Miranda, 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 미 | ㅁ + ㅣ | ㅁ m ㅣ i, as in “see” | mi |
| 란 | ㄹ + ㅏ + ㄴ | ㄹ r (a light, flapped r) ㅏ a, as in “father” ㄴ n at the end | ran |
| 다 | ㄷ + ㅏ | ㄷ d ㅏ a, as in “father” | da |
Why Miranda 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”.
- Say each block evenly. Korean doesn’t stress one syllable over the others the way English does, so Miranda sounds like mi-ran-da.
Introducing yourself
The ending after your name depends on how it ends in Korean. 미란다 ends in a vowel, so you say 제 이름은 미란다예요 (je ireumeun mirandayeyo). With friends, Koreans add 야 (ya) when calling someone by name. At work, coworkers will usually call you 미란다 씨 or 미란다 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.