Catherine, 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 캐 | ㅋ + ㅐ | ㅋ k ㅐ ae, like the a in “cat” | kae |
| 서 | ㅅ + ㅓ | ㅅ s ㅓ eo, like the u in “up” | seo |
| 린 | ㄹ + ㅣ + ㄴ | ㄹ r (a light, flapped r) ㅣ i, as in “see” ㄴ n at the end | rin |
Why Catherine 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”.
- Korean has no “th” sound. It is usually written ㅅ (s), or ㅌ (t) / ㄷ (d) when that is closer to how the name is said.
- The short “a” of “cat” is written ㅐ (ae): 캐.
- The relaxed “uh” sound — like the u in “fun” or the -er in “Peter” — is written ㅓ (eo): 서.
- Catherine ends in a consonant, so it sits at the bottom of the last block as a final consonant (받침): 린 has ㄴ at the bottom.
- Fun fact: Katherine is written exactly the same way in Korean — 캐서린.
Introducing yourself
The ending after your name depends on how it ends in Korean. 캐서린 ends in a consonant (ㄱ, ㄴ, ㄹ…) at the bottom of the last block, so you say 제 이름은 캐서린이에요 (je ireumeun kaeseorinieyo). With friends, Koreans add 아 (a) when calling someone by name. At work, coworkers will usually call you 캐서린 씨 or 캐서린 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.