Oliver, 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 올 | ㅇ + ㅗ + ㄹ | ㅇ silent at the start ㅗ o, as in “go” (shorter) ㄹ l at the end | ol |
| 리 | ㄹ + ㅣ | ㄹ l (after another ㄹ) ㅣ i, as in “see” | ri |
| 버 | ㅂ + ㅓ | ㅂ b ㅓ eo, like the u in “up” | beo |
Why Oliver is written this way
- Between vowels, the “l” sound is written with two ㄹ — 올리 — so it stays a clear “l”. A single ㄹ there would sound more like a soft “r”.
- 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 “v” sound, so ㅂ (b) is used: 버.
- The relaxed “uh” sound — like the u in “fun” or the -er in “Peter” — is written ㅓ (eo): 버.
Introducing yourself
The ending after your name depends on how it ends in Korean. 올리버 ends in a vowel, so you say 제 이름은 올리버예요 (je ireumeun ollibeoyeyo). With friends, Koreans add 야 (ya) when calling someone by name. At work, coworkers will usually call you 올리버 씨 or 올리버 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.