How to use
Enter the Korean name as registered in the Family Relation Register, and you’ll see the uppercase spelling used in passports (for example HONG GILDONG) and the normal spelling (Hong Gildong). The surname is read as one syllable, and common two-syllable surnames such as 남궁, 황보, 제갈, 선우, 독고, 사공 and 서문 are recognized automatically. If the name is split in the wrong place, choose the surname length yourself or type a space between surname and given name. You can write the given name joined or with a hyphen (-), and you can pick a surname spelling below to use in the result.
How Revised Romanization writes names
The Revised Romanization of Korean, the official system announced by Korea’s Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, sets these rules for personal names.
- Surname and given name are written separately, and the given name is written as one word. A hyphen between syllables is also allowed. Examples: 민용하 → Min Yongha (Min Yong-ha), 송나리 → Song Nari (Song Na-ri)
- Sound changes inside a given name are not reflected. Examples: 한복남 → Han Boknam (not Bongnam), 홍빛나 → Hong Bitna
- Consonants and vowels follow the romanization tables. ㄱ, ㄷ and ㅂ are g, d and b before a vowel and k, t and p at the end of a syllable. ㄹ is r before a vowel and l at the end of a syllable, and ㄹㄹ is ll. ㅢ is written ui even when it sounds like ㅣ.
- Surname spellings are to be set separately, but none have been set yet.
This tool converts a given name one syllable at a time. A final consonant is written as it sounds when that syllable is said on its own (빛 → bit), and sound changes between syllables are ignored. When a name written together could be misread at a syllable boundary (for example 하은 → Haeun), the tool points out that you can use a hyphen.
What to know for a passport
- The romanized name in a Korean passport is the Hangul name in the Family Relation Register romanized syllable by syllable under Revised Romanization (Enforcement Rule of the Passport Act, Article 2-2(1)). The ministry’s examples are 홍길동 → HONG GILDONG and 김빛나 → KIM BITNA.
- If a Hangul name sounds the same as a foreign name, the foreign spelling can be used (for example 김에스더 → KIM ESTHER). This tool only produces the Revised Romanization spelling.
- Honorifics, titles, baptismal names and similar markers (DR, SIR, 1ST and so on) can’t go in a passport.
- When a passport is reissued, the romanized name is in principle kept the same, and it can only be changed for reasons set by the Enforcement Decree of the Passport Act. That’s why the ministry advises choosing it carefully at the first application.
Common surname spellings
Because Revised Romanization has not fixed surname spellings, many different spellings are in use. The National Institute of Korean Language, with the cooperation of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, analyzed 63,351 passport records from 2007. Some of the results are below. They show how often each spelling was used, not which one is correct.
| Surname | Spelling by the consonant table | Common spellings in 2007 passports |
|---|---|---|
| 김 | Gim | KIM 99.3%, GIM 0.6% |
| 이 | I | LEE 98.5%, YI 1.0%, RHEE 0.2% |
| 박 | Bak | PARK 95.9%, BAK 1.8%, PAK 1.7% |
| 최 | Choe | CHOI 93.1%, CHOE 6.5% |
| 정 | Jeong | JUNG 48.6%, JEONG 37.0%, CHUNG 9.2% |
| 조 | Jo | CHO 73.1%, JO 25.6% |
| 윤 | Yun | YOON 48.9%, YUN 40.6% |
| 장 | Jang | JANG 84.5%, CHANG 14.9% |
| 임 | Im | LIM 71.0%, IM 21.5% |
Family members don’t have to use the same surname spelling. However, the ministry notes that different spellings can cause inconvenience when a family travels abroad together, and if you need to match the surname spelling of family members traveling with you, you can change your surname spelling later. The given name can’t be changed for this reason.
Limits
This tool shows the spelling you get by applying Revised Romanization syllable by syllable. Foreign-style names, a spelling you personally prefer, and the passport office’s review may lead to a different result. The surname shares come from 2007 data and may differ today. You choose the final spelling when you apply for your passport, and it’s hard to change once chosen, so check the Ministry of Foreign Affairs passport portal before you apply.