William, 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 윌 | ㅇ + ㅟ + ㄹ | ㅇ silent at the start ㅟ wi, like “wee” ㄹ l at the end | wil |
| 리 | ㄹ + ㅣ | ㄹ l (after another ㄹ) ㅣ i, as in “see” | ri |
| 엄 | ㅇ + ㅓ + ㅁ | ㅇ silent at the start ㅓ eo, like the u in “up” ㅁ m at the end | eom |
Why William is written this way
- Between vowels, the “l” sound is written with two ㄹ — 윌리 — so it stays a clear “l”. A single ㄹ there would sound more like a soft “r”.
- The relaxed “uh” sound — like the u in “fun” or the -er in “Peter” — is written ㅓ (eo): 엄.
- Korean makes the “w” sound by joining two vowels into one: ㅗ or ㅜ plus the next vowel — 윌.
- William ends in a consonant, so it sits at the bottom of the last block as a final consonant (받침): 엄 has ㅁ at the bottom.
Introducing yourself
The ending after your name depends on how it ends in Korean. 윌리엄 ends in a consonant (ㄱ, ㄴ, ㄹ…) at the bottom of the last block, so you say 제 이름은 윌리엄이에요 (je ireumeun willieomieyo). With friends, Koreans add 아 (a) when calling someone by name. At work, coworkers will usually call you 윌리엄 씨 or 윌리엄 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.