2.2. Korean Names

In Sentence 3 of Lesson 1 you saw the expression 김선생님[= kim suhnsængnim] Mr. Kim. This illustrates another difference in English and Korean word order: the title is used after the name.

김 [= kim] Kim is a family name. As a general pattern, a Korean has two names: first of all the family name, then this is followed by a personal or given name. Most of the family names have one syllable, though there are some which have two: for example, 황보[= hwangbo], 독고[= tokko]. If the family name has one syllable, the personal name most commonly has two: 이승만[= iseungman] Syngman Rhee, 김일성[= kimilsuhng] Ilsung Kim.

If the family name has two syllables, the personal name has only one, so that either way there are usually three syllables in the full name. There are exceptions to this pattern, and a number of Korean names have only syllables: for example, 허웅[= huhung], 백철[= pakchuhl], 김구[= kimgu] etc.

The following table shows some common Korean surnames:

It is often possible to guess the gender of person on the basis of the syllables used in their given name?ome syllables tend to occur only in males’ names, others only in females’ names.

Syllables used typically in names for males: 철 [= chuhl], 호 [= ho], 태 [= tæ], 석 [= suhk], 준 [= chun], 훈 [= hun], 섭 [= suhp], 식 [= shik], 범 [= puhm]. For example:

Syllables used typically in names for females: 미 [= mi], 희 [= heuy], 나 [= na], 애 [= æ], 자 [= cha], 혜 [= he], 선 [= suhn], 경 [= kyuhng], 숙 [= suk] . For example:

But this is only a general rule of thumb. Some syllables (like 희 [= heuy]) can occur in both male and female names.

A title always comes at the very end, and can be used with a full name (surname + given name) or just a given name (in the case of 씨), or with full name or just surname (in the case of 선생님):

Unless you are on intimate terms with somebody, it is customary to refer that person in Korean by their name plus a title. One of the most commonly used titles is the little word 씨. 씨 can come after a person’s full name, or just after the given name. This is the title you should use when referring to your peers.

When talking to, or about, children, it is customary to attach the diminutive suffix -이 [= i] to given names ending in a consonant. Thus, if 김복동[= kimbktong] is a small boy, you would refer to him as just 복동이[= boktongi], without a title. If the child’s name ends in a vowel, as in the girl’s name 진희[= chinheuy], it simply stays the same. No diminutive suffix is added.

선생[= suhnsæng] is a word that, on its own, means teacher. With the honorific particle 님[= nim] after it, it functions as a title of respect honoring the person whose name it accompanies: you should use this title with the names of people to whom you wish to show courtesy; and you should not use it with your own name. When you introduce yourself, for example, simply give your name — My name is Adams or I’m Helen Baker — with no title. 님 [= nim] is an honorific suffix which you can add to titles (but not to 씨 [= ssi]) to show an added degree of respect or deference. Nowadays Koreans seem to use 선생님[= suhnsængnim] more than plain 선생[= suhnsæng].

When otherwise unspecified, the title 선생님 [= suhnsængnim] is usually translated Mr., but sometimes the context tells you that Mrs. or Miss would be more appropriate. To say specifically Mrs. or Miss you have to say something like Mr. Kim’s wife (김 선생님 부인 [= kim suhnsængnim buin]) or Mr. Kim’s daughter (김 선생님 딸 [= kim suhnsængnim ttal]), or else you can simply do it in English (미세스 김 [= miseseugim], 미스 김 [= miseugim]). If the Kims are parents, an informal way of saying Mrs. Kim is to refer to her as the eldest child’s mother, e.g. 복동이 어머니 [= poktongi uhmuhni] Mrs. Kim (who is Poktong-i’s mother), and similarly Mr. Kim may be referred to as 복동이 아버지 [= poktongi abuhzi] Mr. Kim (who is Poktong-i’s father). Foreigners sometimes mistranslate Mrs. Kim as 김 부인 [= kimbuin] rather than 김 선생님 부인 [= kim suhnsængnim buin]. In Seoul you will often hear 사모님 [= samonim] used for Mrs. or Madam (instead of so-and-so 선생님 부인). 사모 [= samo] is an elegant word that originally means one’s teacher’s wife, but it can be used to refer to the wife of your superior or any prominent man. The usual way for you to refer to your teacher’s wife is 사모님 [= samonim].

There are a number of ways to say you in Korean, and the most polite way is by using a title or name + title. As your study of the language proceeds, you will notice that Korean is in many respects less direct than English. Sentence 3 of Lesson One (김 선생님 안녕 하세요?) is an example of such indirectness; it seems to say How is Mr. Kim? but it means How are you, Mr. Kim?

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