재미있는 한국어jaemiinneun hangugeo
Fun Korean
Hangul, life in Korea, travel, history and short lessons.
How it works
Tom Cruise → 톰 크루즈
Korean writes a foreign name by its sound, one block per syllable. Each block is a first consonant + a vowel, sometimes with a final consonant at the bottom.
Tom톰
- ㅌ+ㅗ+ㅁ = 톰[tom]
Cruise크루즈
- ㅋ+ㅡ = 크[keu]
- ㄹ+ㅜ = 루[ru]
- ㅈ+ㅡ = 즈[jeu]
- Tom is one syllable, and it fits one block: ㅌ t + ㅗ o + ㅁ m = 톰.
- Cruise is one syllable in English, but it starts with two consonants (c-r) and ends in a z sound. A Korean block can only start with one consonant, and a final z is not possible, so Korean gives each extra consonant its own block with the quiet vowel ㅡ (eu): 크 + 루 + 즈 = 크루즈. One English syllable becomes three Korean blocks.
Red first consonant · Blue vowel · Black final consonant (batchim)
Step 1
Type your name
Your Hangul spelling appears here as you type. Try or .
Step 2
Build it block by block
Pick a block, then choose its letters. Every block needs a first consonant and a vowel; the final consonant is optional.
Type your name above or start from scratch, then pick letters below.
Double consonants (tense)
Starts with a vowel sound (like Emily)? Pick the silent ㅇ: it only holds the place.
Step 3
Your name in Hangul
Your name appears here as you build it.
A 1080 × 1350 PNG, made in your browser. Nothing is uploaded.
Writing your name in Korean
- How does my name become Hangul?
- Korean writes a foreign name by its sound, not its spelling. Each syllable becomes one block: a first consonant and a vowel, sometimes with a final consonant at the bottom. Common names have standard spellings (from the National Institute of Korean Language loanword rules), for example Michael 마이클, Emily 에밀리 and Tom Cruise 톰 크루즈.
- Why does Korean add ㅡ to some names?
- A Korean block can start with only one consonant, and only a few consonants can end a block. Extra consonants get their own block with the quiet vowel ㅡ (eu): Cruise becomes 크루즈 (keu-ru-jeu) and Smith becomes 스미스 (seu-mi-seu).
- Is there only one correct spelling?
- Not always. The builder suggests the standard spelling first and shows other common ones (Sarah can be 세라 or 사라). It is a suggestion: you can change any letter until it sounds like you.
- Is it free?
- Yes. It is free and needs no sign-up. Everything runs in your browser, nothing is uploaded, and you can save your name as an image.