How English Names Are Written in Hangul

Sounds Korean does not have

Korean has no f, v, z or th sounds, and r and l share one letter. Names are written with the closest Korean sounds:

So 빅토리아 sounds like “bik-to-ri-a”, but every Korean reader knows it is Victoria.

Extra vowels at the end

Korean syllables cannot end in most consonant clusters, so final consonants often get a soft 으 vowel: James is 제임스 (je-im-seu), Kate is 케이트. After a short vowel, a final k, p or t can sit as the last letter of a block instead: Jack is 잭.

Official spelling and real use

The National Institute of Korean Language publishes official rules for foreign words, and most names follow them. A few popular names have a familiar spelling that people use more, like Emma as 엠마 rather than the official 에마. Our dictionary uses the spelling Koreans actually see in the media.

Names not in the dictionary

For names that are not in our list, the converter estimates the spelling from the letters and marks the result as an approximation. If you know how your name sounds, the pronunciation matters more than the letters.

More guides

• How Korean Names Work: Surname, Given Name, Hanja and Clans
• The 10 Most Common Korean Surnames (with Hanja and Spellings)