Kimberly, 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 킴 | ㅋ + ㅣ + ㅁ | ㅋ k ㅣ i, as in “see” ㅁ m at the end | kim |
| 벌 | ㅂ + ㅓ + ㄹ | ㅂ b ㅓ eo, like the u in “up” ㄹ l at the end | beol |
| 리 | ㄹ + ㅣ | ㄹ l (after another ㄹ) ㅣ i, as in “see” | ri |
Why Kimberly 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”.
- The relaxed “uh” sound — like the u in “fun” or the -er in “Peter” — is written ㅓ (eo): 벌.
- Say each block evenly. Korean doesn’t stress one syllable over the others the way English does, so Kimberly sounds like kim-beol-ri.
Introducing yourself
The ending after your name depends on how it ends in Korean. 킴벌리 ends in a vowel, so you say 제 이름은 킴벌리예요 (je ireumeun kimbeolliyeyo). With friends, Koreans add 야 (ya) when calling someone by name. At work, coworkers will usually call you 킴벌리 씨 or 킴벌리 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.