Diego, 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 디 | ㄷ + ㅣ | ㄷ d ㅣ i, as in “see” | di |
| 에 | ㅇ + ㅔ | ㅇ silent at the start ㅔ e, as in “bed” | e |
| 고 | ㄱ + ㅗ | ㄱ g ㅗ o, as in “go” (shorter) | go |
Why Diego is written this way
- Every sound in Diego has a close match in Korean, so it is spelled just as it sounds: 디 (di) + 에 (e) + 고 (go).
- Say each block evenly. Korean doesn’t stress one syllable over the others the way English does, so Diego sounds like di-e-go.
Introducing yourself
The ending after your name depends on how it ends in Korean. 디에고 ends in a vowel, so you say 제 이름은 디에고예요 (je ireumeun diegoyeyo). With friends, Koreans add 야 (ya) when calling someone by name. At work, coworkers will usually call you 디에고 씨 or 디에고 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.