Carl in Korean news
People named Carl whose Korean spelling was decided by the government committee on foreign names (외래어 심의회). Foreign names keep their own order in Korean — given name first, then surname.
| Name | In Korean | Country |
|---|---|---|
| Carl Heastie | 칼 헤이스티 | US |
| Carl Douglas McMillon | 칼 더글러스 맥밀런 | US |
| Carl Mydans | 칼 마이댄스 | US |
| Carl Bernstein | 칼 번스틴 | US |
| Carl Edward Sagan | 칼 에드워드 세이건 | US |
| Carl Thomas Rowan | 칼 토머스 로언 | US |
| Carl Icahn | 칼 아이컨 | US |
| Carl Gershman | 칼 거슈먼 | US |
Carl, 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 칼 | ㅋ + ㅏ + ㄹ | ㅋ k ㅏ a, as in “father” ㄹ l at the end | kal |
Why Carl is written this way
- Korean has one letter, ㄹ, for both “r” and “l”. At the start of a syllable it is a light, flapped sound between the two; at the end of a block it sounds like “l”.
- Carl ends in a consonant, so it sits at the bottom of the last block as a final consonant (받침): 칼 has ㄹ at the bottom.
- Fun fact: Karl is written exactly the same way in Korean — 칼.
Introducing yourself
The ending after your name depends on how it ends in Korean. 칼 ends in a consonant (ㄱ, ㄴ, ㄹ…) at the bottom of the last block, so you say 제 이름은 칼이에요 (je ireumeun karieyo). With friends, Koreans add 아 (a) when calling someone by name. At work, coworkers will usually call you 칼 씨 or 칼 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. How Korean spells foreign names — the full guide →