Korean name romanizer

Type a Korean name in Hangul, such as 김민준. You'll get the official romanization and the spelling most people actually use in passports.

How to use

1. Type a Korean name in Hangul, for example 김민준. Put a space after a two-syllable family name if it isn't detected.
2. Choose the name order and whether you want a hyphen between the given-name syllables.
3. Read both versions: the official Revised Romanization and the common passport spelling of the family name.

How Korean names are romanized

Korea's official system is the Revised Romanization of Korean (2000). For personal names it has three simple rules:

• The family name comes first and is written separately: 한복남 → Han Boknam.
• The given name is written as one word. A hyphen between syllables is allowed: Han Bok-nam.
• Sound changes between the syllables of a given name are not written. 복남 sounds like “bong-nam” but is written Boknam.

Why family names look different

Family names are the big exception. Long before the official system, people chose their own spellings, and those stuck. Under the official rules 김 is “Gim”, 이 is “I” and 박 is “Bak”, but almost everyone writes Kim, Lee and Park. Both are correct; what matters is using one spelling consistently.

Passports, visas and bank accounts

• The English name in a Korean passport is chosen when the first passport is issued, and it is hard to change later. Keep the same spelling on flight tickets, visas, bank accounts and diplomas.
• If you are filling in a form for a Korean friend or colleague, ask how their name is written in their passport instead of guessing.
• For your own non-Korean name in Korea, use the spelling exactly as it appears on your passport or Alien Registration Card.

This tool follows the Revised Romanization rules of the National Institute of Korean Language. The “common spelling” column reflects everyday usage and is not an official list.

Frequently asked questions

Read the guide

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