Most Korean given names have traditionally been built from hanja, the Chinese characters used in Korean. A name such as Jiwoo can be written with many different character combinations, and the chosen characters supply its meaning. But some Korean names work differently. They are made from native Korean words, so their meaning comes from the word itself and there may be no hanja at all.
These are called sunuri ireum (순우리말 이름), roughly "pure Korean names." This guide explains how they differ from hanja names, shows some well-known examples from our dictionary, and suggests what to check if you are drawn to one.
Two ways a Korean name gets its meaning
A Korean name is always written in Hangul, the Korean alphabet. For a hanja-based name, the Hangul spelling records the sound, and the hanja chosen for each syllable record the meaning. Two people called 서연 can have completely different meanings, depending on which characters their parents picked. Our guide to choosing hanja walks through that process.
A native Korean name skips that second layer. The Hangul spelling is a Korean word, or a blend of Korean words, and the meaning is the meaning of that word. 아름 (Areum) comes from the word for beauty, and 보라 (Bora) is simply the Korean word for purple. There is nothing extra to choose.
Examples from the dictionary
Areum means beautiful, from a native word associated with beauty. It is one of the best-known native names and is usually given to girls.
Bora means purple. It is short, easy to say in many languages and has a clear, vivid image.
Nara means country or nation. It is also a common native word, which gives the name a warm, familiar feel.
Maeum means heart or mind, the inner self rather than the physical heart.
Gaon is explained as center or middle, and Onyu as gentle and mild. Hanbyeol joins han, an old native word for great or one, with byeol, star, for "a great star."
Some popular modern names are often described as old native words but are better understood as recent coinages. Raon is widely explained as an old word for joyful, and Daon as "all good things come." Both explanations are repeated across Korean naming sites, but they are difficult to trace in historical dictionaries. They are lovely names; just treat the etymology as a modern story rather than an ancient one.
Native names can still have hanja
A native-sounding name is not automatically hanja-free. Many two-syllable Korean words happen to match syllables that also exist as hanja readings, so a name like Nara can be written purely as a native word or with characters chosen for each syllable. Our name pages show both: the native word meaning comes first when it exists, followed by the characters that could be registered for each syllable.
When a family chooses a native name, the official record can list the Hangul spelling without hanja. If you are choosing a name for someone who may need Korean documents, check the current official rules rather than relying on a website, including ours.
Why native names became popular
Native names have existed for a long time, but they became noticeably more visible from the late twentieth century, when interest in Hangul and in Korean-language words grew. Parents who chose them often wanted a name that any Korean speaker could understand at once, without explaining which characters were meant.
That clarity is also their appeal for people outside Korea. A native name has one meaning you can state simply, it does not depend on a character dictionary, and it often has an image that is easy to remember: a color, a star, a heart.
How the five elements still apply
Our dictionary assigns sound-based elements to every syllable, using the first consonant of each syllable. That convention works for native names exactly as it does for hanja names, because it depends on pronunciation, not on characters. Areum, for example, starts with ㅇ and ㄹ, so it is classed Earth and Fire by sound.
What native names do not have is a character-based reading. You cannot point to a Water radical in 보라, because there is no character. If a reading suggests strengthening a particular element, a native name connects to it through sound or through the image of the word, such as a color or season, rather than through a hanja component. Our guide to Korean names and the five elements explains these different systems side by side.
Choosing a native name for yourself
If you are a visitor choosing a Korean name, a native name is a good option when you want something easy to explain. Say it aloud a few times, check how it sounds with a Korean surname if you plan to use one, and make sure the word's everyday meaning suits you. Some words are perfectly pleasant but sound like ordinary nouns when used alone.
Native names are also a natural fit for a Hangul seal. K-Soul Seal's digital dojang displays the name in Hangul, so a native name appears on the seal exactly as it is meant, with nothing lost in translation. You can see how a seal looks in the worked example, or start your own reading on the main page.