Named in Seoul
How Korean names work
Family name first, a two-syllable given name, and a generational syllable shared across cousins — how Korean names are structured, and why a name can reveal your age.
7 min readGuide
Korean names, explained properly
Go beyond spelling and learn how Korean names are structured, where their meanings come from, and what makes a name feel natural in Korea.
Create my Korean nameStart with the question you need answered
Want to write your existing name? Compare transliteration with a Korean given name, then see Bella: 벨라 versus 보라 or Joel: 조엘 versus 종우 for concrete examples.
Want to understand a candidate's meaning? Read how hanja anchor a name's meaning, then compare the characters for Vincent's candidates. Browse all existing name guides →
Want to read your birth chart? Start with what Saju is, then how the five elements are balanced, and calculate your own on the free calculator.
Why Korean names have Chinese characters
Korean names are spoken in hangul but their meaning lives in hanja — Chinese characters chosen by parents. How the two-layer system works, and why one sound can carry many meanings.
6 min read
Transliteration vs. a real Korean name
에밀리 is Emily in Korean letters — but it isn't a Korean name. The difference between transliterating your name and composing a real one, and when each is the right choice.
6 min read
What is Saju, and how do you read a Korean birth chart?
What Saju is and how to read a Korean birth chart, step by step on one real chart: four pillars, Day Master, element count and what the chart calls for.
8 min read
The five elements in a Saju chart, and why the count and the reading differ
What wood, fire, earth, metal and water mean in a Saju chart, why the simple count and weighted reading differ, and why a missing element is a direction.
7 min read