Madison, 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 매 | ㅁ + ㅐ | ㅁ m ㅐ ae, like the a in “cat” | mae |
| 디 | ㄷ + ㅣ | ㄷ d ㅣ i, as in “see” | di |
| 슨 | ㅅ + ㅡ + ㄴ | ㅅ s ㅡ eu, like “oo” said with spread lips ㄴ n at the end | seun |
Why Madison is written this way
- The short “a” of “cat” is written ㅐ (ae): 매.
- Madison ends in a consonant, so it sits at the bottom of the last block as a final consonant (받침): 슨 has ㄴ at the bottom.
- Say each block evenly. Korean doesn’t stress one syllable over the others the way English does, so Madison sounds like mae-di-seun.
Introducing yourself
The ending after your name depends on how it ends in Korean. 매디슨 ends in a consonant (ㄱ, ㄴ, ㄹ…) at the bottom of the last block, so you say 제 이름은 매디슨이에요 (je ireumeun maediseunieyo). With friends, Koreans add 아 (a) when calling someone by name. At work, coworkers will usually call you 매디슨 씨 or 매디슨 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.