Hangul Romanization Tool
Need to write a Korean name in English? Whether it's your favorite K-pop idol, a Korean friend, or your own name for official documents, this tool gives you both versions: the common spelling people actually use, and the official Revised Romanization for visas and government forms.
How It Works
Korean names can be written in English two ways, and both are "correct" depending on the situation:
Common Spelling (what people actually use)
This is how K-pop idols, athletes, and most Koreans write their names in English. It often differs from the official rules — for example, 김 is written as "Kim" instead of the official "Gim", and 박 as "Park" instead of "Bak". Use this for social media, fan content, and casual contexts.
Official Revised Romanization (RR)
This is the South Korean government's official system. Required for passport applications, visa documents, and academic citations. The rules are strict and consistent, which is why "Kim" becomes "Gim" — that's what the system technically says.
Quick tip: when in doubt, use the Common Spelling. It's what your Korean friends and idols actually use.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why is 김 spelled "Kim" instead of "Gim"?
Both are technically correct — they just come from different systems. The official Revised Romanization (RR) says 김 should be "Gim" because ㄱ maps to G at the start of a word. But "Kim" became the standard spelling long before RR existed in 2000, so most Koreans, including K-pop idols and athletes, still write it as "Kim." Our tool shows both so you can pick what fits your situation.
Which version should I use for my passport?
Use the official Revised Romanization (the second result our tool shows). Korean passport applications follow the official system strictly. That said, once you have a passport with a specific spelling, it's very hard to change later — so if your family already has a spelling tradition (like "Lee" or "Park"), check whether you can request that variant from the passport office.
How do K-pop idols get their English names?
Usually their agency picks a spelling that sounds close to the Korean pronunciation and looks good in English. Sometimes idols pick their own, or use a family spelling that's been around for generations. That's why you see "Jungkook" (BTS) instead of the official "Jeongguk", or "Tae-hyung" instead of "Taehyeong." Our Common Spelling output usually matches the kind of romanization agencies use.
Why are there so many different ways to spell my Korean name?
Korean has sounds that don't exist in English, so different systems handle them differently. 정 can be Jung, Jeong, or Chung. 이 can be Lee, Yi, or Rhee. None is more "correct" than the others — they just represent different choices about how to map Korean sounds to English letters. Family tradition usually decides which one a person uses.
Can I use this for non-name Korean text?
Yes. The tool works on any Hangul input. Common Korean words like 음식 names (bibimbap, tteokbokki, kimchi) come out in their standard internationally-recognized form. For phrases and sentences, the tool applies Revised Romanization consistently.
What's the difference between Revised Romanization and McCune-Reischauer?
Revised Romanization (RR) is the current official system, adopted by South Korea in 2000. McCune-Reischauer is an older system, created in 1937, still used in some academic publications and by North Korea. RR removed the diacritics (like ǒ and ŭ) that made McCune-Reischauer harder to type. Our tool uses RR — it's what you'll see on Korean road signs, government documents, and most modern publications.
How accurate is this tool?
For Common Spelling, we use the most widely-recognized version for each syllable — but variations exist. Your friend's name might use a different spelling than what we show. For Official RR, the output follows the government's rules precisely. When the result really matters (passport, visa, legal documents), double-check with your local Korean embassy or the document's official guidelines.
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