The korean surnames they give a sample of the culture of this Asian people. In this onomastic tradition the surname is usually placed (by patronymic custom) followed by the personal proper name.
In both South Korea and North Korea, surnames are usually written in Hangul (a character system typical of this culture).
However, the custom of differentiating the multiple meanings that a character can have in Hangul through the Hanjas (characters that are derived from Chinese both in writing and in meaning) is maintained..
Typically, Korean names and surnames consist of a single syllable (or a single Hangul). Despite that, there are exceptions such as the surname Namgung (남궁), which is among the 100 most popular.
When it comes to romanizing or writing with the alphabet, Koreans can choose from a wide variety of options in each case: some prefer to be faithful to the sound of the traditional language and others to adapt them to the new language in which they will develop.
This Korean surname comes from the Chinese character "安", so it can be interpreted as 'peaceful', 'calm' or 'safe'. Other accepted romanizations are: Ahn, Arn and Aan.
It is derived from the hanja "裵" and has several definitions within the Korean language among which are 'pear' (fruit), 'stomach', 'pot' or 'vessel'. It can also be written in the following modes Pae, Bai, Bea, Pai, Bay or Pay.
Found on occasions such as Paek, Baik, Paik, Back, Pack or Beak, it is a Korean surname that means 'white', since it derives from "白".
It comes from the hanja “朴” ('pumpkin'), and can be written Pak, Park, Back, Bahk or Pahk. It is said that the first member of this family, the King of Silla, Hyeokgeose was born from a pumpkin-shaped egg, which is why he was given this name that he passed on to his descendants..
Because this surname is written with the hanja "潘", its interpretation is 'the water that remains after washing the rice'. It can also be romanized as Pan, Bahn, Pahn, Bhan, and Van.
It uses the hanja "房" to differentiate itself from other homographs and that is why its meaning is 'room' or 'room'. Pang, Bhang, Bahng, Pahng or Phang are other accepted spellings for this surname.
It can also be written in its romanized form as Pahng, Phang, Pang, Bhang, and Bahng. In this case it uses the hanja "方", so its meaning is 'direction', 'path' or 'method'.
Thanks to the use of the character "卞", this form of the surname can be interpreted as 'impatient'. The spellings Pyŏn, Byun, Byon, Pyun, Byoun, Pyon, Pyoun or Pyeon are also used..
This Korean surname differs from the hanja "邊", meaning 'edge', 'side', 'edge' or 'edge'. Other forms in which it is written are Pyon, Pyoun, Pyeon, Pyŏn, Pyun, Byun, Byon and Byoun.
By the use of the character “車” it is translated as 'car', 'vehicle' or 'cart', it can also be written Ch'a, Char or Chah.
It is a surname with great popularity in both Korea and China where the same hanja is used to write it: “蔡” (“Cai”). It is thought that its original meaning was linked to the name of a species of turtle. Other forms are: Ch'ae, Chai, Che, Chea and Chay.
The meaning of this surname when written with "千" is 'thousands' or 'many'. Its romanization can also be Ch'ŏn, Chun, Chon and Choun.
Because it is written with “曺” it means 'group' or 'partner'. This last name can be written as Jo, Joe, Joh or Jou.
This surname can be represented with the hanja "崔" which would mean 'governor of the earth and the mountain' or simply 'top or mountain'. Other ways to transliterate it are Ch'oe, Choi, Che, Choy, Chwe and Chey.
It can be romanized as Ch'u, Choo, Chou or Chyu and is written “秋” in Hanja. Its meaning is 'autumn'.
This surname means' city 'or' capital (since its writing represents "都"). Doh, To, Toe, Doe and Toh are other spellings.
It is written with the hanja "魚", so it is interpreted as 'fish'. Also written as Ŏ, Uh, Urh or Eoh.
The translation of this surname that uses “嚴” is 'rigorous' or 'strict' and can be found in the following ways: Ŏm, Um, Uhm, Oum and Ohm.
Also Ŭn, Ehn, Enn, Unn, En or Un, is a Korean surname that uses the hanja "殷" when represented, this is interpreted as 'magnificent' or 'great'.
It is linked to the character "姜", which has as one of its meanings 'ginger'. Other forms in which this surname is found are Kang, Kahng and Khang.
It is also transliterated as Kang, Kahng or Khang, but in this case written with the hanja "康", it can be translated as 'healthy' or 'peaceful'.
This surname is thought to mean 'bright' and is sometimes written as Kŭm, Keum, Kum, Gum, Guem, and Kuem..
This Korean surname when written with the hanja "奇" acquires the meaning of 'strange' or 'rare'. It can also be romanized as Ki, Kee, Key, Gee, Ky, Khee or Kie.
When you use “吉” this last name means 'good' or 'lucky'. Other ways to write it are Gill, Kil, Khil, Keel, Kihl, Kiehl or Kill.
This is the most common surname in Korea; represents the hanja "金" and therefore it is translated as 'gold' or 'golden'. It can also be transliterated as Ghim, Kim, Khym, Keem and Gym.
The meaning of this surname is 'high' since it uses the Chinese character “高”. There are also other ways of writing it such as Ko, Koh, Goh, Kho, Gho, Kor and Co.
This surname is equivalent to Kong, which is more common in China, both use the hanja "孔". They descend from the Zi family (from the Shang dynasty), so they are related to Confucius. Other spellings are: Kohng, Koung, Goung, Khong and Cong.
It uses the hanja “具” for what it means 'tool', the romanizations Ku, Koo, Goo, Kou, Kuh, Khoo or Khu are also accepted.
It can be written Kuk, Kook, Gook, Kug, Gug, Cook, and Kug. It uses the Chinese hanja “鞠” which has several meanings, one of them is 'ball' or 'ball' and another is 'bending'.
Its translation is 'city walls' since it uses the character "郭". Other spellings are Kwag, Kwack, Gwag, Koak, Kuark and Quack.
It is a surname of Korean origin that can be interpreted as 'authority' or 'rights' (since it uses “權”). Kwŏn, Kwon, Gwon, Kweon or Kwun are other ways in which it can be transliterated.
It is translated as 'river' and is written with the hanja "河", it is also frequently found as Hah and Har.
The bearers of this Korean surname seem to have a common ancestor, General Ham Kyu, of the Koryo dynasty who fought against the Mongols in the 13th century. It is also often written as Hahm, Hamm or Haam.
Whenever it is written with the hanja "韓" this surname means 'Korea' and, in some cases, 'South Korea' specifically. Other spellings are Hanh, Hann and Hahn.
The translation of this surname is 'consent' or 'permission' as it is written with "許". In addition, it can be written in the following ways: Hŏ, Hur, Huh, Her, Hu, Ho, Hoh or Heoh.
In some cases written Houng, Hoong or Hung; It is a Korean surname that means 'broad' or 'large' and that uses the hanja "洪".
When written with "黃" the meaning of this surname is 'yellow'. Whang or Whong forms are also accepted.
It means 'dark' or 'mysterious' ("玄"). Other spellings are Hyŏn, Hyeon, Hyon and Hyoun.
This surname is also written as Yi (in South Korea), Ri (in North Korea), Lee, Rhee, Ree, Reeh, Ee, Rie, or Rhie. It is the second most common Korean surname and uses the hanja "李", which means 'plum'.
Although this surname can have different meanings depending on the hanja with which it is written, in this case it is translated as 'responsibility' or 'the one in charge', as it uses “任”. Other ways to write it are Lin, Yim, Rim, Leem, Rhim and Eam.
It can also be romanized as Rim, Lim, Yim, Rhim, Eam, or Leem. This Korean surname uses "林", so it is interpreted as 'forest'.
It makes use of the hanja "印" and consequently means 'seal', 'impression' or 'mark'. Ihn, Yin, Inn, Lin, and Ean are accepted ways of writing it.
It is one of the most common surnames within Korea, as in China. When using the hanja "張" it is given the meanings 'archer' and 'page'. Can be found as Chang, Jahng, Jhang or Zang.
In this case it is written with "蔣", so it is interpreted as 'zizania' or 'Manchurian wild rice' (a type of Asian vegetable). Some popular ways to romanize it are Chiang, Jahng, Chang, Jhang, Zang.
He uses the hanja “諸”, consequently, its translation is 'many' or 'all'. Jae, Jea, Che, Jei and Jhe are other ways to write it.
It can mean 'intact' or 'complete', since it uses “全”. This surname is also often found as Chŏn, Jun, Chun, Chon and Cheon.
When "田" is used to write this Korean surname, its translation is 'farm field'. The spellings Chŏn, Chun, Chon, Cheon and Jun are popular for transliteration.
This surname has several forms depending on its hanja, in this case "丁" makes it mean 'man', 'robust' or 'long tack'. Chŏng, Jung, Joung, Chung, Cheong and Choung are other ways of writing it.
This surname denotes origin of the kingdom of Zheng when it is written with "鄭". It can also be romanized as Chŏng, Chung, Cheong, Choung, Jung and Joung.
It is related to the hanja "池", so its meaning is 'pool' or 'pond'. Other spellings are Chi, Jee, Gi, Chee, Gee and Jhi.
It is also frequently found as Qin, since it uses the hanja "秦", which refers directly to the State of Qin (from the eponymous Chinese dynasty for which this Asian nation was named). Other ways to write it are Chin, Jeen or Gin.
It can be translated as 'display', 'show' or 'unfold' ("陳"). Can be found as Chin, Jeen or Gin.
This surname is derived from "趙", which is also romanized as Cho, Joe, Joh or Jou and comes from the Chinese surname Zhao (which was also the name of one of the States in which China was divided).
Also translected as Joo, Chu, Choo, Chow, Jou, Zoo, Jew or Zu is a Korean surname that means 'circumference', because it uses the character "周".
In this case the surname uses the hanja "朱", so its interpretation is 'red'. Also found as Chu, Choo, Chow, Joo, Jou, Jew, Zoo and Zu.
It is translated as 'horse' (“馬”); in addition, it can be written Mah or Mar.
This surname comes from the Chinese language ("孟") and can have two meanings, one is 'the eldest of the children' or 'the first' and the other is 'strong' or 'powerful'. It can also be romanized as Maing and Meang.
It is ranked 47th among the most common Korean surnames and means 'incite', although it can also be understood as 'mourning' or 'mourning' since it uses the Chinese character "閔". Other spellings are Minn and Mihn.
In some cases written Moh or Moe, it is a Korean surname that can mean 'mujido' or 'try to get', 'search' ("牟").
It means 'writing', 'literature' or 'prayer' as it uses “文”. It is also often transliterated as Moon or Muhn.
Since this Korean surname uses the hanja "明", its translation is 'bright' or 'luminous'. It is sometimes romanized as Myŏng, Myung, Myong or Myoung.
For its writing "羅" is used so it can be translated as 'net to catch birds' and it was a common surname for the descendants of the Luo State, which existed during the Shang dynasty. Ra, Nah, La, Rha, Rah and Law are other spellings.
This surname means 'south' or 'southern' ("南"). It can also be written: Nahm, Nham or Narm.
It is made up of two hanjas: the first is "南", which means 'south'; followed by “宮”, which translates to 'palace' or 'house'. Thus, it is interpreted as 'southern palace'. Other spellings are Namkoong, Namkung, Namgoong, Namkuhng and Namguhng.
This is the Korean form of the Chinese surname Lu (“盧”), which is derived from the State of Lu. It is also romanized as Noh, Roh, Ro, Nau and Rau.
Although its origin is linked in the same way to the State of Lu, in this case written with “魯”, it can also have the meaning of 'stupid' or 'vulgar'. It also receives the transliterations Noh, Nau, Rau, Roh or Ro.
This surname is related to the Chinese Wu ("吳") which, in turn, comes from the name of the State of Wu. Other ways to transliterate it are Oh, Oe, Au and Ou.
The translation of this surname (“玉”) is 'gem' or 'precious stone' and can be written in the following ways: Ock, Oak, Ohk, Og, Ohg and Oag.
Since it uses the hanja "片" it can mean 'piece', 'piece' or 'splinter'. In some cases it is written P'yŏn, Pyun, Pyon, Pyoun or Pyen.
It is interpreted as 'express' or 'show' as it uses the Chinese character "表". Phyo, Pio, Peo, Pyoh and Pyou are several ways to transliterate this Korean surname.
This is the North Korean way of writing the hanja "羅", which means 'net to catch birds'. Also found as Rah, Na, Nah, La, Rha, Rah, or Law.
Its translation into Spanish is 'slowly' or 'calm' (“徐”). Other accepted transliterations are: Sŏ, Suh, Surh, Su, Sur, So and Seoh.
- Seok (석)
This last name uses "石", so its meaning is 'stone' or 'rock'. Sŏk, Suk, Sok, Suck and Sek are other spellings that it has.
It is translated as 'proclaim' or 'announce' (“宣”) and, in addition, it can be written Sŏk, Suk, Sok, Suck or Sek.
When written with "成", this Korean surname means 'to meet' or 'to achieve'. Like other homographs, you can write Sŏng, Sung, Song or Soung.
This surname can mean 'absinthe' or 'swamp grass', since the hanja "薛" is used to write it. It is also romanized as Sol or Sul.
Its meaning is 'sink', as it comes from "沈". Other spellings are: Shim, Seem, Sheem and Sihm.
There are several versions of this Korean surname, one of them is written with the hanja "愼" and its meaning is 'cautious'. Other ways to transliterate it are Shin, Shinn, Sheen, Seen, Sinn and Cynn.
Although the same Hangul is used as in other surnames, it is differentiated by using “申”, so its translation can be 'extend', 'express', 'affirm' or 'request'. Romanizations Shin, Shinn, Sheen, Cynn, Seen or Sinn are also accepted.
It is another of the forms of this popular Korean surname that is carried by more than 900 thousand people. In this case the use of the character "辛" makes its interpretation 'bitter' or 'difficult'. Cynn, Seen, Sinn, Shin, Shinn, and Sheen are other accepted spellings.
Some consider that this surname means 'to revive', others have associated it with the plant known as perilla, common in Asia, or have classified it as a toponymic due to its use of the hanja “蘇”. Soh, Sou and Sow transliterations are also supported.
This Korean surname can be literally translated as 'grandson' ("孫"). In addition, it can be written in the following ways: Sohn and Soun.
It is directly linked to the Song dynasty from which it takes its hanja "宋". Another way in which this last name is romanized is Soung.
It means 'high' (“卓”) and can be transliterated as T'ak, Tark, Tag, Tack and Tahk.
This surname is related to a semi-legendary Chinese emperor and founder of the Xia dynasty: Yu the great, for whom the same hanja was used: "禹". Other ways to write it are Woo, Wu, Ou, Wo and Uh.
It is translated as 'king' since it uses “王” in its writing.
It is derived from the name of an ancient Chinese kingdom called the State of Wei, which also uses the hanja "魏". Wee, We and Wie are several of the accepted ways to write this last name.
The translation of this Korean surname is 'leader', 'main' or 'original' (“元”). In addition, it can be romanized in the following ways: Wŏn, Weon, Woen, Wone, Wun and One.
In this case it uses “梁”, which means 'beam' (of light) or 'bridge'. Ryang and Lyang are also accepted as transliterations.
Like its homographs in Hangul it can be written Ryang or Lyang, but in this case the use of the hanja "楊" changes its meaning to 'weeping willow'.
There are several surnames that are written the same in Hangul, but are differentiated by their hanjas. This is written with "余", so it can be interpreted as 'I', 'mine' and 'me'. It can be written Yŏ, Yu, Yo, Yeu, Yuh, Yeo or Yoh.
Use "呂", so it means 'spine'. Like the other versions of this surname, various transliterations are accepted such as: Yŏ, Yo, Yoh, Yuh, Yu, Yeo or Yeu.
This Korean surname means 'pure', 'honest' or 'clean' ("廉"). The romanizations Yeon, Yun, Yŏm, Yum, Youm, Yeum, Yom or Yeoum are also used..
It is written with “延” and its translation is 'stretch' or 'extend'. Yŏn, Youn, Yun, Yon, Yeun, Yeoun or Yuhn are several ways to write this surname.
Its meaning is 'dragon' ("龍") and it is also spelled Ryong, especially in North Korea..
It is another version of one of the most popular surnames in Korea, but in this particular the Chinese character "兪" is used, which is understood as 'approve'. Yo, Yu, Ryu, Ryoo, and You are accepted romanized scripts.
Both surnames are the spellings of the hanja "柳" in both South Korean and North Korean respectively. It means 'willow' or 'willow tree' and can be romanized as Ryoo, You or Yoo .
It differs from other surnames that are spelled the same because its hanja is "劉", which gives it the meaning of 'battle ax'. It can also be written Yoo, You, Yuh, Ryou, Rou and Ryoo.
It is translated into Spanish as 'land' (“陸”). Can be written Yook, Youk, Yug, Ryuk and Yuck.
This Korean surname means' to rule 'or' to supervise, as it uses the hanja "尹". It is also romanized as Yoon, Yun, Youn, Yune or Yeun.
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