Korean name

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A Korean personal name consists of a family name followed by a given name. Both of these are usually composed of hanja, which are Chinese characters in Korean pronunciation. Hanja are no longer used officially in North Korea, and their use in given names is restricted to 5,038 characters in South Korea.

In most cases, the family name consists of a single syllable, and the given name of two syllables. When using European languages, some Koreans keep the original order, while others reverse the names to match the Western pattern. In Korea, a married woman does not use her husband's family name; she uses her own.

Only about 250 Korean family names are in use. Of these, Kim, Lee, and Park are the most common. Although these family names are very common, most holders of a particular name are not closely related. Current family names have their origin in the lineage system used in previous historical periods. Each clan is associated with a specific place, such as the Gimhae Kim. In most cases, such a clan traces its origin to a common patrilineal ancestor.

In the course of Korean history, the use of names has evolved. Early names based on the Korean language are recorded in the Three Kingdoms period (57 BCE - 668 AD), but were gradually replaced by names based on Chinese characters with the growing adoption of Chinese writing system. During periods of Mongol and Manchu domination, the ruling class supplemented their Korean names with Mongol and Manchu names. In addition, during the later period of Japanese rule in the early 20th century, Koreans were forced to adopt Japonified names.

45% of Korean people bear the family name Kim, Lee, or Park

[edit] Family names

There are roughly 250 family names in use today.^[2] Each family name is divided into one or more clans (bon-gwan), identified by the clan's city of origin. For example, the most populous clan is Gimhae Kim; that is, the Kim clan from the city of Gimhae. Like other East Asian cultures, Korean women traditionally keep their family name after marriage, but their children take the father's name. According to tradition, each clan publishes a comprehensive genealogy (jokbo) every 30 years.^[3]

Korean family names were influenced by Chinese family names, and almost all Korean family names consist of one hanja, and hence are one syllable. There are around a dozen two-syllable surnames, all of which rank after the 100 most common surnames. Most of these are uncommon Chinese surnames as well. The five most common family names, which together make up over half of the Korean population, are used by over 20 million people in South Korea.^[1]

[edit] Romanization and pronunciation

In English speaking nations, the three most common family names are often written and pronounced as "Kim" (김), "Lee" or "Rhee" (리, 이), and "Park" (박). Despite official Korean romanization systems used for geographic and other names in North and South Korea, personal names are generally romanized according to personal preference. Thus a family name such as "Lee" may also be found spelled "I," "Yi," "Rhee," and "Rhie."^[4]

The initial sound in "Kim" shares features with both the English 'k' (in initial position, an aspirated voiceless velar stop) and "hard g" (an unaspirated voiced velar stop). When pronounced initially, Kim starts with an unaspirated voiceless velar stop sound; it is voiceless like /k/, but also unaspirated like /g/. As aspiration is a distinctive feature in Korean but voicing is not, "Gim" is more likely to be understood correctly. Nonetheless, "Kim" is used nearly universally in both North and South Korea.^[5]

The family name "Lee" is pronounced as 리 (ri) in North Korea and as 이 (i) in South Korea. In the former case, the initial sound is an alveolar flap, an allophone of the Korean alveolar liquid. There is no distinction between the alveolar liquids /l/ and /r/, which is why "Lee" and "Rhee" are both common spellings. In South Korea, the pronunciation of the name is simply the English vowel sound for a "long e", as in see. This pronunciation is also often spelled as "Yi"; the Northern pronunciation is commonly romanized "Ri."^[6]

In Korean pronunciation, the name usually romanized as "Park" actually has no 'r' sound at all. Its initial sound is an unaspirated voiceless bilabial stop, like a cross between English 'p' and 'b'. The the vowel is the IPA sound [a], similar to the 'a' in father. For this reason, the name is also often represented as "Pak" or "Bak."^[7]

[edit] Given names

Both the top and bottom lines depict the Korean name Hong Gil-dong, which is a common anonymous name like John Doe. The top line is written as the Hangul version (Korean characters), and the bottom as the Hanja version (Chinese characters). In both instances the family name Hong is in yellow.

Traditionally, given names for males are partly determined by generation names, a custom originating in China. One of the two characters in a given name is unique to the individual, while the other is shared by all people in a family generation. Therefore, it is common for cousins to have the same character (dollimja) in their given names in the same fixed position. In North Korea, generational names are no longer shared across families, but are still commonly shared by brothers and sisters.^[8]

Given names are typically composed of hanja, or Chinese characters. In North Korea, the hanja are no longer used to write the names, but the meanings are still understood; thus, for example, the syllable ch'ŏl (철,鐵) is used in boy's names with the meaning of "steel." In South Korea, section 37 of the Family Registry Law requires that the hanja in personal names be taken from a restricted list.^[9] Unapproved hanja must be represented by hangul, or Korean characters, in the family registry. In March 1991, the Supreme Court of South Korea published the Table of Hanja for Personal Name Use which allowed a total of 2,854 hanja in new South Korean given names (as well as 61 alternate forms).^[10] The list was expanded in 1994, 1997, 2001, and 2005. Thus there are now 5,038 hanja permitted in South Korean names, in addition to a small number of alternate forms.

While the traditional practice is still largely followed, since the late 1970s, some parents have given their children names that are native Korean words, usually of two syllables. This has been largely restricted to girl's names. Popular native Korean given names of this sort include Haneul (하늘; "Heaven" or "Sky"), Areum (아름; "Beauty"), Kippeum (기쁨; "Joy") and Iseul (이슬; "Dew"). Despite this trend away from traditional practice, people's names are still recorded in both Hangul and Hanja (if available) on official documents, in family genealogies, and so on.

Korean given names are usually composed of two characters or syllables. Few people have one- or three-character given names, like the politicians Kim Gu and Goh Kun on the one hand, and Yeon Gaesomun on the other. People with two-character family names often have a one-character given name, like the singer Seomoon Tak.

[edit] Usage

The usage of names is governed by strict norms in traditional Korean society. It is generally considered rude to address anyone by their given name in Korean culture. This is particularly the case when dealing with adults or one's elders.^[11] This is often a source of pragmatic difficulty for learners of Korean as a foreign language, and for Korean learners of Western languages.

A variety of replacements are used for the actual name of the person. It is acceptable among adults of similar status to address the other by their full name, with the suffix ssi (씨) added. However, it is inappropriate to address someone by their surname alone, even with such a suffix.^[12] Whenever the person has an official rank, it is typical to address him or her by the name of that rank (such as "Manager"), often with the honorific nim (님) added. In such cases, the full name of the person may be appended, although this can also imply that the speaker is of higher status. ^[12]

In addition, teknonymy, or referring to parents by their children's names, is a common practice. It is most commonly used in referring to a mother by the name of her eldest son, as in "Cheol-su's mom" (철수 엄마).However, they can also be extended to either parent and any child, depending upon the context. ^[13]

Among children and close friends, it is also not common to use a person's birth name. Instead, nicknames, often somewhat insulting, are commonly used among childhood peers. These names commonly come from some peculiarity of the person's appearance or behavior. For example, a slow-moving child might be given the nickname gumbengi, or "maggot."^[14]

[edit] History

The use of names has evolved over time, from the first recording of Korean names in the early Three Kingdoms period through the gradual adoption of Chinese forms of naming as centralized kingdoms came to dominate Korean life. These customs continued to evolve during the Unified Silla, Goryeo and Joseon periods, with the ruling class in particular sometimes compelled to adopt names in the language of a conquering power. For men of yangban rank, a complex system of alternate names had developed by the Joseon Dynasty. This system, including courtesy names and pen names as well as posthumous names and childhood names, arose out of Confucian tradition. The courtesy name system in particular arose from the Classic of Rites, a core text of the Confucian canon. ^[15] This naming system first entered Korea in the Three Kingdoms period, but only a handful of figures from that period, such as Seol Chong, are recorded as having borne a courtesy name. The custom only became widespread in the late Goryeo period, as Confucianism took hold among the literati.^[16]

According to the chronicle Samguk Sagi, the first family names were bestowed by kings upon their supporters. For example, in AD 33, King Yuri gave the six headmen of Saro (later Silla) the names Lee (李), Bae (배), Choe (최), Jeong (정), Son (손) and Seol (설). However, this account is not generally credited by modern historians, who hold that Chinese-style names were more likely to have come into general use in the 5th and subsequent centuries, as the Three Kingdoms increasingly adopted the Chinese model.^[17]

[edit] Native names

Prior to the adoption of Chinese-style names, Koreans had indigenous names, which were transcribed in Hanja. Except for royalty, most Koreans did not have family names. Native given names were sometimes composed of three syllables like Misaheun (미사흔; 未斯欣) and Sadaham (사다함; 斯多含). Under the influence of Chinese culture in the first millennium of the Common Era, Koreans adopted family names. These were limited to kings in the beginning, but gradually spread to aristocrats and eventually to most of the population.^[18]

Goguryeo in Manchuria and northern Korea and Baekje in southwestern Korea had many non-Chinese family names. These often consisted of two characters and many of them seem to have been toponyms. Judging from Japanese records, some characters were pronounced not by their Chinese reading but by their reading in the native language (see Hanja). For example, Goguryeo General Yeon Gaesomun (연개소문; 淵蓋蘇文) is called Iri Kasumi (伊梨柯須弥) in Nihonshoki. Like cheon (천; 泉) in Chinese, iri would presumably have meant "fountain" in the Goguryeo language. Early Silla names are also believed to represent Old Korean words; for example, the name of Bak Hyeokgeose was pronounced something like "Balgeonuri" (발거누리), which can be translated as "bright world."^[19]

[edit] Mongolian names

For a brief period after the Mongol invasion of Korea during the Goryeo Dynasty, Korean kings and aristocrats had both Mongolian and Sino-Korean names. The scions of the ruling class were sent to the Yuan court for schooling.^[20] For example, King Gongmin had both the Mongolian name Bayan Temür (伯顏帖木兒) and the Sino-Korean name Wang Gi (王祺) (later renamed Wang Jeon (王顓).^[21]

[edit] Japonification of names

See also: Japanese name

During the period of Japanese colonial rule of Korea (1910–1945), Koreans were compelled to adopt Japanese-language names.^[22] In 1939, as part of Governor-General Jiro Minami's policy of cultural assimilation (同化政策; dōka seisaku), Ordinance No. 20 (Commonly called the "Name Order") was issued, and went into law in April 1940.^[23]

The ordinance — commonly called Sōshi-kaimei (創氏改名) in Japanese — in theory allowed (but in practice compelled) Koreans to adopt Japanese family and given names. Although the Japanese Government-General officially prohibited compulsion, low-level officials practically forced Koreans to get Japanese-style family names, and by 1944, approximately 84 percent of the population had registered Japanese family names.^[23]

Sōshi (Japanese) means the creation of a Japanese family name or si (Korean ssi (씨)), distinct from a Korean family name or seong (Japanese sei). Japanese family names represent the families they belong to and can be changed by marriage and other procedures, while Korean family names represent paternal linkages and are unchangeable. Sōshi represented a dual operation of both Japanese and Korean family name systems. Japanese policy dictated that Koreans either could register a completely new Japanese family name unrelated to their Korean surname, or have their Korean family name, in Japanese form, automatically become their Japanese name. ^[24]

After the liberation of Korea from Japanese rule, the Name Restoration Order (조선 성명 복구령; 朝鮮姓名復舊令) was issued on October 23, 1946 by the United States military administration south of the 38th parallel north, enabling Koreans to restore their Korean names if they wished to.

Japanese conventions of creating given names also made their way into Korean customs after liberation, such as putting the character "子" (Japanese ko and Korean ja meaning "descendant" or "son") to make feminine names like "玉子" (Japanese Tamako and Korean Okja). This practice is seldom seen in modern Korea, either North or South. In the North, a campaign to eradicate such Japanese-based names was launched in the 1970s.^[8]

[edit] See also

• Chinese name
• Japanese name
• Vietnamese name
• Courtesy name
• Generation name
• Posthumous name
• Temple name
• List of most common surnames
• List of Korean family names

[edit] Notes

[edit] References

• Do Su-hui (도수희) (1999). 한국 성명의 생성 발달 (Hanguk seongmyeong-ui saengseong baldal) (Korean). New Korean Life (새국어생활). Retrieved on 2006-08-14.
• 창씨개명 [創氏改名] (Korean). Empas Encyclopedia. Retrieved on 2006-08-23.
• Hwang, Shin Ja J. (1991). Terms of Address In Korean and American Cultures (pdf). Intercultural Communication Studies I:2.
• (1983) “자 (Ja, Courtesy name)”, Lee, Hong-jik (이홍직) 새國史事典 (Sae guksa sajeon, Encyclopedia of Korean history. Seoul: Kyohaksa, 117, 1134. ISBN 89-09-00506-8.
• Lee, Ki-baek (1984). A new history of Korea (rev. ed., tr. by Edward W. Wagner and Edward J. Shultz. Seoul: Ilchokak. ISBN 89-337-0204-0.
• Nahm, Andrew C. (1988). Korea: Tradition and Transformation — A History of the Korean People. Elizabeth, NJ: Hollym International. ISBN 0-930878-56-6.
• National Institute of the Korean Language (국립 국어 연구원). 국어 국립 연구원 새소식 (Gungnip gugeo yeonguwon saesosik, National Institute of the Korean Language news) (Korean). New Korean Life (새국어생활) (1991-06). Retrieved on 2006-08-11.
• (Korean)Naver Encyclopedia. 별명 [別名, nickname & 자 [字.] Retrieved on 22 August 2006.
• The Northern Forum (2006), The Northern Forum Protocol Manual. Retrieved on 23 August 2006.
• (Korean)Republic of Korea. Family Register Law 양계혈통 관련법률. Retrieved on 23 August 2006.
• (Korean) Republic of Korea. National Statistical Office. Retrieved on 23 August 2006.
• Ri Ui-do (리의도) (2005). 올바른 우리말 사용법 (Olbareun urimal sayongbeop, proper procedures for Korean usage) (in Korean). ISBN 89-5913-118-0.
• U.S. Library of Congress. Korea Under Japanese Rule & Traditional Family Life Country Studies/Area Handbook Series. Retrieved on 10 August 2006.
• Yonhap News (2004). Korea Annual 2004. Seoul: Author. ISBN 89-7433-070-9.
• 이름짓기/ 여성 이름 ‘자’字 사라져 (Korean). NKChosun.com (2000-11-19). Retrieved on 2006-08-13.
• (Korean)(1991) National Academy of the Korean Language. 국립 국어 연구원 소식. Retrieved on 23 August 2006.

[edit] External links

• (Korean) Family Register Law, Act 6438, 호적법, 법률6438호, partially revised October 24, 2005.
• Table of Hanja for Personal Name Use
• Public Figures in Popular Culture: Identity Problems of Minority Heroes — Footnote 16 gives bibliographic references for Korean perspectives on the Soshi-Kaimei policy.
• (Japanese) Examples of Koreans who used Japanese names: by Saga Women's Junior College
• Korean names meaning An extensive resource of Korean names including their meaning.