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

Korean male names have a deep history. Their use has varied throughout history. In ancient times, before the Three Kingdoms period, native Korean names were used. They were then replaced by modern Chinese characters. Over time, they were supplemented by the names of the Manchus and Mongols, since their interpretation was very close to the Koreans.

Since World War II, Japanese characters have been added to these. This is due to the fact that at that time various campaigns were carried out to combine the cultures of Japan and Korea. Now the country is divided into two warring parts, but despite this, male names in South and North Korea are the same.

How to choose for a boy?

Unlike the same Chinese or Japanese, The list of Korean names is sadly short. When choosing a name for a boy, parents are guided by three parameters:

• sound - the name should be harmonious and go well with the surname;
• spelling - the hieroglyphs in the name must be harmoniously combined;
• meaning of the name.

For Koreans, a son is a continuator of the family and a guardian for parents in old age. Therefore, a name is chosen that will endow the boy with the qualities that his parents want to see in him. In military families, boys are given names associated with soldiers. Also, very often babies are given names after the names of animals. The most popular of them is “tiger”.

Reference. Very often, Koreans combine two unambiguous names. In this way they receive new unusual names, which they give to their sons.

List of all the beautiful ones in Russian and their meaning

Despite the fact that the list of Korean names is very meager, among them there are a number of beautiful male names.

• Bao- means “protection”. Often makes sacrifices for other people. He tends to idealize people and has a strong character.
• Beach– translated into Russian means “jade”.
• Binh- "world". Capable of decisive action. Has a strong, strong-willed character. He is particularly resourceful.
• Vien- “completion”. Sociable, well-developed logical thinking. Achieves set goals.
• Wang- "cloud". He is distinguished by courage and independence. Shows leadership qualities. Decisive, responsible, resourceful. Has a quick response.
• Vinh– translation “bay”. Characterized by courage and independence from others, self-willed. As a child, he shows extreme curiosity.
• Dinh- “top”. Prone to adventure. He is not afraid of difficulties. Likes to be in first place in everything.
• Gin- “golden”. A sociable, sociable, curious child. He makes new acquaintances easily, which is why he has many friends.
• Jung– means “love” or “chaste.” Not afraid of difficulties. He always strives to be ahead in everything. Strives to earn public authority.
• Duk- "wish". They easily find contact with people, are sociable and cheerful, and value friendship. Always makes decisions independently.
• Dung- “brave”. Attachment and amorous, inclined to idealize people. In rare cases, has excessive demands on others.
• Duong- “courageous.” He is characterized by insight, well-developed intuition, activity, ambition, justice and determination.
• Yong– translated from Korean as “peace”.
• Isyul- “dew”. Easily makes contact with other people. Sociable, active, sociable, kind boy.
• Yong- means “brave”. Sociability, determination, courage, and curiosity are evident in a child with this name.
• Jung- “eternal” or “prosperous”. Able to make a sacrifice for the benefit of others. It is difficult for him to make an independent decision; he is dependent on other people’s opinions.
• Quan- "soldier". It is reliable and inspires trust in others. He has enjoyed authority since childhood.
• Kim– the meaning of the name “golden”. Has idealistic inclinations, affectionate, amorous. Strives to achieve set goals.
• Kui– This name means “precious”.
• Kuen- "bird". He is demanding of himself and those around him, achieves his goals with all his might, is purposeful and decisive.
• Lan– translation “peaceful”. Sociable, cheerful, sociable boy. Easily makes new acquaintances and has many friends.
• Lien- “lotus”. He strives to achieve his goals with all his might. Characterized by perseverance, purposefulness, stubbornness.
• Lin- "beautiful". It is not a problem for a child to make new acquaintances. Since childhood, he has been an active, cheerful, sociable and open child.
• Monkut- "crown". Persistence, pride, determination, and touchiness accompany a boy with that name throughout life. Reacts sharply to comments addressed to him.
• Min– translated as “mole”. The boy is endowed with creative abilities and talents. Loves to express himself, active, never sits still.
• May– means “bright” or “flower”. Sociable, friendly, peaceful, open, sociable. Easily makes new acquaintances.
• Ngai– translated “grass”. Since childhood, he shows signs of giftedness. Strives to gain new knowledge. He has creative abilities, which he always seeks to use.
• Ngoc- “precious stone”. They are distinguished by sociability, openness to everything new, cheerfulness, activity, kindness and ambition. He will always come to the aid of those in need.
• Nguyen- "Start". Endowed with a deep inner world, peace-loving, always strives to gain new knowledge, kind and honest.
• Nung- means “velvet”. He is characterized by courage and determination, resourcefulness, impulsiveness, and leadership qualities.
• Pakpao- "paper kite". Has a quick reaction, well-developed intuition and high intelligence. Kind, fair, honest and open.
• Puong- “Phoenix”. Independent, proud, stubborn, fair, determined. Does not accept help from others.
• Sunan- “a good word.” He has a strong, strong-willed and disruptive character, which helps him achieve any goals he sets.
• Tien– means “spirit”. Kind, secretive, calm, vulnerable, can make a sacrifice for the good of a loved one.
• Trey– translation of the name “oyster”. He has been distinguished by curiosity since childhood. He often becomes a team leader due to his determination and responsibility.
• That- “star”. Active, mobile, sociable and optimistic boy. Needs constant movement, does not like to sit still.
• Tuan- "bright". The child is endowed with creative abilities, which he seeks to use. Loves to be the center of attention. Strive to win public love and authority.
• Tuen- "Ray". Wants to always be in first place. Considers himself better than others. Self-confidence, selfishness, and stubbornness prevail.
• Thai- “friendly”. He is characterized by decisiveness, speed of reaction, responsibility, reliability, and determination.
• Thu- "autumn". The boy is characterized by courage and determination, bravery and masculinity. Since childhood, he has been extremely curious.
• Thuan- “tamed.” He has a need to dominate others. Likes to be the center of attention, considers himself better than others. Stubborn, selfish and mercantile.
• Hanyul- “heavenly”. Capable of making any sacrifice for the sake of a loved one. Hidden, complex, closed. It's difficult to make new acquaintances.
• Hyun- means “wise.” Independent, courageous, honest, responsible, resourceful, reliable.
• Hung- “brave”. The baby is characterized by a strong, punchy character and increased demands on those around him. At the same time, he is very amorous and quickly becomes attached to people.
• Hoa- "flower". Reliable, responsible, honest, enjoys public authority. Always gets things done.
• Huong- "pink". Secretive, uncommunicative, withdrawn, complex child. It is difficult for him to make new acquaintances. Loves home gatherings.
• Juan- “given by God.” Capable of sacrificing a lot for the benefit of others. A kind, open, cheerful child. Loves nature.
• Hong- "rose". A distinctive character trait is reliability. You can always rely on him. Fair, honest, kind.
• Chow– interpreted as “pearl”. The owner of the name is cheerful, optimistic, sociable and sociable. Always on the move.
• Chi- “energetic.” Considers himself better than others, always wants to be in first place. Often takes part in conflicts. But it solves them just as easily.
• Shin– translated as “trust” or “faith.” May make a sacrifice to achieve some goal. He puts other people's happiness above his own.
• Yuong- “bravery”. Reliability is the most important feature of such boys. They enjoy authority among others, which they strive to maintain at any cost.

Korean roots begin in China. Asians not only have a similar appearance, but also names that are similar in meaning and pronunciation.

Eastern culture surprises and inspires Europe with its beauty and harmony. Read what beautiful Korean names and surnames there are for girls.

Very often you can meet Nicole Ivanovna or Michelle Olegovna on the street. If it is in consonance with the father’s foreign patronymic or eastern surname, you can choose an unusual option for the child.

But you shouldn’t experiment if the name of the family clan is Kovalenko or Petrenko.

Koreans have a different specificity of surnames and given names. Each name has a deep meaning and significance when it can consist of just two letters.

Usually the name accurately characterizes the activity in which the person's family is engaged. These may be distinctive behavioral traits or the area in which the girl was born.

Important! Each region of the country has its own pronunciation and popular surnames are different from those in the village, which is located several kilometers away.

In Korea, a child's name can become his life's instructions. Therefore, parents are especially careful when making this choice.

Usually the surname is inseparable from the personal nickname. But only 300 variants of their own nicknames originated in the country.

Korean surnames differ from European ones in the following qualities:

• Lots of parts. Instead of the Russian two-part version, Koreans have a full proper name consisting of three words: surname, double name.
• Own nicknames in Korean are written in two words. Often in America, a two-syllable name is mistaken for a middle name.
• But there are few double names. There are only a little more than a dozen such options in the state.
• The most popular surname in the Republic of Korea is Kim. More than 20% of the population are carriers. In second place is Lee, in third is Park.

Unlike the European style, the Korean versions are not divided into male and female. If in Russian the surname “Ivanov” is declined in the feminine gender to “Ivanova,” then in Korean they remain unchanged.

Important! A girl who gets married does not change her clan name to that of her husband's family. She remains under her father's wing.

At birth, it is customary to give a child a paternal surname. However, an older child can change the version to the maternal version.

Koreans are not known for their originality, so most surnames are repeated not only several thousand, but also several million times.

Among the popular Korean surnames for girls and men:

• Kwon.
• Hwang.

The surname more often indicates that the child belongs to the father’s clan. However, in adulthood, after changing the version to the maternal one, the child will be under the protection of the female line.

These options have been preserved since ancient times from the 12th-13th centuries.

Beautiful female names and their meanings

But women's names are more harmonious than men's. Personal nicknames also indicate a person’s character, his destiny, or are compared with the beauty of nature.

Korean versions sound very unusual for Europeans, which is what attracts them.

Important! Just as during the divisions of counts the French had the prefix “von,” so the eastern races have a distinctive feature - the generic indicator “pon.”

Each name has only one meaning. It is believed that a girl absorbs the energy of her personal nickname throughout her life after being named.

The options are simple, easy to remember and quick to pronounce.

You can see the most attractive options in the table:

On the territory of the Republic of Korea, it is not customary to call a person only by his personal name.

To address a woman, you need to pronounce the entire last name, first name and prefixes, if any. A familiar attitude towards a girl you barely know is considered a violation of the rules of ethics.

Advice! The name carries the child's destiny. But it also talks about his past.

For example, if a girl was born with bright blue eyes and was named Haneul, and her irises later changed color to brown or green, the woman will know that she spent part of her childhood with sky-colored eyes.

List of rare names and surnames

Due to the small selection among 300 options, almost any last name or first name will appear quite often. Rare versions are difficult to find.

In some places the pronunciation simply changes and it may seem that a rare Korean surname has been pronounced.

Among the rare variants are the following names:

• Sangwoo.
• Jegal.
• Sakong.
• Hwangbo.

Attention! First and last names in Korea are written in hieroglyphs. In European countries it is customary to write these names in Latin letters.

Do you like rare and popular Korean surnames? You can also call a Russian child the proud name Hong, if the surname sounds euphonious in combination with the patronymic.

Give oriental meaning to the life of a little girl.

Useful video

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, his name is Moo Hyun, and his last name is No. 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 names are written, then it may be impossible to adequately translate them.

Another feature of the Korean onomasticon is that Korean is 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.

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.

Bao - protection
Beach - jade
Binh - peace

Vien - completion
Van - cloud
Vinh Bay

Dinh - peak
Duk - desire
Jung - love
Jin-Ho - leader, golden hero
Jung - chaste, love
Dung - brave
Duong - courageous

Yong - brave
Yung - eternal, prosperous

Quan - soldier
Kim is golden
Kui - precious
Kui - precious
Kuang - clear, pure
Kuen - bird

Lien - lotus
Lin - spring
Lan - peaceful

Monkut - crown
May - flower
Min - bright

Nung - velvet
Nguyen - the beginning
Ngai - grass
Nung - velvet
Ngoc - gemstone
Nguyet - moon

Pakpao - paper kite
Puong - phoenix

Sunan is a good word

Tien - spirit
Tray is an oyster
Tu is a star
Tuan - bright
Tuen - ray
Tuet - white snow
Thai - friendly
Than - bright, clear
Thi - poem
Thu - autumn
Thuan - tamed

Hanyul - heavenly
Hyun - wise
Hung - brave
Hoa - flower
Huong - pink
Huang - spring
Hong - rose
Huang - spring

Bao - protection
Beach - jade
Binh - peace

Vien - completion
Van - cloud
Vinh Bay

Dinh - peak
Duk - desire
Jung - love
Jin-Ho - leader, golden hero
Jung - chaste, love
Dung - brave
Duong - courageous

Yong - brave
Yung - eternal, prosperous

Quan - soldier
Kim - golden
Kui - precious
Kui - precious
Kuang - clear, pure
Kuen - bird

Lien - lotus
Lin - spring
Lan - peaceful

Monkut - crown
Mei - flower
Min - bright

Nung - velvet
Nguyen - the beginning
Ngai - grass
Nung - velvet
Ngoc - gemstone
Nguyet - moon

Pakpao - paper kite
Puong - phoenix

Sunan is a good word

Tien - spirit
Tray is an oyster
Tu is a star
Tuan - bright
Tuen - ray
Tuet - white snow
Thai - friendly
Than - bright, clear
Thi - poem
Thu - autumn
Thuan - tamed

Hanyul - heavenly
Hyun - wise
Hung - brave
Hoa - flower
Huong - pink
Huang - spring
Hong - rose
Huang - spring

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 Kuan (brave warrior)
• Yung (always prosperous),
• Kim (gold)
• Lan (peace-loving),
• Meng Huo (brave tiger),
• Ngoc (gemstone)
• Thang (bright, radiant, clear),
• Jeon Il (true sun).

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.

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.

For the names of sons choose:

• Bao (defender)
• Scourge (jade),
• Van (clouds),
• Vien (completion),
• Jung (love)
• Jin (leader)
• Dinh (peak),
• Duong (masculinity)
• Yong (fearlessness)
• Yung (well-being)
• Kim (gold)
• Kuang (purity)
• Lan (peace)
• 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.

General information

The modern Korean anthroponymic system is the result of social transformations at the end of the 19th century. The so-called reforms of the year can be considered a conditional starting point. Cape(1894), although the process itself lasted for many years and was subject to significant interference from Japanese colonial policy. Traditionally, only nobles could have a surname (in this, Korea was no different from other countries). The privilege of bearing a surname was abolished back in 1909 under the Korean Empire, but the practice of universal surname took root already under the Japanese colonial administration. However, the main activities of the Japanese authorities in this area, in particular, the well-known “Decree on Changing Names” (創氏改名 Japanese. so:si kaimei창씨개명, the decree was put into effect by a decision of the Daegu District Court (大邱, which in English Wikipedia became Taikyu) occurred in the late 30s and early 40s.

This highly politicized topic, fortunately, is not related to the issues that interest us. However, it should be borne in mind that such a late institutionalization of the Korean anthroponymic system requires additional caution when considering genealogies dating back to Korean settlers in the Russian Far East in the second half of the 19th century.

The official date of the beginning of the resettlement is considered to be 1864, when the Korean village of Tizinhe was founded (later the Vinogradnoe state farm, in 1938 merged with the village of Gvozdevo, Khasansky district, Primorsky Krai). F.V. Solovyov in his “Dictionary of Chinese toponyms on the territory of the Soviet Far East” interprets this name as of unclear origin. In Chinese sources it is written in characters 雞心河 (Chinese. Jixin-he계심하), that is, “Chicken Heart River” (Soloviev translates as “Chicken River”). Actually, Chinese 雞心 ( Jixin) has the meaning “jujuba” or “jujube” (棗 Chinese. zao조, however, in Korean this shrub is called 대추 taechhu, and the hieroglyphic name is not used). This is a variety of zisiphus (lat. Ziziphus jujuba), colloquially called the "Chinese date". This is a shrub of the buckthorn family with rather large red-brown berries (drupes), in shape really reminiscent of a chicken heart. So the river is most likely Date. Its Russian name is Grape, however, probably not as a result of confusion, but in the sense of “wine berry”.

We will also not touch on another sensitive topic - the issue of large-scale falsification of pedigrees, in particular, the so-called practice of “ancestor correction” (換父易祖 환부역조), when one’s own “bad” ancestor was attached to a “good” family. They were usually attached to former patrons and by agreement, usually to lines where there were no direct male descendants. According to some reports, up to 90% of all genealogies have been falsified to one degree or another, although this figure still seems overestimated.

At the same time, all of South Korea almost entirely turned into descendants of ancient noble families (see, for example, A. N. Lankov, “A Nation of Nobles?”). I note, however, that this is by no means a one-time phenomenon associated with social upheavals after the liberation of the country in 1945, but it seems to be a good old tradition. Surnames (賜姓사성) and new(賜貫 사관) took place back in Silla, and continued briskly under Goryeo. For example, part of the Kims from Gyeongju (慶州金氏 경주 김씨) became the Kwons from Andong (安東權氏 안동권씨).

Corrections of genealogies became even more widespread from the beginning of the 15th century after the establishment of the Joseon Dynasty. It is from this period that the first genealogical books that have reached us date back. The oldest are considered to be the 1423 genealogy of the Yu family of Munhwa (文化柳氏 문화유씨) and the 1476 genealogy of the same Kwons of Andong, and in both cases the genealogical lines go back to the beginning of the 10th century. There is also information about the pedigree of the O family from Hezhu (海州吳氏 해주오씨) dating back to 1401, dating back to the end of the 10th century, however, there are some questions about this source.

When we talk about genealogical books, we usually mean the so-called Chokpo(族譜족보). In general, there are about a dozen types of genealogical books, collectively called “family tree records” 譜牒 (보첩). Including, “Generation Records” (世譜 세보, sometimes also 世誌세지), “Generation Records” (派譜 파보, sometimes also 支譜 지보), “Family Records” 家譜 (가보 or 家牒 가첩, here家 namely “family”, not “yard”, so the translation “Household records” is incorrect) and others. Most names include the character 譜 (보), meaning “organized records,” including an ordered “family tree.”

Page of the "Generation Records" (世譜) of the Yu family of Munhwa, copy 1565 from the collection of the Academy of Korean Studies (한국학 중앙연구원)

In any case, starting from the early Joseon period, we already see most of the basic elements and connections of the system. Returning to the issue of falsifications, we can say that they, in any case, are systemic and, thus, form a holistic and self-valuable picture.

A modern full Korean name consists of a character (usually one) for the surname and a character (usually two) for the given name. The situation here is the opposite of that in the West or in Russia, where a theoretically unlimited number of surnames is combined with a limited, although quite quickly replenished, repertoire of names. In Korea, on the contrary, a limited repertoire of surnames is combined with a given name, which, generally speaking, can be a combination of any hieroglyphs. The Korean surname always comes before the given name. Now, however, sometimes there is a Latin entry in the English style: first name, then last name (sometimes separated by a comma).

The modern repertoire includes 284 surnames (according to South Korean statistics as of 2000). The complete list of approximately 350 surnames also includes surnames that have fallen out of use and hieroglyphic spellings. However, they are distributed very unevenly. The above graph shows that 50% of the country’s population bears one of the four “big” surnames, and the 40 most common surnames already cover 90% of the population.

For comparison, in the United States, according to the 1990 census, 18,839 surnames were registered, 50% of the country's population have 140 surnames, and 90% have about 700 surnames.

There are also a small number of two-syllable surnames (複姓 복성), whose bearers collectively make up less than 0.15% of the population (we are talking about South Korea). Most two-syllable surnames are historically Chinese, but are considered properly Korean: Namgoong (南宮 남궁), Hwangbo (皇甫 황보), Sunwoo (鮮于 선우), Dokko (獨孤 독고), Jegal (諸葛 제갈), Dongban (東方 동 방), Sagon (司空 사공), Seomun (西門서문), Ogeum (魚金어금) and Sobong (小峰소봉). In addition, there are several obsolete two-syllable surnames, as well as so-called naturalized surnames (歸化城 귀화성), belonging to post-war repatriates from Japan.

When talking about Korean surnames, there are a few important things to keep in mind. Firstly, some surnames have variations in hieroglyphic spelling. Here we must distinguish two cases. For example, the surname Ko (고) is now written with the character 高. But there is also a variant (previously more common) 髙 - these are different spellings of the same hieroglyph. Moreover, not all dictionary variations are actually used in surnames. In another case, the surname Pyeong (편) is now written with the character 扁 (넓적할 편 "flat"). However, there is a variant 偏 (치우칠편 "oblique"). This is exactly a different hieroglyph, however, the same surname. In fact, with this surname everything is a little more complicated - there was a splitting of the clan with the replacement of the hieroglyph with a homophone. But officially now this is considered one surname, and the spelling 偏 is non-standard.

Secondly, writing Hangul usually corresponds to several hieroglyphic variants. And all these are different surnames. Simply put, the surname is hieroglyphic, not Hangul. Let's take the second most common surname Lee (이) as an example. It is usually believed that this is the surname 李 (오얏 나무 이 “plum”, by the way, meaning not so much the fruit as the [blooming] tree). But besides “plum” there is also Li 異 (다를이 “amazing”), Li 伊 (저이 “that”), and Li 離 (떠날이 “to leave”). However, these are all very rare surnames.

The name Lee generally deserves a separate story. First of all, “Li” is a standard Russian spelling, which is an exception in the system of practical Korean transcription by L. R. Kontsevich (for some reasons I do not always strictly adhere to its rules). Etymologically there is an initial ‑ㄹ – l/-r. Therefore, before (and still in the DPRK) it is written 리 ri. In different dialects, this sound gives different reflexes, resulting in the variants I, Li, Ri and Ni (orthographic 니 neither is obsolete). In addition, given the widespread suffix in Koryo-saram surnames -guy, we also have Igai, Ligai, Rigai and Nigai options. Technically, all eight of these variations are doublets of the same (Hangul) surname.

A few words about the suffix itself -guy. It goes with all surnames that end in a vowel, although some variants are extremely rare. There is much that is unclear about the origin of this suffix. Among the Koryo-saram themselves, there is a very popular opinion that this is a consequence of census errors during the deportation of Koreans to Central Asia. However, this is simply a common misconception that has no basis in fact. Without delving too deeply into the topic, I note that back in 1865 P. A. Gelmersen, at that time a staff captain of the General Staff under the Governor-General of Eastern Siberia, who needed a translator, took in a Korean boy of about 15 years old, Ejimuni ( Evgeniya) Kogaya. Later, Helmersen took him with him to St. Petersburg, where he assigned him to study. Apparently, Evgeny Kogai is the first Korean to visit the capital of the Russian Empire, and certainly the first to receive an official education.

In the same year (1865), several people from that very village of Tizinhe “without pretense, but to their hearts” converted to Orthodoxy. According to the calendar, the names Peter, Anton, and Paul were given to the Koreans Ungudi, Kegyi, Holoni, as well as their wives, who became, respectively, Maria, Feodosia and Ksenia. Here, of course, we are interested in someone named (is it a name?) Kegyi.

To begin with, I will note one important point. The first Korean settlers were not just northerners, but came from an area called Yukjin (“Six City” 六鎭 육진 or 六邑 육읍). This is a fortress belt in the very north of North Hamgyong Province, which was founded by King Sejong the Great in 1434 on the southern bank of the Tumangan River for protection from the Jurchens (the construction itself lasted more than 100 years): Jeongseong (鍾城 종성), Onseong (穩城 온성 ), Hwaryeong (會寧회령), Gyeongwon (慶源 경원), Gyeongheung (慶興 경흥) and Puryeon (富寧 부령). The area has a distinct Yukchi dialect (육진 방언), which exhibits a number of highly archaic features. In particular, only the old nominative case of 이 is used And(nominative in 가 ha generally a rather late phenomenon). So this suffix could not be a frozen nominative. Linguistically, it is more accurate to assume that the Sino-Korean morpheme 家 (가 ka/ha“house, family”), merged with the nominative in 이 And: Li+ha+i= "[so-and-so] is from Lee's house/family." But, firstly, Koreans do not add the word 家 to their surname. One can, of course, assume that what was meant was not the surname as such (there might not have been one), but an indication of the patron’s house, but this is also strange. Secondly, it is necessary to somehow explain why this suffix appears only in surnames ending in a vowel.

Perhaps there was a graphic decomposition of the diphthong here ke, which turned into ka+And(historically, it's just the opposite - modern diphthongs are the result of contractions), so it might be worth trying to look up the etymology ge.

A remarkable example of such decomposition is the surname 崔, modern South Korean Choi, which is a graphical Cho+And, which everywhere gives the northern dialect Tsoi.

Balanced pronunciation of diphthongs is also a feature of the Yukchin dialect (however, not only it). I will not argue that it is this dialect that underlies the Koryo-saram (Koryo-mal) language, but the fact that it had a great influence on it, and the fact that it was the language spoken by the first Korean settlers is indisputable. I will also note that it is incorrect to identify Koryo-mal with the Korean dialects of northeastern China - they have their own specifics, although, of course, they have features common to all northern Korean dialects.

Concluding the conversation about the suffix -guy, let us consider a curious case with the name and surname of the famous Russian (Soviet) Korean, later a prominent party and government figure of the DPRK, Alexei Ivanovich Hegai. He was born in 1908 in Khabarovsk. As a rule, Russian Koreans had two names - Orthodox Russian and traditional Korean. Anatoly Ivanovich, apparently, did not have a Korean name at all. His Korean name Ho Ga Yi (許哥而 허가이) became widely known after he began working in North Korea in 1945. There is a version that the name for it was invented by the outstanding Korean linguist, and also the leader of the “Yan’an group” in the leadership of the WPK, Kim Doo Bong. Most likely this is not the case. There are documents from which it follows that Alexey Ivanovich wrote himself this way in Korean before (back in the 30s) (for more details, see A. N. Lankov “Ho Ga I: An Essay on Life and Work”). In general, here we are dealing with a rather rare case of the “reverse transformation” of an already Russified surname into a Korean name (and, apparently, a deliberately specific one).

Returning to surnames, I will also note that Russian transcription can often introduce significant ambiguity. For example, Kan is generally considered to be a surname 姜, one of the ten most common. However, the Russian spelling corresponds to two variants of the Hangeul spelling: 간 and 강 (with back-lingual n). In practical transcription, back-lingual n transmitted as nb, but this option does not occur in life (Kang is very rare). As a result, for 간 we have the hieroglyphic 簡 (대쪽 간 “bamboo plank”) and four variants for 강: 姜 (성 강, originally an anthropo- and toponymic hieroglyph, later meaning “ginger”), 康 (편안 할 강 “well-being” ), 强 (힘쓸강 "strong", with the common variant 彊), and 江 (강강 "river").

Simplifying somewhat, the Korean system pongwan(本貫 본관) or simply Mon(本본) is a system of assigning generations of the male line (父系부계) to a specific geographical location. In Koryo-saram pronunciation, this word often sounds like bond or poi / sing with loss of final n(another feature of the Yukchin dialect) and the same old nominative in And.

Relatives of one yet form a "family" or "clan" ssi氏 (씨). It is often said that Mon- this is the homeland (故鄕 고향 Gohyang, Chinese version of the second character 鄉) of the founder of the clan (始祖시조).

First, let's talk about our homeland. There is a nuance here related to translation. In Russian, “homeland” is, first of all, the place where a person was born. Terminologically, the place of birth is called 出生地 (출생지) in Korean. A Gohyang- this is exactly the place where the family came from. In Korean, the question about the homeland Gohyang, in fact, implies precisely the ancestral homeland, although now in response they can also name the place of birth. There is also a technical term 貫鄕 (관향) meaning "place of [the origin of the genealogical] line." Moreover, 鄕 ​​(향) is not some place in general, but a very specific registered settlement (otherwise it cannot be attributed).

The emergence of a clan is associated with the fact that its future founder separates and, as a rule, moves to a new place. The reverse is not necessary; the clan can spread without division (分貫 분관 or 分籍 분적). In addition, some new there is a so-called intermediate founder (中始祖중시조). This is a person who revived a family after a decline. Sometimes this word is translated as “an intermediate ancestor who left the place of original residence of the clan.” However, the revival of a clan is not necessarily associated with resettlement, and even in this case, not always with the place of original residence.

As for the ancestors and founders, it seems that the family lines were initially tied specifically to the ancestors, such as the well-known “tribe” system. Later, already within the framework and then under the influence of Chinese administrative practice, they began to attribute locally. A fairly close analogue is the situation with Joseph, Mary’s husband. As is known, he was from the tribe of David, but assigned to Bethlehem - in a somewhat free interpretation, David is the founder, and Bethlehem ponom.

Large clans often have several genealogical lines (系계), which may be further divided into branches (宗派종파or simply 派파). One of the branches is usually called local (鄕派향파), that is, remaining in the ancestral place 鄕 (향). Other branches are usually named after the new location. The metropolitan branch (京派 경파) is particularly common, further illustrating the social dynamics. As an example, let's take the largest clan - the Kim family from Gimhae (金海金氏 김해김씨), constituting almost 9% of the country's population (more than 4 million people as of 2000) This Mon traces himself to Kim Suro (金首露 김수로, 42?-199? AD), the legendary (judging by the exact estimated years of his life) founder of the ancient Korean kingdom of Geumgwan Kaya. This state entity is also known as Karak (駕洛 가락), after the motto of the government, so they are sometimes called Karak Kims (駕洛金氏 가락김씨). The genus itself is divided into 4 lines, forming 25 branches, including one Japanese. These are the descendants of the Japanese general Sayaka (沙也可), who also traced his origins to Kim Suro. During the Imjin War (1592), he defected to the Korean side and is known by the rather descriptive Korean name Kim Chun Seong (金忠善 김충선 “Especially Devoted”). However, from the Korean point of view, there is no irony here - the clan was simply stuck in Japan for one and a half thousand years, and as soon as the opportunity presented itself, Sayaka restored historical justice.

Initially Mon united blood relatives, but apparently began to incorporate outside families on a clientele basis quite early, especially during periods of large-scale political and social change. It all turned pongwan more into the social system, although its related nature is emphasized everywhere. Various parallels can be drawn, for example, with the Chechen teips, also initially consanguineous, but subsequently a social structure within which there is a kinship structure var.

Each surname has one or more new. In the Joseon era, there were about 4,400 surnames out of 250. new. According to the censuses of the 1930s, for the same 250 surnames there were already only 3300 new. The official figure for South Korea for 2010 is 4,175 new for 284 surnames. However, many pony are inactive, historical or doublet, so the real figure is noticeably lower. The fact is that the names of places have changed several times, and in ponah usually the old name is retained, and not necessarily the one that was official at the time of relocation. The histogram below shows that pony distributed very unevenly (although the distribution itself is normal, positively skewed).

Most new(348) comes from the surname Kim. Note that pony are not unique, that is, the same Mon(in the sense of place of registration) can have several genera. As an example, we give a table (not entirely complete and without taking into account differences) new, which are assigned to the former Silla capital Gyeongju (慶州 경주).

Of particular interest here are the Volson and Kerim pony. Wolseong Moon Fortress (月城 월성) is an ancient palace of the Silla rulers, now Gyeongju Historical and Archaeological Site and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Kerim (鷄林 계림) literally means “Cock Forest” (rather, just a grove), which was located not far from the palace to the west (according to a modern map and topographic references, about 700 meters). And yes, this is the same chicken (雞계, 鷄 spelling, more common in Korea) that we have already encountered in the name Chijinghe, although it is hardly worth drawing far-reaching conclusions from this. However, the story of the forest itself is so interesting that it perhaps deserves a separate story.

In the Samguk Sagi chronicle, this forest appears as the “Primordial Forest” (始林시림 sirim). Sometimes they translate “Virgin (primordial) forest”, but here 始 is precisely “beginning, place of origin” (the same 始 that in the founding ancestor 始祖 시조 sizhuo), and now it will become clear why.

In the 9th year of his reign (65 AD), the ruler of Silla Tharhae, surnamed Sok (昔석 - here are the Wolseong Soki!) heard at night that a rooster (鷄계) was crowing in the Sirim forest. True, according to another chronicle, “Samguk Yusa”, this happened in the 3rd year of Gyeongshin (庚申 경신) under the motto of the reign “Eternal Peace” (永平 Chinese. yongping) of the Chinese Eastern Han dynasty, that is, in the 60th year AD. e. (hence some confusion in dates, including with Tharkhe himself).

The next morning the ruler sent Prince Hogon to find out what was going on. However, in “Samguk Yusa” Hogon was simply walking at night in the vicinity of Wolseong. This is generally a very interesting character. Hogon (瓠公호공) literally means "Prince Pumpkin". It is believed that he was called that because he sailed to Korea from Japan with a gourd tied to his belt. It's all about the pumpkin here! However, swimming through the Tsushima Strait, whose minimum width is 47 kilometers, is also impressive.

In Korean, gourd pumpkin (lat. Lagenaria siceraria, this is not at all like an ordinary pumpkin Cucurbita) usually called 朴 (박 pack). The full Chinese version of this character is 樸 (the spelling 朴 is now considered simplified in China) and simply means “raw wood”, although, of course, botanically Lagenaria is a vine (common gourd - grass). But most importantly, it is the third most common Korean surname, Park.

The character 朴 itself consists of two elements: 木 “tree” (generally a solid plant) and 卜 “to guess.” Fortune telling means clarifying a dark, incomprehensible situation. So it is quite possible that this surname is, in fact, originally Korean, associated with the root finger밝 (밝다 “bright, clear”, as well as “knowledgeable”; the causative 밝히다 also means “to enlighten, to inform”). Let me also remind you that the legendary founder of Silla was named Park Hyokkose (朴赫居世 박혁거세). Another spelling of his name (just a variant spelling, not another name) is Pulgune (弗矩內 불구내). According to the accepted interpretation, the character 赫 (붉을혁 hake) "bright red" is the Korean root 붉 ( pulk) "red", hieroglyph 居 (거 co) plays a purely phonetic role, the character 世 (세 se) "peace" is the Korean word 누리 ( nuri) “peace, light”, which was contracted into 뉘 ( Well). All together we get Pulgune, that is, “illuminating or enlightening the world.” Well, the gourd itself is a very important item in fortune-telling (shamanic) practices in Korea, southern Japan and northeastern China.

So, Prince Pumpkin discovered that a golden chest was hanging on the branches of a tree, and a white rooster was sitting under the tree. When the chest was opened (according to one version, the chest was delivered to the palace, according to another, the ruler himself arrived at the place), a boy of extraordinary beauty was found in it. About the chest. The original contains the character 樻 (함 궤), which means “large chest”, now generally “cabinet” (in Chinese it is usually written 櫃 or 匱 with the same reading, there is also the meaning of “large basket for carrying earth”). The Korean interpretation of 함 is actually another character 函 (함함), which simply means "box" or "box". But this is the word usually used in modern retellings (sometimes also 상자). Hence, in many translations, the boy sits in something like a parcel box.

Everyone, of course, was very happy and remembered Hyokkose, who was also found in the forest, and near the Chicken (again!) stream (鷄井 계정 gyejong). True, he was not sitting in a chest, but in an egg, but that doesn’t matter. Anyway, the boy was named Kim Alji (金閼智 김알지), and his descendants later became the rulers of Silla. And from then on the forest began to be called Petushin. However, “Samguk Yusa” notes that it is also called Pigeon (鳩林 구림, actually, this is not exactly a “dove”, but a “dove”, however, it is more likely that it is the turtle dove, and not the rooster, that will crow at night). There is also a version that either a rooster or some other vocal bird was the totem of some Korean tribes (I am not saying that the Koreans had a totem system at all!) And the “original” (시림 sirim), it may have been sarim(this is a valid transition), where sa- old Korean word for bird. Possibly modern 새 ( se) "bird" is the old 사 ( sa) plus frozen old nominative 이 ( And): sa+And=se. Central Korean say also compared with Old Japanese sanKî"heron". However, there is not a very good match there (although there is a Korean dialect form with n) and in general the transition from a generic name to a specific name seems doubtful (for more details, see, for example, Alexander Vovin. “Koreo-Japonica: A Re-evaluation of a Common Genetic Origin”). In general, this version of the name of the forest seems to me, if not erroneous, then, in any case, insufficiently substantiated, and most importantly, redundant.

As for the surname Kim, allegedly the boy received it because the chest was gold (金 금 kym). Most likely, this is also a native Korean surname associated with the old word Geum, meaning something like a tribal leader. The word 임금 ( imgeum, in the old spelling with the etymological initial n and the so-called “lower A) "ruler". It consists of the word 님 ( him), now used as a polite address and an honorific suffix (선생님, 형님, etc.), and the same 금 ( Geum). Also, the legendary founder of Ancient Joseon, Tangun, bore the title of Wangom (王儉왕검). This word is written in two characters: Chinese 王 (왕 van listen)) "ruler", subsequently the title of Korean kings, and 儉 (검 homo) "modest" (with weak "side" O). But, according to the general opinion, we are not talking about a “modest ruler” (and in terms of grammar it doesn’t work out very well), but about a phonetic notation in Chinese characters of some Korean word, which gives “ruler- homo».

Finishing the story about ponah, let me mention that, the majority new considered Korean. That is, technically, at one stage or another they were assigned to the original Korean lineages, including people from ancient kingdoms on the territory of the Korean Peninsula. However, there are also about 200 Chinese, a dozen Japanese, 2-3 Mongolian and Jurchen, 4-5 Uyghur and several Vietnamese and Taiwanese. Even more curious is the presence of “Western” new. There are Dutch ones. One of them is the Pak family from Wonsan (元山朴氏 원산박씨), descendants of the Dutch navigator Jan Janse de Weltevree, who lived in Korea in 1653–1666. and had the Korean name Pak Young (朴淵 박연). There is an American one - the Ha family from Yeongdo (影島河氏 영도하씨), whose founder Robert Holley, an American lawyer, preacher and television host, naturalized in 1997, the Korean name is Ha Il (河一 하일). There are also two German ones, of which the “German” Li (獨逸李氏 독일이씨) is especially interesting - it seems to be the only Mon tied to the whole country. Its founder is a German actor and businessman of Korean origin, Bernhard Quandt, born in 1954 in Bad Kreuznach (Rhineland-Palatinate), naturalized in 1986, Korean name Lee Han Woo (李韓佑 이한우), better known as under the pseudonym Lee Chham (李參 이참, which he writes in English as Lee Charm).

Finally, there are two Russian yet. The founder of the Lee family from Seongnam (城南 李氏 성남이씨) is football player Denis Vladimirovich Laktionov, born on September 4, 1977 in the village of Krasnozerskoye, Novosibirsk region. In the mid-90s he played for the Sakhalin club and the country's youth team. He also played two friendly matches for the Russian national team, and in 2002 he was included in the preliminary squad for the World Cup in Korea. Since the late 90s, he has played in Korean clubs, twice becoming the league's top scorer and three times a member of the symbolic team of the South Korean championship. Later he switched to coaching. In 2003, he received Korean citizenship and the name Lee Seong Nam (李城南 이성남). According to his own testimony, he could have chosen any surname, but settled on Lee, like Bruce Lee. And the name is in honor of the city of Seongnam (城南성남, Gyeonggi Province), for whose club he played.

The founder of the Sin family from Kuri (九里申氏 구리신씨) is also a football player, goalkeeper Valery Konstantinovich Sarychev, born on January 12, 1960 in Dushanbe. He played for CSKA and Moscow Torpedo. In 1986 he won the USSR Cup, and in 1991 he was recognized as the best goalkeeper in the country. Since the early 1990s, he played for Korean clubs, naturalized in 1999. He became a four-time champion of Korea, winner of the Asian Champions Cup, the Asian Super Cup and the Intercontinental Cup of Asia and Africa, founded the first Korean goalkeeper school, and coaches the country's youth team. He has a very interesting Korean name, Shin Eui Song (申宜孫 신의손). On the one hand, this is a completely ordinary Korean first and last name. On the other hand, this is the Korean phrase 신의 손, which means “hand of God.”

The name consists of two, or less often one, hieroglyph. We're talking about the official name (官名 관명 or 冠名 관명, actually, technically these are slightly different things, but since both words are pronounced the same gwangmyeon, they are sometimes confused even in specialized literature) or real name (實名 실명 or 本名 본명) and adult name (字자). It's worth noting about this term that it is often incorrectly translated as "honorific name", and technically Chinese and Korean 字 are terminologically different.

Hieroglyphs, just like in China and Japan, could be anything. Sometimes there are very rare ones, used only in anthroponyms, and unique ones at that. After liberation in South Korea (I will not touch on the situation in the DPRK), the process of regulating the hieroglyphs used in anthroponyms began.

First, whenever possible, discrepancies are eliminated. However, some options are allowed. For example, the key 礻 can be written as 示. Secondly, reading is unified. For example, the character 復 has two dictionary readings: 부 pu and 복 pok. Names are now read-only 부 pu. Moreover, in most Chinese compound words it is read exactly as 복 pok.

Finally, the list of acceptable hieroglyphs itself is limited. The use of characters not from the list is generally allowed, but in official documents they must be written in Hangeul. Registration and identification documents indicate separately the hieroglyphic and Korean spellings. Among others, there were purely technical considerations for reproducing rare hieroglyphs and spelling variants. The rapid development of information technology has practically eliminated this problem, but regulation remains.

Hieroglyphic lists are regularly revised, corrected and updated. The current version is based on the List of Nominal Characters (人名用漢子表인명용한자표), published by the Supreme Court of the Republic of Korea in 1991, which included 2,854 characters and 61 variants. It is also allowed to use all the characters from the school hieroglyphic minimum. Now the official list already includes 5761 hieroglyphs. The figures given vary slightly depending on spelling variations. In addition, some hieroglyphs from the original lists have been clarified or changed. However, they have not been taken out of use, and amendments to documents, as a rule, are not made. Therefore, some of the hieroglyphs are in a “semi-legal” position.

There are some pretty tricky cases. For example, the character 喆 (철 chul) "wise". Generally speaking, this is a variant spelling of the character 哲, but in Korea they are considered two different characters that have the same reading. In addition, the character 哲 also has a (rare) variant 悊. At the same time, all three are included in the official list: 哲 is included in the school minimum, 喆 was in the original list of nominal characters in 1991, and 悊 was added in 2007.

There are reportedly plans to expand the list to more than 8 thousand characters. This, by the way, is much more than, for example, a similar Japanese list, which includes only about 3 thousand characters, including 2136 ordinary kanji (常用 漢字 Japanese. jo:yo: kanji), 632 nominal kanji (人名用漢字 Japanese. jinmeiyo: kanji) and about 240 variants and traditional spellings.

And in conclusion, a few words about the rather interesting topic of native Korean names. Here we must distinguish two cases. First, the use of hieroglyphs to write names, which are native Korean words. However, after the establishment of Koryo, such (official) names are very rare. But sometimes there are Korean components, for which they often use the actual Korean characters (韓子 한자, as opposed to the Chinese characters 漢字 한자 - both words are read the same hancha).

As an example, consider the name of one of the three famous bandits (along with the more publicized Hong Gil Dong, who we will get to later) of the Joseon era, whose name was Lim Kkok Jeon (林巪正 임꺽정). Most likely, Kkokjeon is not a name at all. According to the official version, he was the son of a butcher, and in the 16th century, in fact, he was not given a name. With the butcher (白丁 백정 baekjeon) it’s not that simple either. In Chinese, this word meant a commoner who was not in government service. During the Goryeo era, the term referred to (landless?) tenants and farm laborers. Later it is replaced by the word “commoner” (百姓 백성), which over time democratically turned into “people” in general. And only towards the end of Joseon, 白丁 finally becomes a butcher, perhaps under the influence of the original Korean butcher 백장 ( Baekchan). Most likely, in the Joseon era, this word did not denote a specific profession, but a certain social class of “unclean”, something like the Japanese Burakumin.

The name itself contains a rare, meaningless Korean (not Chinese!) character 巪 (꺽 kkok, however, he also has Chinese reading Ju). It is formed by signing the character 巨 (거 co) "huge" hook that functions as phonetic Korean ㄱ To.

There is no doubt that the word is played on here kokjeon(걱정) “anxiety, worry.” This is a native Korean word that does not have a hieroglyphic spelling, and it is pronounced with a strong initial consonant of the second syllable, although in the name it is read with a strong initial consonant of the first. The dictionary does not note this, and in general hieroglyphic readings with a strong initial consonant are very rare. Perhaps there was originally some name Lim Ko Jong (林巨正 림거정) - so in the Annals of the Joseon Dynasty. And there is also the option 林巨叱正 (림거질정). This does not mean, however, that one should read Gojiljeong. The character 叱 (질 chill) plays here the role of a universal “signature” (this is especially clear when the text is arranged vertically). Thus, it becomes 임껏정 ( Lim Kkokjeon). In general, this is the standard way of rendering the Korean final consonant cluster ( patchhima) when written in hieroglyphs, regardless of the quality of the consonant, for example, 㖚 (붓) “brush”, 唟 (것) “thing”.

Secondly, modern actual Korean names that do not have hieroglyphic writing. The fashion for them was quite common in South Korea in the 1980s. There are about one and a half hundred such names, with a significant predominance of female and general gender names. Most are ordinary words. For example, Maeum (마음 “soul”, feminine, sometimes masculine), Bora (보라 “purple” - one of the most popular female names), Podeul (버들 “willow”, masculine). Infinitives ending in ㅁ are common m, etymological "lower" A"usually transmitted ㅡ s. For example, Areum (아름 “beauty”, feminine, actually, is a modern word 아름, which means “armful, pack”). Along with this form, there is also the predominantly masculine Aram (아람). Contractions such as Saerong (새론 “new girl”, feminine) and non-etymological spellings such as Turi (두리 “second, second”, masculine and feminine) are common. Some more interesting examples: Paral (바랄, "sea", masculine, old form with etymological "lower" A") along with the modern generic form Pada (바다). Yeseul (예슬feminine, formed according to the Chinese binomial model by adding the initial syllables of Korean words 예쁘다 eppyda"beautiful" and 슬기롭다 seulgyropta“smart”), Kyol (결 “winter”, feminine, contracted form from 겨울 kyoul, perhaps with a play on the English girl). Since the mid-90s. this fashion quickly declined, although names from the original Korean repertoire remain very popular as pseudonyms, especially among representatives of Korean show business.

Natural philosophy

Chinese natural philosophy, as interpreted in Korean neo-Confucian terms, has had a profound influence on almost every aspect of Korean life. In particular, it sets the basic paradigm for anthroponymic constructions. Therefore, we list the basic concepts that we will need in the future.

The fundamental basis of everything is Yin (陰음) and Yang (陽양) - two principles: “feminine, dark” (Yin) and “male, light” (Yang), the struggle of which gives rise to the “Five (primary) elements” (or elements ) (五行 오행 Chinese) wu-sin). The five elements alternate in an endless cycle, determining the course of all things. The order is generally not important - the cycle can be started from any element, but usually the Tree (木목) comes first, corresponding to the first cyclic sign of the Heavenly Branches. It is followed by Fire (火화), Earth (土토), Metal (金금) and Water (水수). There are two main types of relationships between the Five Elements: they generate (生생) and overcome (剋극) each other. In general, this entire metaphysics is called the “Rules of the Five Elements” (五行法오행법).

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.

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.

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.

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.

Korean girl names

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).

Korean male names

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.

Watch the video: Korean names and surnames / Personal name and family (clan) name