Korean Names and Terms of Familiarity

Back when I posted about romanization, Reader Melody commented on how it was hard for her to understand names and the words usually connected with names, especially when the subtitles are different than what it sounds like is being said. So I thought it would be a good idea to try to explain some of the points of Korean name and familiarity culture.

Korean names are mostly derived from Hanja (한자), which is the word for the Chinese words used in Korean. Most Korean's have three syllable names; last name, and two syllable first name. Here are some examples and how they are written in Korean:

Lee Minho (이민호)
Choi Siwon (최시원)
Park Siwoo (박시우)
Baek Jiyoung (백지영)

In S. Korea, there are roughly 250 family names in use. Of these names, the most common, Kim (김), Lee (이), and Park (박) consist of about half the population, according to Wikipedia. Since there are a limited number of last names, it makes it a tad bit easier to recognize a name when you hear it.

First name wise, there are a million different ways to make a first name. There are always going to be the most commonly used ones, and those are going to change according to generation, so there's not much I can explain about that. There is one thing that a lot of the older generation did pretty often, and the younger generation does occasionally. Among siblings and cousins, a syllable in their given name is shared. Here's some examples.

Kim Junsu (김준수) and twin Kim Junho (김준호)
Park Yoochun (박유천) and younger brother Park Yoohwan (박유환)

Of course, because of the ebb and flow of popularity, there is going to be names that go out of style, and names that seem fresh and new. Alas, I haven't been able to quantify these names, and so I have no information to give you on this point, other that it does happen.

Now to move on to how the Korean people call each other. A lot of how people address each other has to do with how Confucianism has shaped their culture.

It is considered very rude to call a Korean just just their first name, or even just their full name. There is always another word or syllable attached to their name, depending on the relationship between the two people and on the status of the person being spoken off. Let's start with the basics. I'm going to use my own Korean name -- Tae Ahreum (태아름) -- as one example, and a friend's Korean name -- Kim Myungsoo (김명수) -- as the other.

Between close friends, and parents or grandparents to their children or grandchildren, the syllable 'Ah' (아) or 'Ya' (야) is added to their name. So between close friends Ahreum and Myungsoo, they would call each other Ahreum-ah (아름아) -- because the name ends with a consonant -- and Myungsoo-ya (명수야) -- because the name ends with a vowel.

The next step is between just about anyone you are on the same level with, or someone who is higher level than you.; co-workers, casual friends, a person you just met, etc. The syllable 'Ssi' (씨) is added to the end of either their full name, or just their given name. So between Ahreum and Myungsoo, who are just acquaintances, they would address each other as Tae Ahreum-Ssi (태아름씨) and Kim Myungsoo-Ssi (김명수씨).  With this syllable, there is no change depending on consonant or vowel.

Then we have the terms Goon (군) and Yang (양) for addressing a generally young man and young woman respectively. Usually used by older or higher level people towards younger or lower level people. So if someone like a neighborhood grandma were addressing Ahreum and Myungsoo, she would call them Tae Ahreum-Yang (태아름양) and Kim Myungsoo-Goon (김명수군).

For working people and co-workers, people are usually address by their name with their title. So let's say Ahreum is a teacher (선생) (seon-saeng) and Myungsoo is a CEO (사장) (sa-jang). They would be addressed as Tae Ahreum Teacher (태아름선생님) and Kim Myungsoo CEO (김명수사장님). The extra syllable added at the end there is the honorific syllable added to the end of titles and is pronounced somewhere between Nim and Neem. If the person you are addressing is below you in status or age, then you would leave that off.

Of course, not everyone always calls people by their name. There are tons of different ways you can address a person, without using their name. So, let's use our two examples and explore those different name. We'll start at the bottom again.

If Ahreum and Myungsoo were siblings -- last name disregarded -- chances are one of them wouldn't call the other by their name. If Ahreum was the older, then she would call Myungsoo by his name (Myungsoo-ya/명수야) and Myungsoo would call her 'older sister' or Noona (누나). But if the situation were reversed and Myungsoo was the older of the two, then he would call her by her name (Ahreum-ah/아름아) and she would call him 'older brother' or Oppa (오빠). Of course, there are more, however. If both Ahreum and Myungsoo were boys, then the younger one would call the older one 'older brother' or Hyung (형). Or if they were both girls, then the younger one would call the older one 'older sister' or Eonni (언니).

These are not reserved just for siblings, either. It works between cousins and friends as well. And Oppa and Noona work between romantically engaged couples, too. So say Ahreum and Myungsoo were dating. Chances are Ahreum would call Myungsoo Oppa, instead of his name, especially if she was trying to be cute. And if Ahreum was older than Myungsoo while dating, then he would probably call her Noona.

Because the family is such an important thing to the Koreans, they have many different terms for family members, according to how the person is related to the speaker. It goes so far as to having a specific word for your father's older brother's wife! Since there are too many to name, I'll just say that a lot of these terms aren't really used in most dramas, unless you happen to be watching a soap opera, and then they are all over the place.

And these are all just the very basic names and familiar terms, there are plenty more and it would probably take a dozen posts to cover them all. But I think, at least for now, these are enough to keep people afloat while watching the dramas.

Is there a certain topic about Korean culture or language that you would like to know more about? Let me know in the comments, and I'll try to answer your questions in future posts!

Sorry for how long this post was, and if you made it to this point, thanks for reading!