Hannah, 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 한 | ㅎ + ㅏ + ㄴ | ㅎ h ㅏ a, as in “father” ㄴ n at the end | han |
| 나 | ㄴ + ㅏ | ㄴ n ㅏ a, as in “father” | na |
Why Hannah is written this way
- Every sound in Hannah has a close match in Korean, so it is spelled just as it sounds: 한 (han) + 나 (na).
- Say each block evenly. Korean doesn’t stress one syllable over the others the way English does, so Hannah sounds like han-na.
Introducing yourself
The ending after your name depends on how it ends in Korean. 한나 ends in a vowel, so you say 제 이름은 한나예요 (je ireumeun hannayeyo). With friends, Koreans add 야 (ya) when calling someone by name. At work, coworkers will usually call you 한나 씨 or 한나 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.