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Naming a baby in Korea, the first name only five syllables?
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fidel



Joined: 07 Feb 2003
Location: North Shore NZ

PostPosted: Sun Aug 24, 2003 5:23 pm    Post subject: Naming a baby in Korea, the first name only five syllables? Reply with quote

Hi
My wife who is Korean is expecting a child in early October.
We have been informed that the babies name can only contain a certain number of syllables. The number mentioned to her by the local government office was five for the first name (exclusive of the family name).
Is this true? To the people who have had children to a korean wife, can you confirm or deny this. Also since our family register has my wife as the head of the family is our child required to take her family name?
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Corporal



Joined: 25 Jan 2003

PostPosted: Sun Aug 24, 2003 9:38 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

I'm not sure if this is true or not, but why would your baby need a name with more than five syllables?
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kimcheeking
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PostPosted: Sun Aug 24, 2003 11:51 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

if it is syllables by Korean counting that is important. My family name is smith and in Korean it has 3 syllables ���̽�. My childs surname is Smith and she has a Korean and an English name, don't worry about it.
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katydid



Joined: 02 Feb 2003
Location: Here kitty kitty kitty...

PostPosted: Mon Aug 25, 2003 12:10 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

I'm still not sure about this, but intrigued. I have always thought all Korean names were at the most three syllables long. Does this mean if I have a daughter here, I could not name her Elizabeth-Kristina? Smile Not that I really would do that. It'd be a pain to yell out her full name whenever she got in trouble, and I'm too lazy for that. Wink
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JackSarang



Joined: 28 Jan 2003

PostPosted: Mon Aug 25, 2003 12:21 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Korean family names are all 1 syllable. Kim, Park, Lee etc.

First names in Korean are either 1, 2 or 3 syllables with 2 being the most common and 3 being the rarest.

If you're going to give your child both a Korean name and a western name, there really is no reason to enter the western name on the books, just use the korean name.

Also, your child will be required to take her mother's family name, at least officially as far as the korean government is concerned.

However, depending what country you're from, your child will likely be eligible for dual citizenship and you can apply for a birth certificate/passport in your home country and you can give her a western name on that and use your family name or a hypenated one.
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katydid



Joined: 02 Feb 2003
Location: Here kitty kitty kitty...

PostPosted: Mon Aug 25, 2003 12:27 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

So that singer, Park Hwa-yobi, that isn't a nickname or anything...I have had some students whose "first names" were just "Jin" or "Hyun" but have yet to see any three syllable-named person yet.
Learn something new every day!
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posco's trumpet



Joined: 20 Apr 2003
Location: Beneath the Underdog

PostPosted: Mon Aug 25, 2003 12:38 am    Post subject: Reply with quote



Last edited by posco's trumpet on Sat Dec 06, 2003 6:57 pm; edited 1 time in total
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dogbert



Joined: 29 Jan 2003
Location: Killbox 90210

PostPosted: Mon Aug 25, 2003 1:30 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Just a nitpick, but not all Korean surnames have only one syllable.
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Scott in HK



Joined: 15 Jan 2003
Location: now in Incheon..haven't changed my name yet

PostPosted: Mon Aug 25, 2003 3:15 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

The thing about the having to taking the mother's name under the registry is not correct. At least for our family...our girls have my last name under my wife in her registry. Also the only thing about the syllables that is limited is the number that a computer will register. Our first daughter's name in her korean passport in English is Hannah Patricia which would be six syllables and then it is printed again in hangul where it comes out as Hannah Pat.
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BTM



Joined: 20 Jan 2003
Location: Back in the saddle.

PostPosted: Mon Aug 25, 2003 3:20 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

I had a student last semester with a 5-syllable name : Han A Rum So Ri.

So it would appear that 4-syllable given names are not verboten.
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hellofaniceguy



Joined: 10 Jan 2003
Location: On your computer screen!

PostPosted: Tue Aug 26, 2003 12:35 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Tell the powers to be to go to hell and name YOUR child what you want! By bending to the "powers to be," it won't ever change in korea. Monkey see monkey do. It's always "well that's the way it's always done here." Wrong answer. If koreans want to world to accept them, it's a two way street. And naming one's child is not the governments business.
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fidel



Joined: 07 Feb 2003
Location: North Shore NZ

PostPosted: Tue Aug 26, 2003 1:07 pm    Post subject: Just to clarify Reply with quote

Ok
We seem to have some divergence in opinion here. Just to clarify, I wish to give my son an English name and a Korean middle name. Both names together make seven syllables, something that cannot be done according to the local government office. However I have been in Korea long enough to realize that what one official says does not necessary mean that the next one won't state the opposite.

So to those who were able to name their baby with as many syllables as they wanted and were able to use their own surname(in the case of foreign husbands) could you let me know which local office enabled you to do so. Thats if your in Seoul of course.
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sid



Joined: 02 Feb 2003
Location: Berkshire, England

PostPosted: Tue Aug 26, 2003 1:41 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

katydid wrote:
So that singer, Park Hwa-yobi, that isn't a nickname or anything...


The Hwa-yo-bi bit is made up, I remember her explaining it on one of the arirang pop shows. Hwa-yo was from Tuesday and the bi was rain I think. Not very inspiring is it.

Had one three syllabled student (given) name: Pu-Ru-Na. And kids with one syllable given name rock.
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Stunted Wookie



Joined: 06 Feb 2003
Location: Sound Studio

PostPosted: Wed Aug 27, 2003 5:34 am    Post subject: names Reply with quote

Our boy (read future King of Earth,,bow and pay homage now) has a Korean name as well, but I will only use it if I am mad!
Twisted Evil

My Brit buddy B. just had a son (ok his wife did) and yeah they were told they had a limit on the syllables...


As for the head of family name thing, our son has our last name and that is what is written on the register.....in English.
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crazylemongirl



Joined: 23 Mar 2003
Location: almost there...

PostPosted: Wed Aug 27, 2003 6:01 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

JackSarang wrote:


However, depending what country you're from, your child will likely be eligible for dual citizenship and you can apply for a birth certificate/passport in your home country and you can give her a western name on that and use your family name or a hypenated one.

I thought that korea didn't allow dual citizenship once you turned 21 or something?

CLg
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