How to Make Your Korean Name | Korean FAQ

[@xinibeats]

you gave koreaboos too much power

[@alexfriedman2047]

lmao

[@faustine818]

some people who are wat hing aren't actually koreaboos you know -.-

[@faustine818]

Alex Friedman learning Korean makes you a koreaboo? I never new learning other languages and culture was bad

[@alexfriedman2047]

@@faustine818 I'm just joking geeze. Some people do like to learn other cultures and are interested like myself for example I got into it because I'm hardcore into playing starcraft and all the best players are korean. When I started learning Hangul I was hooked and ordered this guy's book. There are plenty of real Korea boos who are obsessed though lol.

[@nell2674]

Ahaha Yeojin in ur profile ^-^

[@faiza7533]

Hey guys it's me, Pikachu Gonzales Skywalker

[@heavyhead30]

피카추 건사랫 스카이알클?

[@sammie875]

@@heavyhead30 I'd say it's rather 피카츄 곤잘레스 스카이워커

[@panchikofan123]

@@heavyhead30 wrong it's 피카츄 곤잘레스 스카이워커 _nice bfdi reference to ur username tho_

[@GhostTheHost713]

lmao

[@hey__you]

아 ㅋㅋㅋ 피카츄 곤잘래스 스카이워커 ㅋㅋㅋ 개 길어

[@dipitous9647]

When I first went to Korea, I just planned on saying my normal name with a Korean accent, since it was only 2 syllables. Seren became 세렌. Whenever I introduced myself to people, however, they'd always ask me to repeat it a couple of times. It apparently was too weird to pronounce for them, and at one point a guy in my friend group said my name sounded similar to Seryeon (세련), which is a Korean name meaning "refined" or "sophisticated". Now, every time I introduce myself as 세련, people get it on the first try. :)

[@Aldrnari]

Knowing your name makes your KZbin username make a lot more sense! Clever.

[@applesauce1368]

@@Aldrnari True!

[@FrankM]

My Korean name shall be Pikachu Gonzalez Skywalker.

[@heavyhead30]

피카추 건사랫 스카이알클?

[@sammie875]

@@heavyhead30 @피카츄 곤잘레스 스카이워커

[@januzairamli4426]

Hi Merry

[@blubtasticc]

i’m deD

[@ADeeSHUPA]

@@sammie875 레레 루카

[@lusir.]

my korean nickname is 바보야.

[@m_v334]

As in, idiot?

[@chsinskyy]

OMG 🤭🤣🤣🤣🤣

[@jens3098]

😂😂😂😂😂😂😂nice name

[@elsannn3877]

Same!!! Looks like it’s a popular name 😂

[@jay-mj3ji]

저도

[@TiinkerBells]

I want to win in life so my name's gonna be Kim Seokjin

[@emilygee6618]

I like how you think ;) **Blows kiss**

[@frogs..sparkles_5886]

Then I really want to dance like Park Jimin 😂

[@knittingarch]

Love this comment!

[@lesliereck]

Koreaboo

[@GhostTheHost713]

@cvtherlne ofc its a joke. sheesh. learn how to tell OBVIOUS jokes ( unless their crazy on an obsessed fan or IS A BOY ) apart from regular statements...no serious offence btw

[@unomeyed4406]

Imagine being a korean and someone walks up to you and say "Give me a korean name" lmao

[@MohanKumar-sc4jk]

Lmfaooo

[@sevyel]

Skskskksks-

[@a1inlxc305]

Lmao

[@sammicchi7289]

it happens, and it sucks every time lol

[@gregornaysmith617]

@@sammicchi7289 lmao if i was you id dead ass be like wheeliebin

[@1anna1]

one of the people in my korean textbook is called 김철수🤣

[@prispalos]

There's a real guy named Kim Cheolsoo and he's actually a popular KZbinr. Check out CHANNEL GIMCHEOLSOO. I'm a long time subscriber and was surprised to see his actual real life name is Kim Cheolsoo. How unfortunate but also fortunate at the same time.

[@teerich2011]

Must be the John Brown of S Korea 😂

[@laviedevantsoi2322]

철수 and 영희(Chulsoo and Younghee) are like... Jack and Jill or John Doe in English language. They're kinda old fashioned, in 2019 though.

[@christiskingfr]

anna NICE BOOK REFERENCE LOL

[@lovekatelynn]

@@laviedevantsoi2322 ty for explaining , I was confused lol

[@jimmiscarrey7175]

I speak korean everyday with my friends. But everytime i introduce myself to a new korean, they always laugh coz my name sounds like "your nose battery". They always say "어 니 코 배터리". Thats why i have a korean name. Some of my korean friends dont even know my real name haha. But everytime i introduce myself, i say "제 이름은 ____입니다. 그리고 한국이름은 ______입니다."

[@sophiay193]

Same feels man.

[@suugarush2555]

It sounds like "eonnie ko betery" basically in my language is "my older sister is a battery" 😂

[@Reijnk]

eoni ko baeteori BAHAHAH

[@ADeeSHUPA]

@@suugarush2555 Are You A 韓國분

[@은수-c8c]

어 니 코 배터리 진짜 웃겨 ㅎㅎㅎ

[@mareemaree5091]

Hi Billy. My real name is Marie. So, I turned the syllables around to MiRae. 미래 I didn't look up the Chinese characters because I did not know about that method. I did know that parents in Korea do look up the characters and choose a beautiful or strong or hopeful name for their child. Anyway, I was delighted to learn afterward that there is a lovely actress with the name. Thank you again for your wonderful videos. I promise to contribute. I have to figure out Patreon.

[@GoBillyKorean]

미래 is a pretty cool name! And I'd agree it matches Marie, so if that feels right to you then go ahead and use it :)

[@bubbleshark]

wow!! As I'm Korean, 미래 is really good name! '미래' means 'Future' in KR. I love it 😍 One of my friends name is 미래 :)

[@jingykim5]

윤미래 is most popular rapper in korea

[@ssataf4045]

Kinda like Kang Mi Rae in *My ID is Gangnam Beauty*

[@rpiereck74]

미래 is a purely Korean word so you won't find the Chinese characters for it. Good choice of name!

[@koya_joonie]

I picked 이재미 as my Korean name because that's almost literally my first name: Jamie Lee xD also now I can say 재미가 재미없어 xD

[@testmonkey2535]

deep-thought42 😂 wow genius

[@je2m2]

u have the same name as me lmaooooo even the last name

[@xavier9488]

the pun hit hard

[@oohlalalia]

deep-thought42 if you’re a boy this name wouldn’t be it as the bit is feminine but you can always change it too Jae-min lee

[@LilyBlooms0912]

HAHAHAHAHA

[@x0xNakax0x]

A few years back I decided to find myself a Korean name and came up with 고지영 for several reasons: 고 is the first syllable of my real last name (it fitted well), and my first name Camille comes from the flower camomile, which represent strength in adversity. I tried to pick a name that conveyed kind of the same meaning using a sino-Korean name dictionary and finally found 지영. Also this first name is technically for boys and girls, just as my real name (even though it is more used for girls), and I always liked having a unisex name :)

[@x0xNakax0x]

@Arissa Li the website Behind The Name . Com is a good ressource I believe. I hope you will find what you’re looking for! :)

[@pumkin54]

My mom is Korean, but has lived in the US for 40 years and legally changed her name to something American. I always thought her name was beautiful and was sad when she changed it. After searching around online for a while trying to figure out a name, I realized I already have a perfect one: my mom's!

[@aayushsharma8735]

I think my name shall be Kim JangSoo 김장수. 😊😊 Because Jangsoo in korean means longevity. I m a boy tho... And my actual name means longevity. 😊 Those who liked it, plz hit a like.

[@Dani_1012]

I like Jangsoo

[@areyoued6120]

That’s a nice name

[@alessandrovialpando609]

That's cool because JangSoo also means commander in ancient/medieval times

[@alessandrovialpando609]

One of my squadron-mate was Han JangSoo and he was very strong. Everyone thought that name is perfect for his image.

[@saik2286]

wah yo fella indian!

[@brianbaker9286]

김 강산 ! My mom is Korean (김영자), dad American. I’m actually Brian, but never had a Korean name. I was given one by some Korean Catholic religious sisters whom I had just met recently. Over lunch, when they found out I didn’t have a Korean name, they spent the rest of lunch, excitedly whispering to each other, to decide. Then they revealed it to me, and explain the meaning. (Literally, means River Mountain… But I think the meaning is peaceful and strong?) I asked my mom if she liked it and she approved! But I never knew receiving a Korean name was a thing to do, until your video!

[@annahydahl8840]

My old korean friend (died a few years back) gave me the name 세연 bc he thought my personality matched the name pretty well🥰

[@AKADriver]

One tip I'd also give especially to the older people watching this: when you google people who have the name you're thinking of, check their ages. Korean names go in and out of style just like English ones. If you're over 30, avoid the pure Korean names; if you're under 40, avoid names like 영길 or 미자. I've seen a lot of Korean people not do this when picking English names, and it's slightly funny to me as a middle aged guy to meet people my age who call themselves Jayden and Hailey. Not that they're bad names, but they're names that didn't become popular until the late '90s. Wikipedia has a list of the most popular Korean names by year. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_the_most_popular_given_names_in_South_Korea

[@skitt42]

Haha, I know a Korean Jayden and I've always thought the same thing!

[@jingykim5]

@Haley Ducharme 이해일

[@aEquanimity]

You make a good point. I had a friend from Taiwan whose brother, probably in his teens or early 20s, used Gilbert as an English name... I've also met Asian-Americans in their late teens whose Chinese parents named them Betsy and Alastair.

[@marylara9058]

I still wonder about one thing! Are women names different from men names when it comes to creating one? Or it just doesn't matter?

[@ayszhang]

Yes they are different

[@트리안-p6k]

We usually know who is the boy or girl when we heard someone's name but there're some names that we cant divide exactly

[@serene9532]

@@트리안-p6k thanks for the info :)

[@alessandrovialpando609]

Some names are male, some names are female and some names are unisex

[@ihateallrace.soimnotracist550]

방탄소년단 박지민은 저한테는 여자이름처럼 들립니다. BTS JIMIN is female name in korea. Haha

[@noasmr4273]

I have actually never thought about having a korean name, because my first name has two and my last name has just one syllable. And every time I introduced myself with my real name to a Korean, he or she seemed always fine with it and had no problems at all to pronounce it. So I’ll just stay with the name 널노엘, but very interesting video though! Fun fact: Noëll (my first name) means Christmas in French 😅

[@llenomu]

In turkish too

[@jingykim5]

Christmas =성탄

[@김밥복숭아]

Why am I here I’m Korean? Great video though!!!! 잘했어요👍

[@georginaturner3856]

My name is Georgina, so my Korean friend named me 조진아 :’)

[@GoBillyKorean]

Awesome~!

[@ihateallrace.soimnotracist550]

Wow. Your friend gave you a cool name!

[@shaneklz]

Mine is 황크리스티나 Hwang sounds really cute with Christina so I tried doing it. Nickname is 린린

[@ROKN267]

황리나 would be nice. Or 권리나

[@VincentJamesSL]

3:41 hey hey hey c’mon man what’s so fancy about the name Vincent? 🤨

[@agustmint5437]

Kpop fans are coming in. Skksksks

[@serene9532]

Can't tell if you said that in a negative/deprecative manner?

[@kpoptrash2674]

Only came here because I'm learning Korean and don't know if I need another name because I see koreans with English names that are completely different to their Korean names.

[@chaveekarodgers4077]

@ice cream yoongi is in her pfp and her user is Sugas Swag so I’m guessing it’s in a positive way lol

[@lywc8882]

Skkskskskkk

[@caseyhamilton5007]

lol fax

[@ToonMageChannel]

I picked 남동준 as my (not official) Korean name because I wanted to have the meaning of "a talented person from the southeast". Hahaha.

[@flor_the_dinosaur1748]

Not offical?

[@ToonMageChannel]

@@flor_the_dinosaur1748 yup, it's not official because i didn't register that to be a korean name. And I haven't lived in korea to actually use that. Haha.

[@kateblais--9396]

I looked up korean name meanings on a website and I picked 현주. I don't remember what the chinese characters qere but I have a screenshot of it somewhere. Based on the characters it sadi it meant "virtuous, worthy, and able"

[@sjeoendiowksbsjsel]

Maybe 李玄珠 The meaning of 玄珠 is black jewelry.

[@sjeoendiowksbsjsel]

Virtuous...worthy? Maybe 賢珠

[@elvyelios8051]

Why you pick "Lee" as your Korean family name? Why not Kim? Park? Haha.. im confused about which what Korean family name i'll choose

[@kateblais--9396]

@@elvyelios8051 It just seemed to flow nicely, no particular reason.

[@elijahproto]

My first name is Elijah, my nickname is Eli, and my mom and dad call me "E". I'm as short as short can get. Actually i'm 6'0, so, nevermind.

[@zerddrez235]

Why is this video so perfect. Now I really want to have a GOOD korean name

[@YiPeaches]

If I were ever asked for my Korean name, I'd probably go with 하늘. It sounds similar to my first name (Hannah) but has a similar meaning to my middle name (Celeste).

[@KoreaWithKids]

I met a family that had two girls named 하나 and 한나. Blew my mind, but they had no trouble differentiating.

[@ihateallrace.soimnotracist550]

하늘 means sky in korea. Your name is cool!

[@makeda6530]

I've done one of those fill in ones, 'if you were born in this month/day/year etc.' And got 한 은민 as a korean name. When I was on HelloTalk for a bit, a year or so ago, I just had my name phonetically spelled with 한글, 마키다. I was asked how I got my Korean name once though. I guess they were curious because my given name is 3 syllables already.

[@samscatsandcrochet]

I picked out 하성아 based on my Chinese name.

[@cecec00]

i chose 채빈 because 채 with the right hanja (also it starts with c when romanized lol) can mean color and 빈 can means bright which is what claire means.

[@sakurasea1074]

Why is the Korean name (i) pronounced in the west as "Lee"?

[@amullergm]

さくらSakura Sea I don’t really know but probably because (i) in english could be confused with I as in: I am X.

[@jimmiscarrey7175]

I dont know the real cause, But "I" on its own would be pronounced as "eye" (아이). And i think Lee is more suitable for the english language than Ee. And also, in chinese the last name "lee" is "Lǐ ". So the pronounciation of Lǐ in english is Lee

[@elsannn3877]

Korean really doesn’t have a R or a L pronounced like the way English is spoken. That’s why when Koreans speak English the R and the L is struggled at.

[@KoreaWithKids]

I saw someone who spelled it as Ee. Made me happy. ^^

[@cheryltheblackarmymom9465]

I saw in another video, I can remember who it was, but the reason on Lee, Park ect... is because when koreans met the British their English accent made it sound more like Lee and Park when they tried to replicate the sounds of korean names.

[@hanagara1907]

My nickname is Hana and has been for YEARS but I worry in Korea telling people to call me 하나 bc I'm like "does that sound too proud like I'm trying to say I'm number 1 or something"

[@myfcknmelody]

My korean name is Kim Soo-Ri, my german name is Anne-Kathrin but its too hard to pronounce

[@sjeoendiowksbsjsel]

I'll make your name have Chinese characters. How about 金首利? The meaning is benefit of head hahaha sounds good~~

[@phanchanminea8593]

I really love all the ways that you teach my beloved teacher.

[@nadhurahman8247]

Team Kim SeokJin💜💜💜does anyone remember this one🤭

[@goldpawluciano3786]

Thanks for sharing the video! I'm half Korean and felt happy when I was able to make a Korean name! :) Also, aren't there any Korean traditions for making names? My mom said her and her brothers had a certain structure to their name based on their prior generation family members? Maybe I misunderstood? I combined my uncle and cousin's names to make my own name.

[@KoreaWithKids]

There's often a syllable for that generation, where all the kids in the family will have one syllable in common. I think there was a four-generation rotation or something, that would be kept in the family records. It might have been used for only the boys in the old days, but I could be wrong about that. There are people who still use this but not everyone.

[@diouranke]

I have your books n they make Korean pretty fun.

[@mecurry187]

I’m thinking of choosing my name to be 성규리 last name meaning Succeed and name meaning strides towards success

[@alondranino423]

I’ve been trying to figure out how I’d just find a good way to romanize my first name but my middle name is Violet so 보라 is so much easier for me :)

[@sue4341]

Koreans don't have middle names. So don't worry about it. Some have a middle name if they are of the Catholic religion.

[@keziae6497]

Hey Billy! My real name is kinda difficult to spell and pronounce even in my own country so when I started having East Asian friends I figured I can use an easier name. I have a Chinese name thanks to my mixed bloodline and when I started getting interested in Korean I tried to translate it to a Korean name. The hanja is 蘇桂英 (Su Guiying). The meaning and pronounciation fits my real name and I'm satisfied to know that it's still the case when I change it to the Japanese reading (I am also more familiar with Japanese so I know it sounds like a proper name). If read with Korean readings it becomes 소계영. However after watching your video it hit me that it's possible Koreans don't use this name, or it could sound like something else like the cases you mentioned. Unfortunately I hardly understand Korean at all and spotting that kind of flaw is still beyond my capability. I tried searching google with the korean readings and I only ended up finding sites with full hangul, which I can read but not understand. I also tried to put it on instagram but the names that popped out are with different order (계소영) which I know changed the name completely. So can I ask you (and anybody reading this who knows) if this name can be a proper Korean name? Or should I just go with the Chinese reading?

[@silverdandylmao]

I'm making my alias Lee Gayeun, since my real name is pronounced as gee-yan and my surname is De Leon, hence, "Lee". This was a very entertaining activity~

[@hadeel.92]

This is very interesting , i like the idea of having a korean name , i will check the link and try to make one .. thank you billy you are amazing

[@annenelson5784]

I’m lucky that my English name (first + last) is exactly 3 syllables and corresponds roughly with Korean sounds. So it was really easy for my friend to come up with my Korean name - 송하늘! I’m *fairly* sure it sounds normal enough... ㅋㅋ

[@Kojichama]

My name is already 3 syllables in english so it's pretty easy to switch over since all 3 have near the same pronunciation in korean, just have to mess around with the order of them to make it sound right.

[@ootwpublishingmedia7894]

I got lucky! My name was one of the examples: 수정 😆

[@ecstacie34]

my korean name is 박시애 (Park Si Ae), meaning someone who gives or grants (시) love (애)...

[@BengVideo]

Hahahhaha Im glad you didn’t fall for those Korean name hahahahaha Props to that guy who tried to name you 안경테 😂😂😂😂

[@kimhyoly6631]

I will need this is future because I'll live in Korea later,your videos are so helpful,thanks❤

[@k.baewon..8309]

I choose my Korean name using the first syllable of my first and second name in hangeul Valentine→ 배랜타인 Oana→완아 so it came out Baewon (actually it should be Baewan but it soumded weird so yeah) And Kim just sound cool so yeah,here I am: 김배원

[@alessandrovialpando609]

배원 also sounds like you learn something everyday because of 배워(Learn)

[@mayah2805]

so i’ve been doing my research on creating a korean name as i have a slightly hard to pronounce hebrew first name and i intend to move to korea once i’ve gotten better at the language and so the name i came up with is 추성현 or written out Choo Seong-Hyun

[@hocuspocus111]

is 련 a name per say? i for some reason came to 련 유리 as a name and it kinda stuck with me, and i don't know any koreans so i am in doubt, also cause yuri is also a russian name and i am trying to learn both

[@Ampetasia1]

if ur in north korea 련 유리 is fine. but in south ㄹ -> ㅇ so it change 연 유리

[@BrittanyNicole]

i tried giving myself a korean name by picking ones that I've heard and liked the sound of, but using the chinese characters is a really good way to do so...i don't need one, but maybe when i do ill use that method. right now i just focus on the korean pronunciation of my real name and how to write it with hangul. thanks for this though Billy!

[@jhn.hkmn0621]

I'm here bc my name just means "one" in korean and that would be awkward when introducing myself 😂

[@MiuXiu]

hannah hekman I have used 핸아 or 핸나 for a while, but I have a couple names starting with 희 that I’m looking to use so it’s not just my name and sounds more korean. Koreans will understand 핸아 as Hannah better than they would 하나 or 한나

[@ivanaldwincristobal7739]

I just decided to go with 김이반. Kinda on the redzone though, since 이반 is basically an english name, and not a lot of koreans use it.

[@LouisaKloe]

This was interesting 😁

[@agilarasir3746]

Thank you

[@간누리]

When I found out my first and last names, which are IslAmiC, were both korean names as well I was very relieved because I've heard lots of horror stories from people in korea with difficult names loll.

[@cobbaltmadinchi3103]

My name koreanized is 룩마눌 파르한 빈 무하르디, pretty long and I've been longing to simplify it. This video is very useful.

[@mylifeismiserableandsoami953]

Is giving yourself a korean name disrespectful to koreans though? It's kinda koreabooish to me??lmao

[@GoBillyKorean]

I talk about that question in this video.

[@lily-9141]

my korean friend helped me make my korean name. she let me choose between two names, and i chose 소영 (i'm pretty sure she said it means "pure, beautiful flower") and my surname in korean is 인, which she also helped me figure out by playing with my last name a bit.

[@nouraalmeqbaali8114]

I would like my Korean name to be Lee sooji even though I don't even know what does it mean 😂 (if only I lived in Korea) 😒😅😭

[@kinadabambino6872]

My Korean friend named me Tae ho, I like it a lot lol!

[@muna3196]

my real name Muna and i swear every Korea boo i met said "omg u have a korean name!" how tf does my name sound Korean? anyways my Korean name is Min Yuna

[@xiao9500]

This vid really helped me, I went for the name 김정연 (Kim Jeong-Yeon/Kim Jeongyeon) Jeong-Yeon means loyal, beautiful and graceful🥰 thank you!

[@cjt8469]

I'm not a big fan of this. Or English names for Koreans.

[@teerich2011]

I don't either. Would rather learn the person's birth name.

[@KillerPenny93]

This is the first time I googled “Song JooYoung” and I found both a CEO and an artist so I am impressed. I picked it out in high school.

[@sodu5698]

My korean nickname is 천형국 Since im part japanese my last name uses chinese characters 中川 and 川 is pronounced cheon Hyeongguk is done like 亨國 which means lucky country

[@Meyra_]

So interesting, really! Thanks Billy 👍✨

[@lovekwangsuu3872]

I settled with 박준호. The hanja meaning is Bright Sky. My Chinese name is Junhao so it's practically the same name but for different countries.

[@dimasta_chas]

So.. my name is Dima - 디마. It's kinda really easy to say and fits in 2 syllables, so I think I can use it as a Korean name, but I'm not sure if it sounds fine in korean

[@o0b4444d0o]

It sound fine. 김디마, 최디마, 민디마, 한디마 or some

[@dimasta_chas]

@@o0b4444d0o my last name starts with Cha... so i think that 최디마 is the best choice

[@jingykim5]

@@dimasta_chas 스타 [star] is korean speaking 성. 성디마

[@diouranke]

I like this name, I know a Russian person named Dima (Dmitry)

[@jcxkzhgco3050]

Kim Heung-Min? I’d take that name and say Son Heung-Min gave this name for me xD

[@sarahlamarre4621]

My Korean name is 상미 I think it means the one who sees beauty. Or something like that, a Korean teacher gave it to me. He’s a wonderful guy

[@sjeoendiowksbsjsel]

I choose hanja for your name. 1. 常美 the meaning is always beautiful 2. 尚美 respect the beauty 3. 想美 think of the beauty How about? Haha haha sounds good

[@praneeth5127]

My name means Calmness or Tranquil. So which one should I choose. Kim Pyoung-on(김평온)or Seo Jeong-on (서정온)

[@mizanrahman3517]

Is Park Yein nice for my Korean Name???????????

[@isla_usa708]

Always interested in names and how they’re made/chosen, but considering my actual name is Elsa I don’t think pronunciation would be too hard.

[@annmichelle2612]

My korean name is 전 채용 as it very similar to my native name. And because it is really similar to my japanese and chinese names. And also because my korean friend said that i will look good in it.

[@mimitchana9824]

My ( non official) Korean name is 강 소원 강: because it sounds likes my last name 소원: means hope. and since my name means faith, faith and hope is the same thing. So I decided this one.

[@alessandrovialpando609]

This sounds very natural.

[@xfemkeplx]

I made this name i think two years ago 서채연 (seo chae yeon ) but havnt found hanja characters for it haha

[@EastAzure_]

My Korean name is 해용. It is made with the Hanja 海容. 海(Hae) meaning sea and 容(Yong) meaning to tolerate/endure so together it means "To tolerate the transgression of others with a generous heart as big as the sea".

[@teerich2011]

Uhhhhh I didn't see all that in the hanja. Must have been hidden in the crevices!

[@k-dramaqueen9457]

My birth name is Khushi Desai which in Hindi/Gujarati (I will use Hindi for the explanation). It is broken down into खुशी (Khushi) which means Happiness and देसाई (Desai) which is a bit more complicated with it being an administrative title and surname derived from the Sanskrit words deśa 'land' and svamin 'lord. ' 'Desai' is a surname attributed to Hindus who were feudal lords and revenue collectors. People with the Desai surname are usually of the Anavil Brahmin or Vaishnav Vanik sub-caste or Veerashaivas in Karnatka. Desai, in short, means "the lord of the land" or some may even consider it "landlord" (lol). So now that you have a little background of my birth name, I will talk about the Korean name that I picked for me. I wanted it to have some sort of meaning relating to my original name meaning Happiness. Some names I originally picked out were 기쁨 (GIPPEUM), 인복 (IN-BOK), 지연 (JI-YEON), 지온 (JI-YUN), and 순복 (SUN-BOK) which all have some kind of meaning relating to happiness. After much time spent debating with my alter ego, I decided to pick the name 지연 (JI-YEON) because one, it called for me and it just gave this certain type of vibe that I like, and two, the meaning was something that was totally me. This name can be interpreted in many different ways. All the meanings are listed next. From Sino-Korean 智 "wisdom", 持 "sustain, support; hold, grasp" or 祉 "happiness, blessings, good luck" (ji), and 娟 "beautiful", 嬿 "lovely" or 衍 "overflowing" (yeon). I picked the meaning 祉 "happiness, blessings, good luck" (ji) and 衍 "overflowing" (yeon) interpreting as life brings me overflowing happiness and that in turn makes me be the one who brings happiness into other peoples lives. After the hard part was complete, it was time for the last name. देसाई (Desai) is the last name associated with people who hold an administrative title, especially in the military. I tried to find something similar to that in Korean. 박 (Park) is the last name that originated when King Hyeokgeose created it. He was said to have founded the Korean kingdom of Silla at the age of thirteen in 57 BC. Park was one of three houses of the Korean kingdom of Silla. Among the houses of Bak, Gim, and Seok, princes rotated on the throne of Silla. After the fall of Silla, it continued as a major noble house of Goryeo. During the Goryeo dynasty, many of the people who passed the highest-level state examination, which was implemented to recruit ranking officials during the Goryeo dynasty, were Parks. Soon after in the Joseon dynasty, most people in the military were from the Park lineage so I thought this best fit the meaning of Desai. The final result was 박지연 (PARK JI-YEON) and I absolutely love it! It totally encompassed my original name and it sounds so beautiful. This name sounded oddly familiar to me so I searched up the name (also Billy suggested we search up the name anyway) and turns out Park Ji-Yeon, referred to as Jiyeon, is a South Korean singer and actress. She debuted as a member of girl group T-ara in July 2009. Now isn't that fascinating! This name that I eventually picked was a long/time consuming yet beautiful/meaningful experience that I will never forget. To whoever made it till the end of this paragraph, thank you for reading all of this, I'm sure it was a hassle and I hope your Korean name turns out to be as amazing as mine. Thank you, Billy!

[@nabi_]

Hi Billy! I chose 박기쁨 Park Gippeum, it means joy, am I right? Is it OK? Sounds "natural" or not? 🥺🙏🏻

[@NikRoCraftDerOstpreuße]

I name me 水 니크. The first is my element Water and Nik is my german nickname. That's why I choose "Ni Keu"

[@supechube_k]

i decided to make korean names for some of the ppl ik for fun, so say hello to 김민규! my sister is 김민영 and my friend marcus is 강민혁

[@sinanonline2077]

I am a lucky person that's firstname has two syllables in roman alphabets, it's Sinan, so Si-nan basically (read as "see-nun", "see" like seeing and "nun" like the religious woman). It's original meaning is "spearhead". I've looked up to find what the syllables 시 and 난 mean. 시 means "poetry" or "poem" and 난 means "orchid". Kinda weird combination. 😂 I'm not too much into grammar yet, just finished learning 한글 basics. But 난 can also be a short form of 나는, so basically "I" or "I am" if I'm not mistaken. Spearhead would be 창끝, I think 창 would be fine as first syllable, but 끝 doesn't seem like a syllable one would use in a name. Does 시난 make any sense or does it sound weird somehow? Would love to use my given firstname also as my korean name (although the 시 is read as "she" and my "Si" normally is read as "see", but oh well, I can live with that) but I'm unsure with the meaning. Can anyone with deeper korean knowledge say a few words about it? Would be extremely appreciated! 😊 And Billy, I love your videos! I ordered all three episodes of your books yesterday, they'll be in Germany on wednesday. I'm diving really deep into the korean culture and language and your videos helped a lot until now! Thank you for all the work you put into them.

[@TheRainbowDragoness]

My Korean friends just use my normal name but the way they pronounce it is cool.

[@ehdksfl]

My Korean name is 안리즈 (Ahn Liz). I just went with my nickname because I really had nothing in mind. Though, It's kind of weird to pronounce in English, but meh.. I like it anyways. I chose Ahn as my last name because it's derived from the Chinese character 'An' which means 'Piece' and well... I'm a very peaceful person, so I guess it suits me well. Edit: After thinking for awhile, I came up to the name Ahn Doah! I very much like it. It's a combination of the first syllables of my first and last name. And if you put it back wards (Last, First) it becomes Doah!

[@sarawidlinska9925]

I think that 김사라 sounds good. (Sara is my actual name and I think that 김 sounds good with it)

[@JamiMontgomery]

I chose 중재미 as my Korean name when I first started learning Korean. 중from one of my favorite singers and 재미 because it's actually my name. Jami.

[@modugasarang4988]

재미i means fun in korean

[@OH_jiwon]

I'm sorry but I think you misspelled the common surname 정. 중 doesn't exist as a surname in Korea.

[@sue4341]

Yes Billy I was working on my Korean name all day yesterday. The first name I have no problem with except that I read it was an unisex name. Can you tell me if the name 수진 is a unisex name? My last name meaning is Crane like the bird... Not sure if I would want to go with this... Because I read that certain images are connected to shamanistic practices...and the crane is one of them... Still working on the last name... 트랜냇. This is very close to my real last name... But it really doesn't have any meaning. ㅋㅋㅋ. 😆. PS I just looked up the name sujin and it is a unisex name... Think I'll go with 수아... Or 수 + something else. Still working on it.

[@alejandrabadillodominguez7781]

My Korean name is 배아름 :) my Korean friend help me to choose it and I love it! ^^

[@ROK_Leo]

한국에 대해 한국인인 저보다 더 잘 아시는거 같아요. He knows Korea more than the Koreans.

[@melodythai8927]

so actually im studying korean and i recognized that my last name thai is actually pronounced as chai ( but in english it's supposed to be thai ( the h is silent ) but in chinese it's pronounced as chai ), which sounds a lot like the surname 최, so I thought about picking 최 as my korean surname. but there is actually something I wanted to try out- i do have a Chinese name, chai jin yuan, I think it's supposed to mean along the lines of beauty, so imma try to see what the equivalent of my chinese name is in korean

[@ainsleyvlogs3003]

Actually I do have a Korean name my friend gave it to me my Korean name is 전 설희

[@palomac4408]

My name can be pronounced easily so I don't think I need one, but if a day I go to Korea and people can't understand my name, it has a meaning in Spanish (Paloma, it means dove -wait, this is it's a shampoos brand, i'm shocked 😭) so I can just found the translation in Korean and magic a brand new name

[@thalia.tenebris]

Is 한수라 a good one? I looked this name up and saw some really pretty girls online, and one of them had a very androgynous style like mine!

[@chloe8387]

i found the closest korean name to my english name by rearranging 클로이 enough until i ended up getting something close to 록희, so i decided i'd use that name since it's unique and i'd seen it in a web-drama before... the hanja i chose for it is 사슴 록 and 빛날 희 ! i love it hehe

[@kymmie4lyfe]

The Korean name I chose, but don't really use, is 명수민. My Korean friend calls me 수민 but for the most part I don't use the name :D

[@rodrigolualde1861]

I choose 성혁 or seong hyuk. With the hanja meaning of shining and star. It just sounded nice and i really liked it. But i have another one that i liked and has the same meaning as my real name (rodrigo means glorious and powerfull) so i found a name with that meaning kang byun-ho 강병호