Sunday, August 8, 2010

Your Two Cents: A Korean Name For Yourself???



Hi all~
How was your weekend? For me I went to the east coast of Korea (Donghae) for a couple days. It was SO great to get away from the city and just...do nothing. At first, my friend and I kind of experienced culture shock because the population was so low compared to Seoul. It was really funny because on one of our cab rides to the get some good seafood dinner in an area called "Sashimi Town", the cab driver was telling us there were a lot of people out because it was busy travel time and also because it was a saturday evening. My friend and I looked at each other both thinking the same thing: "THIS is a lot of people?!?!?!?!" But I have to say I loved it! No traffic, no cranky people bumping into you, no having to wait for anything. The people were so incredibly friendly. Every single person we met went out of their way to help us find whatever it was we were looking for. Checked out a few beach as well. Mangsang beach and Chuam beach. Here are a few pictures from my trip!









With that said though, let's get on to our Y2C question of the week!

I remember an email that a listener had sent me months ago regarding the meaning of Korean names. He had a list of some names that he liked and had asked me what they meant. I'm sorry to say that names are hard for me because they require an extensive knowledge of the Chinese characters representing the sounds in the names. I don't know many Chinese characters so I couldn't be of much help for that listener. However, it inspired this week's question.

Do you have a Korean name for yourself? Or if you could pick one which would you pick? What's the reasoning behind it? Do you just love the way it sounds? Was it taken from your favorite Korean drama/movie character? Do you happen to know the meaning and like it?

Answer away and tune into next week's KPI to see if your answers are read! ^^

23 comments:

  1. Hi Angie!
    I'm leaving for camp in an hour so I'll make this fast~
    The beach looks so amazing! I haven't been to a beach in years, even though I live in California. D: *mouth drools from your pictures of food* I'll be sure to visit if I ever go to Korea. ^^

    On to the Y2C~
    I am Taiwanese-American, so I have a Chinese name: 薛婷薇, meaning "graceful/flower." In Korean, it's pronounced 설팅왜, so I would probably choose that as my Korean name, though I don't know what it means in Korean. Or, I would take my English name and just Korean-ize it, so it would be 미셸 or 미시엘.

    Have a great week, Angie ^^
    - Michelle

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  2. Hi.. Angie~
    the pics are soooo pretty i loooooove the nature.. n i like to collect korea's pics scenes so thanx Angie for it ◕‿◕"

    T_T" i didn't won on CD drawing.. but i'll try to win this month's drawing ^_^ we should not give up.. 후다 화이팅~ 。◕‿◕。

    About the korean names... there r lots of names that i like but the name which suits me is ((헤 란)) becuase the first letter is like my real names first letter ((후다)) n the other reason that i like it coz of the meaning it means "grace" and "orchid" n i really like flowers n nature..

    i really wish if i can change my real name coz i really dont like it..

    ♥후다 from 카타르♥

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  3. I really like the name eunyoung. Unfortunately I don't know what it means but, I like the way it sounds and it's the main girl leads name in the drama spring waltz.

    --Stacey from hawaii

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  4. hi angie ~
    wow i hope you enjoyed your trip and had time to relax and wind down :)
    the food looks yum!!!! and the beaches wow! i haven't been to a beach in a while, there's not much beaches here in Melbourne, unlike Sydney where I used to live XD

    thank you for sharing your trip with us :)

    for a name hmm the first time i used some korean name generator thingy it gave me yeorin, it was for a character in kathryn's story but ever since then i thought it was a cool name ~ meaning behind it? hehe no idea! but i love the sound of it ^^

    Kim Valerio
    Australia

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  5. I was actually reading a fanfiction where the name Iseul came up, and i've actually loved it ever since. it's not really a name i would use for myself (it just doesn't fit me), but it's still a very pretty name, and one that i would consider naming one of my children in the future. its so pretty!

    If there were a name that meant "faerie" or something i would totally pick it up and run with it though :D unfortunately i don't know the word Faerie or Fae in any language other than english :(

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  6. Hi Angie!
    Nice photo! Sound fun and relaxing. Beautiful beach and yummie food.
    I went to search for my Korean Name with my Chinese name and I got Park Sung Hyo but when I search based on my birthday it's Jung Hye Yoo. I like both name though am not sure the meaning of it.

    Michie
    Malaysia

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  7. Hi Angie,

    Wow it looks like you had a great time. We just got back from the lake as well. We didn't have internet for a whole week last week. This is the last week of Sophie's sister and niece's visit. So soon I'll get to listen to KPConnection, but school is also starting soon. T.T
    As for my Korean name, I got it from Sophie when we were dating in Korea. It's..wait for it... 폴폴폴. ^^
    However, if we ever have a kid I'd choose the name 박효신 if it was a boy and 이지영 if it's a girl. ^^

    God Bless,

    Paul T.

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  8. Hi Angie noona,

    Those photos you took were superb!!! Makes me wanna go to Korea immediately.

    For me, if I were to take my Chinese name in pure sense --- 赫一 and translate via Hanja... I guess it'd be Hyuk-il. It basically represents my parents' wish for me to be recognized and succeed in whatever I do.

    But frankly speaking, I think it's kinda cheesy so I'm going to go with "Hyun-hyuk". The "Hyun" comes from the Hanja representing "respectful" and "humble" whereas I'm sticking with the "Hyuk" that comes from my name.

    Sounds kinda confusing, huh?

    Hope you enjoyed your trip lots and lots ;D

    Aloysius, Singapore

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  9. Oh.. I'm so surprised you use my Question for Y2C this week...^_^
    Well now I chose 장 세 진 as my Korean name.. Unfortunately... I still don't know the meaning of this name..
    I chose 장 as my family because I love 장 동 건 very much

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  10. The name that's stuck in my head for quite some time is 이수진. I like the transition of the syllables and it's easy to pronounce, but I've no idea what it means :)

    - Esra

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  11. Hey Angie!

    Glad you got to go on a mini vacay – did it help with your insomnia? Hope so. Thanks for sharing pics with us! They look amazing and the food looks delicious! ^___^ Now on to this great Y2C question.

    I do have a Korean name; it’s Kim Myung Ja (김명자). It only made sense to take “Kim” as my surname (lol) and I was named by my Korean coffee shop family. When I first got into the Korean culture the owner of the shop and his wife were the first people I told and they were so happy which of course encouraged me to continue my obsession. One day the husband decides it’s time for me to have a Korean name (my mini dream at the time) and after some thought he goes “Myung Ja!” I’m not good at hiding my emotions so my face must’ve said “WHAAAT?! That isn’t a pretty name like Hee-Jin, Mi-young, or Tae-yeon!!” So he explained why he chose the name: “Myung” for bright and clear like the moon and “Ja” for ‘yoja’ meaning girl/woman. So all together the name means the girl who lights up the world like the moon. Of course after he said that I fell in love with the name LOL So I’ve adopted the moniker and even had it printed on my “business cards” when I went to Korea. I really love my name :-D

    -Kim^^

    Kim Shaw
    Virginia USA

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  12. Hi Angie

    The pictures are so nice, thanks for sharing!

    If I had to choose a Korean name it would be
    "Ga Eul" It means autumn if I'm not mistaken. Autumn is like my season because I'm born in September. I'm inspired by a Korean drama I've seen. I think the pronunciation is a little difficult. I don't think it's a common name in Korea, they only use it in dramas right?

    -Wing
    the Netherlands

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  13. Greetings!

    Your summer hols photos are making me green. Surprised to hear that there weren't many people on the beaches.

    Not really into seafood but the first shot of the seafood meal looks like a banquet!

    What does Michie mean by searching for a Korean name based on her birthday?

    Selene,
    Malaysia

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  14. Hi~
    Whoa, the foods and the beach..They are all nice. My korean name is 박시은. I chose 박 for surname because I liked 박용하 very much after watching 겨울연가(Winter Sonata) back in 2002. I was so shocked to hear about his death. By the way, I found the name from a TV program and one of the hosts daughter named 시은 and decided to use it because its sound kinda similar to my real name that is Shiqin(pronounced as 'she keen'). Plus, it has a good meaning which is doing a good deed or likes to help people. I hope I'm so. ^^

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  15. I have a Korean name since my paternal ancestors are, but I don't use it as often.

    Mines 심채은 which was suggested by one of my aunts and my parents used it. It sounds pretty common to me, and easy to call out in my house hold. Hence everyone calls me to do the house work HAHA! It's the first name that pops up in everyone mind!

    By the way, I'm loving the pictures you took during your mini vacation :) makes me wanna go too! I'm glad you're able to take a break to enjoy the scenery and have a great time.

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  16. Hi Angie unnie,in Vietnamese,my name means heroine (female hero).If you split each word Anh - Thu,it means intelligent book.I did try to generate a Korean name through a site and got SEONG AH but i think it's be better to get a Korean name whose meaning is just like my Vietnamese name^^

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  17. i have two korean names that i didn't know which one to choose^^; the first one is Kim Di Ra(김디라) and the other one is Kim Jeong Eui(김정의).when i was still a beginner in hangul, i used to spell my name as 디라 instead of 딜라. i didn't know that the pronunciation was different.
    then i found out 정의 had the same meaning as my real name.
    i chose Kim as my surname coz it sounds good to both names:D keke~~

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  18. Hi Angie,
    Well my name translated into Korean is 맥스. But I have always wanted to have a true Korean name. I would ask my friends but they told me they wouldn't even know where to start by giving me a name. I may have to talk to one of their parents or find someone that studies the korean language to help me.
    It looks like you enjoyed your mini vacation. Donghae is one of the places I plan to visit next year when I go to Korea. It looks like a wonderful place. Can't wait to visit.

    Max

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  19. 안녕하세요?

    저는 한국어 이람은 안대웅 입니다. I am still learning 한글 but was given a name from my friends. 안 is taken from my sister's middle name Ann. She is learning Korean also. 대웅 is taken from 대웅좌 the Korean name of the constellation Ursa Major or big bear. It is a inside joke that I am a big bear, since when I was little I was called a silly old Pooh Bear and now am 192cm tall. Love the show, and have been a loyal listener for a while. Hopefully I will win some cd's in the near future. Keep up the good work and we'll continue listing to you with enjoyment every week.

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  20. Hi

    Good for you for having the opportunity taking that time off OUT of a busy life and city. Yes, people from small cities tend to be friendlier, more generous and kinder.

    I've always wondered if it's common among Koreans living abroad to name their children a Korean name beside a western name. Talk about it.

    I read somewhere Hong Gil-Dong is Korean equivalent for John Smith, is it true?

    Once a Korean friend gave me two Korean names (Given name) 기루 & 윤호.

    One was 기루 which its syllables had the same meanings as my real name and the other one 윤호. This one has syllables that sounded like syllables in my real name.

    I gave that friend a name too.

    Angie, What's your Korean name?

    Thanks
    Hmyn aka Hymn

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  21. go0d day dj angie!
    hehe..
    hmm..
    y0ur weekend was very wonderful. it seems you enjoyed it very much. your summer was so nice

    anyway.. hmm.. when started to love kpop, i searched a korean name generator. Then, my korean name was Park Ae Young (파크 애 요웅) . hehe. So i started to used it anywhere. i really love that name. So cute. It sounds good.hehe
    I wish i will already have a real korean name.

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  22. Well, I had a lot of Korean names but it would always turn out to be a guy name... A good example : YoungMin... Yeah XD Anyway, now with lot of thought and hard work finding something, I now have an awesome Korean name : JiMin. A funny story is when I write stories,... My full Korean name is Kim JiMin. I work at an amusment park and it's full of Asians. I love asians and I'm always happy to welcome them. Well, one day, I was running the carousel when a Korean family, 2 little girls, a mom and a dad came but one of the daughters and the mom didn't go on while the other daughter and her dad went in. Handing me their season pass, they went in and I started the ride. Curious, I look at their season pass and I couldn't believe. The young girl's name was Kim JiMin.
    I thought it was weird that my little town would have someone with my dream name...
    Wow, that was a paragraph XD hope my story was entertaining. Keep up the hard work! <3 christelle
    (Kim JiMin)

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