Korean Name Romanizer
Turn a Korean name in Hangul into English letters with the official romanization used on Korean passports, plus common surname spellings like Kim, Lee and Park.
Put a space between surname and given name to split it yourself. Otherwise the first syllable is taken as the surname (two-syllable surnames like 남궁 are detected).
How Korean names are romanized
Korean passports spell names with the Revised Romanization of Korean, the official system published by the Ministry of Culture. Each syllable is transliterated on its own, the given name is written as one word, and a hyphen between syllables is allowed. Sound changes inside names are ignored, so 한복남 is HAN BOKNAM rather than a spelling of how it sounds. This tool applies those rules and also shows the customary surname spellings, such as Kim, Lee and Park, that most Koreans actually use, and defaults to them for very common surnames.
How to use it
Type the name in Hangul. You get the passport form in capitals, an everyday form and a given-name-first form for Western documents. If the surname has customary spellings, pick one and every result updates. A syllable-by-syllable breakdown shows exactly how each character was spelled, and each result has a Copy button.
Why the first choice matters
A Korean passport keeps the same English name at every renewal. Changes are only allowed in cases set by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, such as a spelling that clearly does not match the pronunciation, work or study abroad, matching a family member's surname, or a legal name change. If family members already use a surname spelling, match it, and say the given name out loud to check that it reads naturally.
Names that are easy to misread
When a syllable ending in a consonant is followed by one starting with a vowel, as in 연아, YEONA can be read as YEO-NA, so YEON-A is clearer. The same applies when n meets g (BAN-GA) or when two vowels merge into a different sound (GA-EUL). By default the tool adds a hyphen only in these spots, which keeps most names as a single word as the passport rules prefer.
FAQ
Is the name I type sent anywhere?
No. The conversion runs inside this page and the name is never sent or stored.
Why is 이 written as I and not Lee?
Under the official system the syllable 이 is I. Surnames have long-standing customary spellings such as Lee, Yi and Rhee, and these are accepted on Korean passports. The tool lets you pick one.
Why does the spelling not follow the pronunciation?
The rules deliberately ignore sound changes inside personal names, so 복남 is Boknam even though it sounds like Bongnam. Each syllable keeps one spelling so the name stays recognisable.
When should I use a hyphen?
Korean passports write the given name as one word, and a hyphen between syllables is allowed. Use it when the joined form could be read another way, such as Yeon-a instead of Yeona. By default the tool adds one only in those cases.
Can a Korean passport name be changed later?
Only in limited cases defined by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, such as a spelling that clearly does not match the pronunciation, work or study abroad, or matching a family member's surname. Renewals normally keep the previous spelling.