Bobby, letter by letter
Hangul is written in blocks. Each block is one syllable, built from a consonant, a vowel and sometimes a final consonant at the bottom.
| Block | Letters | How each letter sounds | Sound |
|---|---|---|---|
| 바 | ㅂ + ㅏ | ㅂ b ㅏ a, as in “father” | ba |
| 비 | ㅂ + ㅣ | ㅂ b ㅣ i, as in “see” | bi |
Why Bobby is written this way
- Every sound in Bobby has a close match in Korean, so it is spelled just as it sounds: 바 (ba) + 비 (bi).
- Say each block evenly. Korean doesn’t stress one syllable over the others the way English does, so Bobby sounds like ba-bi.
Introducing yourself
The ending after your name depends on how it ends in Korean. 바비 ends in a vowel, so you say 제 이름은 바비예요 (je ireumeun babiyeyo). With friends, Koreans add 야 (ya) when calling someone by name. At work, coworkers will usually call you 바비 씨 or 바비 님.
Official documents such as your residence card use your name in English letters, as in your passport. The Hangul spelling is what friends, coworkers and baristas will write.