How Korean spells foreign names
Hangul is written in syllable blocks. Each block has a consonant and a vowel, and sometimes a final consonant (받침). Korean has no f, v, z or th sounds, so they are swapped for the closest ones: f → ㅍ (p), v → ㅂ (b), z → ㅈ (j), th → ㅅ (s). A consonant with no vowel after it gets a soft ㅡ (eu) added — that is why “Smith” becomes 스미스 (seu-mi-seu).
For common names, KoreaSum shows the spelling Koreans most often use, and the official dictionary spelling when it is different. Other names are spelled by sound, so a Korean friend might write yours slightly differently — both can be right.
Reading Hangul in 30 seconds
| Letter | Sound | Letter | Sound |
|---|---|---|---|
| ㄱ | g / k | ㅏ | a |
| ㄴ | n | ㅓ | eo (as in “up”) |
| ㄷ | d / t | ㅗ | o |
| ㄹ | r / l | ㅜ | u |
| ㅁ | m | ㅡ | eu |
| ㅂ | b / p | ㅣ | i |
| ㅅ | s | ㅐ / ㅔ | ae / e |
| ㅇ | silent at the start, “ng” at the end | ㅑ ㅕ ㅛ ㅠ | ya, yeo, yo, yu |
| ㅈ ㅊ | j, ch | ㅋ ㅌ ㅍ ㅎ | k, t, p, h |
Using your name in Korea
Official documents such as your residence card (외국인등록증) use your name in English letters, as on your passport. The Hangul spelling is what friends, coworkers and baristas will write. If you introduce yourself, say “제 이름은 ___예요” (je ireumeun ___yeyo) — “My name is ___”.