Korean names and there pronunciation

Posted: Sun Apr 16, 2006 11:50 pm Post subject: Post Rating: 0

I don't abide by any romanizatoin system stricly, but I do prefer to spell all "uh" sounds with the "eo". Thus --> Jeon Ji Hyeon instead of Jun Ji Hyun. Sometimes I break that rule for names like "Sun Young" -- which otherwise would be spelled "Seon Yeong."

I wonder how people here pronounce a name like "Choi Ji Woo"? It's pronounced "Chweh Jee Oo" Though the w in the "Chweh" isn't supposed to be noticable while the "Oo" has a small "w" sound -- so it's correct as "Cheh Jee Woo" too.

It's funny though when Korean Americans with the last name "Choi" pronounce their own names as "Choy" (rhymes with toy). It's funny because it's wrong and yet they're Korean...

Posted: Fri May 05, 2006 12:00 pm Post subject: Post Rating: 0

Well Japanese is more straight-forward and has a lot of the same sounds as English besides the whole "r" and "l" and "d" sounds that kind of confuse people sometimes. But Korean has some really unique sounds and spellings so it's harder for me. I don't speak either fluently, but I find it easier to remember Japanese names and pick up Japanese easier then I can with Korean. And also because Koreans have a lot of the same syllables in their names like "Jung" and "Hoon" etc...

Posted: Tue May 09, 2006 9:38 am Post subject: Post Rating: 0

There is a new official Romanization scheme

Romanization of Korean names here

http://www.metro.daejeon.kr/english/lifeindaejeon/usefulinfo/romanizationofkorea.jsp

If you can read Korean

http://www.korean.go.kr/000_new/80_s03_c4.htm

another one here

http://www.korea.net/korea/kor_loca.asp?code=A020303

Posted: Tue May 09, 2006 10:12 am Post subject: Post Rating: 0

Posted: Tue May 09, 2006 10:33 am Post subject: Post Rating: 0

Korean is ALOT harder than Japanese!!
I don't like the Korean language, talk about C.O.M.P.L.I.C.A.T.E.D !!
and Japanese is much easier and more fun ^_^
another thing is remmebering Korean names is harder, I so don't like thier names $_$

Posted: Tue May 09, 2006 11:19 am Post subject: Post Rating: 0

So there isn't any fixed romanization even if they try to make a standard?
I found it a bit interesting since I watched some dramas where they translated the background songs (like in goong) to "romanizationed" Korean (how do I inflect/conjugate the word romanization?). So I could hear the actual pronunciation and at the same time trying to read the romanzation. I read it trying to use the "English alphabet" and the "Swedish" and thought that the Swedish pronunciation sounded actually more accurate. For example The Swedish "u" and "i" sounded more correct and we also use a rolling "r"...but maybe that's because English isn't my native tongue and there is no Korean standard... Smile

listen to the Swedish alphabet
http://web.hhs.se/isa/swedish/chap9.htm#pronunciation

Posted: Tue May 09, 2006 12:22 pm Post subject: Post Rating: 0

The government mandated New Romanization is standard.

The three links that I gave follow the same rules.

I agree that Korean pronunciation is much harder than Japanese. Sometimes, even the natives have a hard time differentiating between the sounds (e.g. 레 and 래)

Posted: Tue May 09, 2006 12:31 pm Post subject: Post Rating: 0

The problem with the New Romanization would be with the established business names

like

현대 -> romanized as Hyundai
real Korean pronunciation is Hyun (as in Jeon Ji-Hyun) Dae (as in Daehanminguk)
if the new Romanization is followed
현대 == Hyeondae