How to Write Your Name in Korean (Hangul)

There are two different things people mean by “my name in Korean.” One is writing your existing name in Hangul (transliteration). The other is receiving an actual Korean name. This guide covers the first — and points you to the second.

How Hangul syllable blocks work

Hangul doesn’t write letters in a straight line like the Latin alphabet. It stacks them into syllable blocks, each block one spoken syllable. A block has a consonant, then a vowel, and optionally a final consonant:

• 가 = ㄱ (g) + ㅏ (a) → “ga.”
• 한 = ㅎ (h) + ㅏ (a) + ㄴ (n) → “han.”
• 솔 = ㅅ (s) + ㅗ (o) + ㄹ (l) → “sol.”

So writing a name in Hangul means breaking it into syllables, then building a block for each one.

Mapping English sounds

You spell by sound, not by letter. A few things to know:

• Korean has no “f,” “v,” “z,” or “th.” These get approximated — “f” often becomes ㅍ (p), “v” becomes ㅂ (b), “z” becomes ㅈ (j).
• Consonant clusters get broken up with a tiny “eu” vowel (ㅡ). “Chris” → 크리스 (keu-ri-seu).
• A final “r” usually becomes a vowel-ish glide or is dropped, since Korean syllables can’t end in many English sounds.

A few examples

• David → 데이비드 (de-i-bi-deu).
• Emma → 엠마 (em-ma).
• Chris → 크리스 (keu-ri-seu).
• Sophia → 소피아 (so-pi-a).

Transliteration vs a real Korean name

A transliteration answers “how is my name written in Hangul?” A real Korean name answers a different question: “what Korean name suits me?” The second is built from meaningful Hanja and, traditionally, from your birth chart — see Hangul vs Hanja for why that meaning layer matters.

If what you actually want is a genuine Korean name — one in Hangul and Hanja, with real meaning, built around your own Saju — that’s a different process entirely. Here’s how to get an authentic Korean name.