Dorothy, 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 도 | ㄷ + ㅗ | ㄷ d ㅗ o, as in “go” (shorter) | do |
| 로 | ㄹ + ㅗ | ㄹ r (a light, flapped r) ㅗ o, as in “go” (shorter) | ro |
| 시 | ㅅ + ㅣ | ㅅ s ㅣ i, as in “see” | si |
Why Dorothy 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.
- Say each block evenly. Korean doesn’t stress one syllable over the others the way English does, so Dorothy sounds like do-ro-si.
Introducing yourself
The ending after your name depends on how it ends in Korean. 도로시 ends in a vowel, so you say 제 이름은 도로시예요 (je ireumeun dorosiyeyo). With friends, Koreans add 야 (ya) when calling someone by name. At work, coworkers will usually call you 도로시 씨 or 도로시 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.