How Korean Names Work: Family Names, Given Names and Polite Address
How Korean Names Work: Family Names, Given Names and Polite Address Learn Korean name order, romanization, common family names and respectful ways to address someone without making awkward assumptions. Korean names are written in Hangul syllable blocks before they are represented in the Latin alphabet. Photo: Korea.net / Korean Culture and Information Service , CC BY-SA 2.0 . Korean names are often written family name first, followed by a given name. Kim Minji is therefore likely to have the family name Kim and the given name Minji. But international formatting, personal preference and passport spelling can change the order you see. The most respectful solution is simple: notice how the person writes their own name and ask what they prefer to be called. The short answer In Korean order, the family name usually comes first. Do not split or respell a person's given name without permission, and use a title or the person's stated preference i...