes consisted of three syllables, for example Misahung (미사흔; 未斯欣) or Sadaham (사다함; 斯多含). Under the influence of Chinese culture in the first millennium AD, surnames became widespread among Koreans. First they appeared among the Vanir, then spread among the aristocracy and finally reached the common people, but this happened quite late - until the 19th century, most common people did not have surnames.

In the ancient Korean states of Goguryeo and Baekje, non-Chinese surnames were common, often consisting of two syllables, and it is believed that most of them were place names. According to Japanese chronicles, some of the characters used to write surnames were pronounced not in Chinese, but in Korean. For example, the governor from Goguryeo Yong Kaesomun (연개소문; 淵蓋蘇文) in the Japanese chronicle Nihon Shoki referred to under the name Iri Kasumi (伊梨柯須弥). The word "iri" may have meant "fountain" in Goguryeo. Early Silla names are also believed to be ancient Korean words, for example the name Park Hyokkose (朴赫居世) was pronounced roughly like "Palgonuri" (발거누리), which translates to "bright world".

Later, Manchu and Mongol names were added to the list of Korean names. This happened due to the invasion of these states into Korean territory. The ruling elite of that time tried to please the conquerors and therefore, at their suggestion, they began to call Korean children Manchurian and Mongolian names. During the brief period of Mongol occupation during the Goryeo dynasty, the Korean vans and aristocracy had both Mongolian and Sino-Korean names. For example, Wang Kongming had the Mongolian name Bayan Temur and the Sino-Korean name Wang Gi (王祺) (later Wang Jong, 王顓). The list of Korean male names has expanded significantly. Korean female names have received a new interpretation.

During the period of Japanese occupation of Korea (1910-1945), Koreans were forced to adopt Japanese names. In 1939, as part of the policy of cultural assimilation (Japanese: 同化政策 do:ka seisaku?), carried out by Governor General of Korea Jiro Minami, Decree No. 20 (known as the "Names Decree", 창씨개명) was issued into law in April 1940. He allowed (in practice forced) Koreans to adopt Japanese surnames and given names. Although coercion was officially prohibited by the Japanese colonial government, local officials forced Koreans to Japaneseize their names, as a result, by 1944, about 84% of the Korean population had Japanese surnames (“... 84% of the Korean population had Japanese surnames” formally, that is, according to their passports). In practice, the vast majority of Koreans used Korean names in everyday communication). However, many Koreans close to the ruling elite (among them the most famous is Hong Sa Ik, a general in the Army of the Japanese Empire), withstood this pressure and retained their national names.

After the liberation of Korea, on October 23, 1946, the American military command in Korea issued the Name Restoration Order (조선 성명 복구령; 朝鮮姓名復舊令), allowing all Koreans south of the 38th parallel to regain their national names.

Korean surnames (성) are overwhelmingly monosyllabic and, unlike Western tradition, are always written before the personal name. When using English, French or another European language, many Koreans maintain word order when translating. In Korea, it is not customary to address strangers by their personal name. This is a gross violation. Most personal names in Korea have two spellings: alphabetic and hieroglyphic.

Thus, a typical Korean name consists of three syllables: the first syllable is the surname, and the second and third are the given name. An example is the name of the famous Korean actor Bae Yong-joon (배용준), in which “Bae” is his surname and “Yong-joon” is his given name.

In English, his name is written as Yong Joon Bae, that is, the first name comes first, and then the family name. Europeans and Americans, looking at this name, may think that “Joon” is the middle name of the actor. However, in Korea it is not customary to give a child two names, and the established tradition of writing two-syllable names in two separate words does not reflect the true structure of the name and can mislead people.

According to Korean government statistics, about 10.5 million people in Korea have a surname that is Hangul (the phonemic script of the Korean language, characterized by the fact that letters are grouped into groups that roughly correspond to syllables; this type of writing was developed in the mid-15th century and is main in South Korea and the only one in North Korea) is written as 김 and is usually Russified as Kim. This is 21.5% of the population.

Despite the fact that the population of South Korea is 51 million people, there are only about 300 surnames (in sources there is information that there are only 250). According to government data as of the mid-2000s, 54% of the population has one of five surnames: Kim (김), Lee (or Yi) (이), Park (박), Choi (최), or Chung (정). Rounding out the top ten most common surnames are Kang (or Kang) (강), Cho (조), Yun (or Yun) (윤), Cheng (or Chan) (장), and Lim (or Im) (임).

A story from the topic: in one of the episodes of the popular Korean entertainment show “Running Man,” each of the 12 participants had to independently find a person with different surnames in one of the Seoul universities. The assignment was accepted if all 12 students found had a different last name. This task shocked almost all participants. They, of course, managed it and even met it within a certain time, but when the task was announced, everyone had almost the same reaction: “This is impossible! We will fail!” Also, in one recently watched episode of the same “Running Man” there was also a similar task, but the participants drew surnames using a lottery method, the owners of which they needed to find in one of the universities. There were surnames Kan, Jin, Ryu, Chan. Since they were not limited by time, but there were not very many students at that time either, they completed the task only after an hour and a half. They spent a lot of time fiddling with the surname Ryu. Almost all the students who were asked as they passed by had the surnames Lee, Park or Kim.

There are also about twelve double surnames, consisting of two syllables and two Chinese characters. The most common of them are Hwangbo (황보), Jegal (제갈), Sakong (사공), Namgoong (남궁), Sunwoo (선우) and others. These surnames can be confusing for foreigners visiting Korea for the first time because they typically expect Koreans to have a two-syllable first name and a one-syllable last name, which is not always the case. For some surnames, there are many pronunciation options, since the romanization system may not always be applicable, because some sounds simply cannot be conveyed in Latin writing.

Many surnames sound and are written in Hangul the same, but differ only in hieroglyphic spelling. For example, the surname "Li" can be written in three different characters: 李, 異, 伊. Accordingly, these are three different surnames, but they are pronounced and written in Hangeul exactly the same - 이. Nowadays hieroglyphic inscriptions are used less frequently, usually either to designate something more briefly, or vice versa for complex concepts.
With names it’s about the same: you can distinguish one Min Jae from another in writing only by the hieroglyphs. Well, and besides, each sign (hieroglyphic) has its own meaning, thus the personal name acquires a special meaning.

But remember that not all Kims are the same. Surnames are divided into regional clans (bons) depending on the territorial center of the clan or origin. Therefore, there are Kims from Gimhae, Kims from Gyeongju, Kims from Gwangsan and Kims from Gimnaeong. Similarly with the surname Lee and others. For a long time in Korea there was a law banning the marriage of people from the same clan, but at this time it is no longer in force.
All Korean surnames are written using Chinese characters, because although Korea historically had its own naming system, in the 5th century the Korean aristocracy adopted the Confucian naming system from neighboring China. Since then, Chinese surnames have spread throughout the nation and become completely Korean.
Surnames in North and South Korea are the same, although there are some differences in pronunciation. Unlike European countries, a woman does not receive her husband's surname upon marriage; only her children inherit the surname.

The uniqueness of Korean anthroponymy is the presence of a toponymic name - bona ("root", "base", "origin"). Bon is the name of the area where the ancestors of a given person originate. Each surname has a certain number of bonds. For example, the surname Kim had about several hundred bons, of which 72 are currently the most common; for the surname Li - the most common are about 90. Some surnames, such as Han, have only one bon. Although the toponymic name is not included in official documents, almost all adult Koreans know their bon, since people who have the same bon are considered close relatives, and marriages between them were prohibited until the 90s.
At the turn of the last and present centuries, Koreans in the Russian Far East developed new surnames, created by adding the suffix - to the surname ending with a vowel sound - guy, the origin of which has not been definitively clarified.
The most common version: since Korean surnames are much shorter than Russian ones, Russian officials in the Far East began to add a suffix to monosyllabic surnames when filling out documents.
In Kazakhstan, for example, the following surnames of this type are found: Degai, Digai, Dyugai, Egai, Kigai, Lagai, Ligai, Lyugai, Migai, Nigai, Nogai, Ogai, Pegai, Pyagai, Tigai, Tyugai, Tyagai, Ugai, Khegai, Chagai , Shegai, Shigai, Yugai, etc. Neither on the Korean Peninsula, nor among overseas Koreans in China, Japan, the USA and other countries, such a phenomenon is not observed.

As you know, in Korea today the use of its own alphabet, Hangul, is widespread. However, almost all Korean names are of hieroglyphic origin and Chinese characters are used to write them. In fact, there are no established names in Korea, and each name is a combination of two characters with a suitable meaning. Thus, looking at this or that Korean name, you can find out what meaning and what hopes the parents invested in giving their child this name. Of course, the most suitable for a name are the hieroglyphs that mean certain positive qualities and properties - sincerity ("chon" - 정), beauty ("mi" - 미), reverence for parents ("hyo" - 효), etc. Also To compose a name, hieroglyphs can be used, which are the names of animals or any objects of the material world. For example, names often contain syllables such as "ho" (호, meaning "tiger"), "sap" (석, meaning "stone"), or "hwa" (화, meaning "flower"). The number of such hieroglyphs is measured in hundreds, or even thousands, and therefore it is not surprising that in Korea it is very difficult to meet namesakes, that is, people who bear the same name.

Koreans sincerely believe that the name given to a child at birth can influence his destiny. For this reason, parents take very seriously the issue of choosing a name suitable for their child, which would protect him from all kinds of misfortunes and bring good luck throughout his entire life’s journey. So Koreans come up with names “in two directions at once.” On the one hand, it is necessary that the name be euphonious and go well with the surname, on the other hand, hieroglyphs with a beautiful meaning are selected for it.

Of course, all parents, without exception, want their child to be healthy, happy and successful. In this regard, they take a very responsible approach to the issue of choosing a suitable name for him, which in itself is a very difficult task. Indeed, in order to choose the right name, it is necessary to take into account such important concepts of Eastern philosophy as the teaching " sazhu"(year, month, day and hour of birth, which determines the future fate of a person) and the theory of "yin-yang" (the continuous interaction of two opposite principles - the female "yin" and the male "yang") and the five primary elements "wu-xing" ( wood, fire, earth, metal, water).Therefore, there are very frequent cases when parents turn to specialized centers “Jakmyeonseo” (작명소), where a professional fortuneteller selects a name for the child that best matches all important factors.
Fortune tellers involved in choosing names say: " It is impossible to change fate, but a correctly chosen name can attract additional luck and happiness to a person". Recently, the number of people who consider choosing a name in accordance with the fundamentals of Eastern natural philosophy, relics of the past, has increased. However, the number of married couples turning to Jakmyeonseo centers for help does not decrease and the fortune tellers working there are not sitting idle. It is noteworthy that that in bookstores today you can see many printed publications that reveal the “secrets” of choosing a suitable name for a child, and parents often resort to their help to independently solve this pressing problem.

Married couples who contact Jakmyeonseo “name” centers often offer several options for the names they like, from which a professional fortuneteller selects the most suitable name for the child. Everything can happen the other way around: the fortuneteller himself will offer a list of names that will meet all the necessary criteria, and the parents, in turn, will make their choice in favor of one option or another.
Typically, the cost of such a service ranges from 100 thousand to 1 million won. Advances in technology have enabled numerous name centers to provide their name search services online, further increasing the popularity of the practice.

Fashion trends can be relevant not only when choosing clothes or shoes, but also when choosing a name. Over the years, certain names have been popular in Korea. For example, in the 1940s and 1950s, many boys were named Yongsu (영수), Yongho (영호) and Yeoncheol (영철), and girls were named Sunja (순자), Yeongja (영자), Yonghee (영희) and others . In particular, the female names "Sunja" and "Yongzha" have Japanese roots, and today it is almost impossible to meet a young girl with that name.
Currently, the tradition of giving a child a name based on native Korean words is becoming increasingly popular. For example, today you can often hear such “Korean” names as “Haneul” (하늘, that is, “sky”), “Areum” (아름, that is, “beauty”), “Iseul” (이슬, that is, “purity”, literally means “dew”), “Ojin” (어진, that is, “kind and wise person”). That is, euphonious Korean words that carry a positive and deep meaning are used as a name.

At the same time, in modern Korea the number of “Americanized” names is growing, which is associated with the process of globalization of Korean society and the growing popularity of foreign, especially American, culture. Many Koreans have started using names that are not difficult to pronounce in English and can also be written in Chinese characters with good meaning. Examples of such “two-in-one” names are “Suji” (수지, or Susie), “Jein” (제인, or Jane), Yujin (유진, or Eugene) and other “English” names, which are preferred by more and more families today steam.

Since the name is selected from two hieroglyphs, this leads to the fact that a fixed onomasticon simply does not exist in Korea. Korean names can be a wide variety of variations of two syllables. Plus, almost any Chinese character can be included in the name, of which there are about seventy thousand in total. Although, of course, there are those that are used more often than others.

Another feature of the Korean onomasticon is that Korean male and female names are written and pronounced the same. In other words, they are simply not divided into male and female, which is somewhat unusual for the European consciousness. The only way to determine the gender of a person by name is to understand the meaning. For example, it is unlikely that a girl will be named Meng Huo, which means “brave tiger.” But, as one should assume, such a system of gender identification does not always work and the results are only speculative.

For the Cyrillization of the Korean language in general and names in particular, the Kontsevich system is most widely used, which separately stipulates the rules and recommendations for the transliteration of Korean names. In Russian, a Korean name is usually written in three (or two) separate words, each of which consists of one syllable. The surname comes first, followed by the name given at birth, for example Lee Seung Man, Kim Dae Jung. Despite this, Kontsevich recommends writing two-syllable names and surnames together, for example Kang Gamchang, Lee Gyubo. Traditionally, in Russian-language literature, the spelling of Korean names was preserved based on the North Korean version, for example, Choi instead of Choi, but this tradition is now breaking, however, it is recommended to preserve the spelling of such surnames as Lee (and not I), Liu (and not Yu), Lim (and not Im ).

The use of given names and naming by name has strict rules and restrictions in traditional Korean society. In Korean culture, it is considered rude to call someone by their personal name, except to your closest friends. This is especially important when addressing an older person. This rule is often a source of difficulty for Korean language learners.

There are many words to complement a person's real name. Among adults of the same social status, it is considered the norm to address each other by adding a suffix to the full name ssi(sometimes in oral speech you can hear how shi)(씨氏). However, it is impolite to address a person by their last name only, even using this suffix. If the person to whom the address is addressed has an official status, he is usually addressed by the name of this status (for example, “manager” or “boss”), often with a respectful suffix him(님). In such cases, a personal name may be added, although this usually indicates that the person making the address is of higher status.

In Korean society, teknonymy is common - the custom of calling a married person (married woman) by the name of his or her child. It is quite common to call a mother by the name of her eldest son, for example, “Chul Soo's mom” (철수 엄마). However, teknonymy can have as its objects any of the parents and any of the children in the family, depending on the context.

Among children and close friends, calling each other by name is not disrespectful. Nicknames are also often used.

In a family, only the youngest are usually called by name, and the main form of address is the names of degrees of relationship in their polite form: father, mother, spouse, older brother/sister, big father (father's older brother), younger father, older sister's husband, mother-in-law/ father-in-law, matchmaker, godfather, etc., etc. In everyday life, people who are not literally relatives often call each other degrees of relationship.
Oppa (elder brother) - this is how girls and young women address older young people. There is a joke: “Oppa often becomes appa.”
Appa - a small child's address to his father. A young wife sometimes calls her husband the same way if they have a small child. This is similar to the phrase “our folder (daddy).”

Yobo (dear/darling) is what middle-aged and older spouses call each other. Young spouses, especially those with higher education and progressive views, address each other by name, as they called each other when they first met at university.

“Chagi” is almost the same as “ebo”, only it is also used between just a guy and a girl, not necessarily spouses.

By name, with the addition of the word “ssi,” not only spouses, but also friends, colleagues of equal status and age call each other, so the translation of the word “ ssi“as “Mr., Madam,” as dictionaries indicate, is not always entirely adequate. It is also a polite, friendly form. If it is used after the last name and first name, let's say. Park Yongchul-ssi, then this is already a completely official appeal.
"Ssi" immediately after a Korean surname (say, Kim-ssi) is considered rude as an address. It is used in relation to simple and uneducated people or when they want to hurt someone.

In the Korean language, there are quite specific addresses that are quite difficult to adequately translate, so translators often leave them as they are in film subtitles. In this case, it is best to explain in parentheses what it means when such an address first appears, and then use it without explanation.

Ajusshi - achzhossi (achzhoshi) - an appeal to a man who is much older in age. Sometimes it is translated, depending on the situation, as “lord” or “uncle”.

Ajumma - achzhuma - an appeal to a woman who is much older in age. Similar to "ajossi", sometimes translated as "lady" or "aunt". Young girls can be insulted by calling them "achzhuma". Taking this into account, one should carefully use the traditional address to a married woman, adjumoni (literally: aunt, auntie), which is increasingly associated with the idea of ​​​​an illiterate, middle-aged and unrespectable person or with the bad manners of the speaker. In meaning, it resembles our Russian “woman”, which does not evoke any pleasant associations.
The change in traditional relationships in society, when more and more women continue to work after getting married, when the number of women holding certain positions, holding scientific degrees, and participating in political and social activities is growing, has created a need for a new neutral and respectful form of address, like “Madame” among the French, “miss” among the English, “lady” among the Poles.

Agassi - agassi (agashi) - an appeal to young ladies who are not yet “aunts”. They are also often translated simply as “madam” or “girl”.

Hyung - hyung - "elder brother" - an address used only among men. It can be used both in relation to a sibling, and simply as a respectful and affectionate address to a close friend. It is often translated simply as “brother” or replaced by calling people by name. Any guy older than you will be a "hyung" (with all the ensuing consequences).

Hyungnim - hyungnim - a more formal form of address "hyung". Can be used when addressing, for example, a son-in-law or the leader of a mafia-gangster group.

Noona - noona - this is how men and boys address older sisters or women and girls not much older than themselves in age, with whom they have close relationships. It is difficult to say what this “not much” equals. This is a nuance, apparently determined intuitively. This appeal is very touching and affectionate. The hand does not rise to simply translate “sister” or “little sister”, because... There are many more meanings there, as in the case of “oppa”.

Oppa - oppa - the appeal of girls and women to older brothers or close male friends. In modern Korean, “oppa” is no longer just an older brother for a girl, it is any young man who is scarier than her, more or less close to her, a friend, acquaintance, co-worker, etc. It would also be completely wrong to translate this affectionate address simply as “brother” or “little brother.” Here, however, it is worth making a reservation. A girl will simply use the term “oppa” to call either her own older brother or her boyfriend. In all other cases, this address will be preceded by the person’s name (성우 오빠, for example (“Son Woo oppa”) - although this rule is still more applicable when the conversation is about this same “oppa” with a third person, when directly addressing it will still be just "oppa"). With this “oppa” (as with all other terms, which are discussed below), the most difficulties always arise when translating into Russian: there is no exact parallel in Russian and you have to constantly get out and look for words suitable for this particular situation. “Oppa” is not just a word, it is a whole layer of Korean culture, if you look at it more broadly. A girl will never call a boy "oppa" if she doesn't like him. She will call him by name or something else. Sometimes "oppa" is replaced when translated by calling people by name. “Oppa” will always help, you can (and should) rely on him, he is the source of all joys (as well as the root of all misfortunes), etc. and so on. This appeal contains the whole essence of Confucian society - the elder is always better, he is always right, especially if the elder is a guy in relation to a girl.

Sunbae - sunbae - an address to senior students or senior work colleagues. Something like an analogue of the Japanese "senpai".

Sunbae-nim - sunbae-nim - a more formal and strict "sunbae". Similar to "hyung" and "hyungnim".

Dongsaeng/dongsaeng - younger brother or sister. This word is not a direct address; no one [almost] ever calls a junior “dongsaeng” in direct contact, but in a conversation with a third person about this person they can refer to him with this very term. So, for example, they can characterize a young girl / guy in order to emphasize his belonging to something (without such a correlation, Korean culture simply cannot be imagined): 김연아, 국민 여동생 (“Kim Young Ah, the little sister of the whole nation”), kind of loving and proud at the same time.

Unni - unni - "elder sister" - this is how women and girls can address each other, again, there is no need to be related by blood, they can just be friends or work colleagues. This is what women call their friends, classmates, acquaintances and random fellow travelers somewhat older than themselves.
Unnie - this is how you can address a pretty saleswoman at a market or in a store, and by this address she will immediately understand that you like her. However, at the same time, you yourself should not be too burdened with the burden of years. Otherwise, your interlocutor will think that you are hinting at her considerable age. Times are changing quickly, and today young (30-40 years old) Korean women react painfully to any hints and questions related to their age. The desire to stay young after marriage is a recent one, but is becoming more common.

“Unnie” also has one unique feature that distinguishes it from all other similar addresses, namely, this is how female waitresses in restaurants are called, and quite often even guys. A common mistake of Russian speakers in Korea is to call waitresses “아가씨” (“Agassi”, literally “girl”). However, this cannot be done, since the word “agassi” has a pronounced negative connotation; this is what girls of easy virtue are called; in rare cases, old men and women can call a young girl this way (which is justified etymologically; “agassi”, literally “little mistress girl”; this word acquired a negative meaning recently, during the lifetime of these same old men, hence their use of this word from old memory).

A person who teaches at a prestigious university is called seongsaeng-nim, which means “teacher.” A teacher can be called a person who knows something better than others.
Sometimes students may address teachers as kyosu-nim (respected professor). This is often said to those who have a scientific degree or a fairly high status among other professors.

At a market or in a store, a person is addressed as a sleepy person (guest, client).

Most Koreans, with age, achieve the desired goal and become the owners of their own business, which gives them the right to be called the word sajan-nim, which sounds euphonious to the Korean ear (that is, the respectable owner of the enterprise), and even if they do not become, it is still the best compliment for them, just as it pleases the soul of a lieutenant to be addressed as “Mr. Major.”

The suffixes are "-양" ("-yang") and "-군" ("-kun").
There is not much to say about these suffixes. “-yan” is attached to a female name and, in fact, means “girl”, “girl”, “-kun”, respectively, to a male name, and means “guy”, “young man”. In nine cases out of ten, these suffixes will only be used by elders in relation to younger ones, usually children and teenagers; in all other cases they are unacceptable. They can often be heard in the speech of teachers calling children by name in class, educators in hagwons (language schools), sometimes when addressing, for example, the head of a department in the office to a young trainee or intern, less often between friends, but this is more common in a joke and often in situations where the speaker wants to emphasize the gender of the listener.

Hence the conclusion of all the letters written above: the most important component of politeness in Korean society is the correct choice of the form of addressing the interlocutor. This takes into account his age, social status, the degree of closeness of the relationship, and the environment in which communication takes place.

Did you read to the end? Thank you for your attention! And a sunny weekend!

If you want to give your newborn baby some exotic name, then turning to the Korean list will be the right decision. It sounds beautiful, resonant and unusual. But if you are of Korean descent, you should be more thoughtful in choosing a name for your baby. Like all other peoples, the name of a child encodes not only his family affiliation, but also his destiny. At least the one his parents want for him. In this article, we will list beautiful Korean names and describe their meanings so that you can make your choice.

Namesakes and namesakes

In all countries it is much more common to meet a person with the same name than with the same surname. In Korea, it's the other way around. There are not even two hundred and ninety names in the entire country. And there are three most common ones: Kim, Lee and Park. So meeting a person with the same last name in Korea is not an oddity, but a pattern. However, this person will not necessarily be your relative. Twenty million people in the southern part of the country alone have five common surnames. But meeting a namesake among these people is quite difficult. Korean names are very numerous. Moreover, very often they do not know sexual differentiation. That is, both a man and a woman can have the same name. But a person’s own, unique designation is written in one or two hieroglyphs. To them is added tollimcha - a syllable common to the entire generation of a given family. Therefore, the names of brothers, sisters and even cousins ​​sound very similar.

Writing

Korean names are mostly two-syllable, while surnames, on the contrary, are very short. But since the name of a person and his family affiliation are written in hieroglyphs (in Hangul or Khancha), then in Latin or Cyrillic transcription they are indicated with a space and a capital letter. But they should be pronounced together. It's like writing Key Rill or Ol Ga. When designating a Korean, the surname is placed first, and then the given name. If it happens that the first consists of more than one syllable, the second should be very short. For example, a Korean singer named Somun goes by the name Tak. But usually two syllables of a person's individual name complete the short gender designation. If you are not Korean, but just want to give your son or daughter one of the names of this people, you may not know these subtleties. However, in the traditional value system, it is important to take into account all these nuances of the pedigree.

How do they come up with names in Korea?

Since the list of surnames in this country is sadly short, the need for a huge number of individual names has arisen. You have to somehow distinguish between several million Kims or Packs. Korean names were compiled in three directions. The first is euphony and (most importantly) a good combination with the surname. The second is beautiful writing so that the hieroglyphs look organic. And the third direction - like other peoples - is the meaning of the name. But this latter was not given much importance in traditional Korea. Such hieroglyphs as lake and cloud were mixed, resulting in Van Ho. Recently, borrowing names from other languages ​​and cultures has become widespread in South Korea. But they are still written in hieroglyphs: Han Na, Da Vid.

We have already mentioned that in this country it is difficult to determine what kind of person is hidden behind his generic and individual name - whether he is a man or a woman. But still, most often girls are given names whose meaning reflects the qualities that parents would like to endow with their daughter. This is quite understandable. After all, other nations also call their daughters Roses, Lilies, Margaritas, etc. Korean names for girls are also not devoid of this logic. Therefore, there is Lien (lotus), Mei (flower), Nguyet (moon), Hong (rose), Tu (star). What mother does not wish her daughter female happiness? Therefore there are names such as Jung (love), Kui (jewel), Jung (prosperous). At the same time, girls are often wished courage (Yuong), wisdom (Hyun), courage (Dung), peace (Lan). The following popular names are common to girls and boys: Ha Neul (sky), Ah Reum (beauty), Kip Peum (joy), Yi Seul (dew, purity). From China came the fashion of identifying girls with precious stones or metals. An example of this is Kim (gold), Beach (jade).

In the traditions of this people, the son has always been the continuer of the family and the further guardian of his parents. Therefore, when naming him, not only the beautiful sound of his name was taken into account, but also the meaning of the latter. The parents tried to “encode” their son, to give him the qualities that they wanted to see in him. Vien means the Finisher (of every work). The name Dinkh is no less popular. That means it's the "top". The implication is that Dinh will always reach the zenith of all his endeavors. A similar name is Jin Ho, which means "leader". In families of military boys, they are often called Yong Kuan - “Brave Soldier”. The name He, who honors parents, is very popular. Just as girls are named after flowers, boys are named after animals. The popular name is Ho - tiger. Let us repeat once again: Koreans connect these monosyllabic words with others. This is how new and unusual names are created.

Korean names are:

Korean name consists of a surname followed by a personal name.

In most cases, the surname consists of one syllable and the given name consists of two syllables. Both first and last names are often written using hanja, Chinese characters that reflect Korean pronunciation. Hanja are no longer used in North Korea, and their use for names in South Korea has been reduced to 5,038 characters. When using European languages, some Koreans maintain the traditional spelling order, while others change it according to Western patterns. In Korea, when a woman gets married, she usually keeps her maiden name.

There are only about 250 surnames in use in Korea. The most common of them are Kim, Lee and Park. However, most namesakes are not close relatives. The origin of Korean surnames is closely related to Korean history and geography. There are many clans, each associated with a specific place, such as the Kims of Gimhae. In most cases, each clan traces its ancestry back to a common ancestor in the male line.

The use of names has varied throughout Korean history. Ancient names in Korean were found during the Three Kingdoms period (57 BC - 668 AD), but over time, with the adoption of Chinese writing, they were replaced by names written in Chinese characters. During the periods of Mongol and Manchu influence, the ruling elite supplemented their Korean names with Mongol and Manchu names. Additionally, during the period of Japanese occupation in the early 20th century, Koreans were forcibly given Japanese names.

Review

Surnames

There are about 250 surnames in use in Korea. Each surname can be carried by several clans ( Pongwanov), identified geographically. For example, the most numerous clan is the Gimhae Kim, that is, the Kim clan from the city of Gimhae. At the end of the 20th century, there were more than 3 thousand clans in Korea, the largest of which had hundreds of thousands and millions of people, such as the Kims from Gimhae, the Lees from Jeonju and Gyeongju, and the Parks from Miryang. As in other East Asian cultures, Korean women usually keep their surname after marriage, but children take their father's surname. According to tradition, each clan must publish its family tree ( Chokpo) every 30 years.

The origin of Korean surnames was greatly influenced by Chinese tradition. Most Korean surnames consist of one character, hanja, and thus one syllable. There are about a dozen two-syllable surnames (Namgoong and Hwangpo are the most common), but they are all outside the top hundred on the list of most common. Most of them use non-trivial compound Chinese names. The five most common surnames are shared by more than 20 million people in South Korea. There are a great many personal names in Korea and they are practically not divided by gender, that is, they can belong to both men and women.

Names

Traditionally, boys' names are determined by the name of the generation, a tradition that comes from China. One or two characters in a Korean's name are unique, while others are common to all family members of the same generation. Therefore, cousins' names usually have the same syllable ( tollimcha) at a certain place. In North Korea, generational names are the same for closer relatives - brothers and sisters.

The name consists of Hanja characters, but is usually written in Hangul. In North Korea, hanja is practically not used, but the meanings of the hieroglyphs remain. For example, the syllable chul(Korean 철, 鐵), used in boys' names, means "iron". In South Korea, paragraph 37 of the Family Registry Law Family Registry Law) requires that the khanchcha in names be selected from a predetermined list. If the hanja for a name is not chosen from the list, it is recorded in the family registry in Hangul. In March 1991, the Supreme Court of South Korea published the List of Hanja Characters for Use in Names, which allows a total of 2,854 different characters (and 61 alternate forms) to be used for names. In 1994, 1997, 2001 and 2005, this list was expanded and now consists of 5,038 permitted characters.

Although the tradition is still strong, since the late 1970s, some parents have given their children personal names, which are originally Korean words, usually consisting of two syllables. Popular names consisting of Korean words are Haneul (하늘; "sky"), Ahreum (아름; "beauty"), Kippeum (기쁨; "joy") and Yiseul (이슬; "purity", lit. "dew") . Despite the trend away from traditional practice, people's names are still written down in official documents, family genealogies, etc. in both Hangul and Hanja (if possible).

Names usually consist of two syllables, in rare cases - of one or three, such as, for example, the names of politicians Kim Gu, Ko Kun and Yong Kaesomun. Koreans with two-syllable last names usually have a one-syllable first name, such as singer Somun Tak.

Transcription

Romanization

In English-speaking countries, the three most common surnames are spelled "Kim" (김), "Lee" or "Rhee" (리, 이), and "Park" (박). Despite the official romanization of the Korean language, used to translate geographical and other names into Latin, in both North and South Korea, the romanization of Korean names is carried out according to phonetic transcription. That is, the surname "Lee" can be written in Latin as "I", "Yi", "Rhee" and "Rhie". The pronunciation used in North Korea is 리 ( ri), and in the South - the pronunciation 이 ( And). The same goes for several other names.

Cyrillization

For the Cyrillization of the Korean language in general and names in particular, the Kontsevich system is most widely used, which separately stipulates the rules and recommendations for the transliteration of Korean names. In Russian, a Korean name is usually written in three (or two) separate words, each of which consists of one syllable. The surname comes first, followed by the name given at birth, for example Lee Seung Man, Kim Dae Jung. Despite this, Kontsevich recommends writing two-syllable names and surnames together, for example Kang Gamchang, Lee Gyubo. Traditionally, in Russian-language literature, the spelling of Korean names was preserved based on the North Korean version, for example, Choi instead of Choi, but this tradition is now breaking, however, it is recommended to preserve the spelling of such surnames as Lee (and not I), Liu (and not Yu), Lim (and not Im ).

Among Koreans living in the countries of the former USSR, surnames like Hegai, Yugai, Ogai are often found. These are modified (by adding the suffix -guy) short surnames Yu (Liu), He, O and the like.

Usage

The use of given names and naming by name has strict rules and restrictions in traditional Korean society. In Korean culture, it is considered rude to call someone by their personal name, except to your closest friends. This is especially important when addressing an older person. This rule is often a source of difficulty for Korean language learners.

There are many words to complement a person's real name. Among adults of the same social status, it is considered the norm to address each other by adding a suffix to the full name ssi(씨氏). However, it is impolite to address a person by their last name only, even using this suffix. If the person to whom the address is addressed has an official status, he is usually addressed by the name of this status (for example, “manager” or “boss”), often with a respectful suffix him(님). In such cases, a personal name may be added, although this usually indicates that the person making the address is of higher status.

In Korean society, teknonymy is common - the custom of calling a married person (married woman) by the name of his or her child. It is quite common to call a mother by the name of her eldest son, for example, “Chul Soo's mom” (철수 엄마). However, teknonymy can have as its objects any of the parents and any of the children in the family, depending on the context.

Among children and close friends, calling each other by name is not disrespectful. Nicknames are also often used.

Story

Korean names have changed over time. The first names to appear in the chronicles date back to the early Three Kingdoms period, when the Korean Peninsula was heavily influenced by Chinese culture, as China eventually became the dominant power in the region. Changes continued during the following periods of Korean history - the Unified Silla State, the Goryeo and Joseon dynasties. For aristocracy of yangban rank, a complex system of alternative names was used, which originated in the Joseon era. This system, including court names, posthumous names, birth names, and pen names, grew out of the Confucian tradition. The court name system is based on Book of Ceremonies, one of the five key books of Confucianism. This system first entered Korea during the Three Kingdoms, but very few aristocrats of that time are known to have had a court name (among them was Seol Cheon 설총 薛聰). This tradition became widespread only during the late Goryeo Dynasty, when the influence of Confucianism in the country began to seriously increase.

According to the chronicle Samguk Sagi, the first surnames were bestowed upon the people by the Vanir. For example, in 33 AD. e.. Wang Yuri gave the six nobles of the state the names Lee (이), Bae (배), Choi (최), Jeong (정), Song (손) and Sol (설). However, this theory is not widely accepted among modern historians, who believe that sinicized names came into use approximately five hundred years after the events described in Samguk Sagi.

Ancient Korean names

Before the spread of the Chinese-style naming system, Koreans had their own naming system. With the exception of the aristocracy, most Koreans in ancient times did not have surnames. Personal names sometimes consisted of three syllables, for example Misahung (미사흔; 未斯欣) or Sadaham (사다함; 斯多含). Under the influence of Chinese culture in the first millennium AD, surnames became widespread among Koreans. First they appeared among the Vanir, then spread among the aristocracy and finally reached the common people, but this happened quite late - until the 19th century, most common people did not have surnames.

In the ancient Korean states of Goguryeo and Baekje, non-Chinese surnames were common, often consisting of two syllables, and it is believed that most of them were place names. According to Japanese chronicles, some of the characters used to write surnames were pronounced not in Chinese, but in Korean. For example, the governor from Goguryeo Yong Kaesomun (연개소문; 淵蓋蘇文) in the Japanese chronicle Nihon Shoki referred to under the name Iri Kasumi (伊梨柯須弥). The word "iri" may have meant "fountain" in Goguryeo. Early Silla names are also believed to be ancient Korean words, for example the name Park Hyokkose (朴赫居世) was pronounced roughly like "Palgonuri" (발거누리), which translates to "bright world".

Mongol influence

During the brief period of Mongol occupation during the Goryeo dynasty, the Korean vans and aristocracy had both Mongolian and Sino-Korean names. For example, Wang Kongming had the Mongolian name Bayan Temur and the Sino-Korean name Wang Gi (王祺) (later Wang Jong, 王顓).

Japanese influence

During the period of Japanese occupation of Korea (1910-1945), Koreans were forced to adopt Japanese names. In 1939, as part of the policy of cultural assimilation (Japanese: 同化政策 do:ka seisaku?), carried out by Governor General of Korea Jiro Minami, Decree No. 20 (known as the "Names Decree", 창씨개명) was issued into law in April 1940. He allowed (in practice forced) Koreans to adopt Japanese surnames and given names. Although coercion was officially prohibited by the Japanese colonial government, local officials forced Koreans to Japaneseize their names, resulting in about 84% of the Korean population having Japanese surnames by 1944. However, many Koreans close to the ruling elite (among them the most famous is Hong Sa Ik, a general in the Army of the Japanese Empire), withstood this pressure and retained their national names.

After the liberation of Korea, on October 23, 1946, the American military command in Korea issued the Name Restoration Order (조선 성명 복구령; 朝鮮姓名復舊令), allowing all Koreans south of the 38th parallel to regain their national names.

see also

• List of Korean surnames
• Temple name
• Court name
• Birth name

Notes

1. 1 2 The Republic of Korea. National Bureau of Statistics (English). Detailed statistics are not available for North Korea, but the figures do not vary significantly. A list of the 22 most common surnames and the approximate spread for both parts of Korea can be found here:
2. U.S. Library of Congress, Traditional Family Life.(English)
3. Nahm, pp. 33-34.
4. South Korea, Family Registry Law
5. National Academy of the Korean Language (1991)
6. Areum (아름) in the first meaning is “beauty”, in the second – one girth of a tree or an armful of flowers.
7. Although romanization in the form of "I" is rare, it is the only correct romanization within the official system of translating Korean into Roman script. It is used, for example, by the Yonhap news agency.
8. The Northern Forum (2006), p. 29.
9. 1 2 Ri 2005, p. 182.
10. Hwang (1991), p. 9.
11. Naver Encyclopedia, Nickname (별명別名).
12. Lee, Hong-jik (1983), p. 1134.
13. Seol Cheon's court name, Cheonji (총지聰智), is mentioned in Samguk Sagi.
14. Do (1999).
15. Do (1999), sec. 2.
16. Do (1999), sec. 3.
17. Lee, Hong-jik (1983), p. 117.
18. U.S. Library of Congress, Korea Under Japanese Rule.
19. 1 2 Nahm (1996), p. 223. See also Empas, “창씨개명.”
20. “...84% of the Korean population had Japanese surnames” formally, that is, according to their passport. In practice, the vast majority of Koreans used Korean names in everyday communication.

Literature

• 자 (Cha, court name) // 새國史事典 (Se kuksa sajŏn, Encyclopedia of Korean History / Lee, Hong-jik (이홍직). - Seoul: Kyohaksa, 1983. - P. 117, 1134. - ISBN ISBN 89- 09-00506-8
• A new history of Korea (rev. ed., tr. by Edward W. Wagner and Edward J. Shultz. - Seoul: Ilchokak, 1984. - ISBN ISBN 89-337-0204-0
• Korea: Tradition and Transformation - A History of the Korean People. - Elizabeth, NJ: Hollym International, 1988. - ISBN ISBN 0-930878-56-6
• The Northern Forum (2006), The Northern Forum Protocol Manual. Retrieved August 23, 2006.
• 올바른 우리말 사용법 (Olbaryn ural sayonbŏp, Speak Korean correctly). - 2005. - ISBN ISBN 89-5913-118-0
• U.S. Library of Congress. Korea Under Japanese Rule & Traditional Family Life Country Studies/Area Handbook Series. Retrieved August 10, 2006.
• Korea Annual 2004. - Seoul: Author, 2004. - ISBN ISBN 89-7433-070-9

Links

• Lankov Andrey. Korean surnames and given names
• How to write Korean names in Russian?
• Lankov Andrey. What are the names of Koreans?
• Korean names and surnames
• Korean bons (poi). From the book Korean customs and traditions / Comp. CHOI Yong Geun, YANG Won Sik. Almaty, 2007

Help me come up with a first and last name for a Korean girl and guy

Sergey k$a

Popular Korean girl names and their meanings:
Scourge. Interpreted as "jade".
Bao. Translated into Russian - “protection”.
Wang. Means "cloud".
Dung. Translated as “brave”.
Jin-Ho. The meaning of the name is "precious lake".
Jung. Interpreted as "love".
Jung. It has two meanings: “eternal” and “prosperous”.
Kui. It has the translation “precious”.
Kim. Means "golden".
Lan. Means "peaceful".
Lien. In Russian it means “lotus”.
May. Meaning "flower".
Moncut. Means "crown".
Nguyet. Interpreted as "moon".
Puong. The semantic meaning of the word "phoenix".
That. This is what Koreans call a “star”.
Trey. Translated as "oyster".
Tien. Meaning "spirit" or "fairy".
Thai. Translated as "Friendly".
Thuan. Means "tamed."
Hyun. Interpreted as “wise”.
Hong. The semantic meaning is "rose".
Chow. In Russian it is “pearl”.
Yuong. "Courage" is implied.
Korean male names
Korean names for boys have individual meanings. They express the parents' hopes for their son. The following characters are often used to compose Korean male names:
Binh. Interpreted as "peace".
Vien. Means "completion".
Vinh. Translated as "bay".
Dinh. In Russian it means “vertex”.
Jin-Ho. The semantic meaning is “leader” or “angry hero”.
Duong. Interpreted as "courageous".
En. Translated as "peace".
Yong. Means "brave".
Quan. In Russian "soldier".
Kuang. Interpreted as “pure”.
Lan. The meaning is "peaceful".
Nguyen. Translated as "beginning".
Nung. It means "velvet".
Pakpao. Translated: "paper kite".
Juice. Translated as "stone".
Sunan. Means "good word".
Thai. The meaning is "friendly".
Tut. Koreans call it “white snow”.
Thu. In Russian it means “autumn”.
Hanyul. Interpreted as "heavenly"
Ho. Means tiger.
He - “honors parents.”
There are many popular Korean male names in Korea today that are very easy to pronounce in English, such as Jaein – Jean.

Korean names and surnames