Yoona 윤아
Yoona name meaning: “sunlight + pretty” (昀娥)
Yoona is a Korean given name, most often given to girls. In hangul it is written 윤아. Like most Korean names it can also be written in hanja, and the characters chosen decide what it means — the same sound can be written 1,260 different ways.
Yoona of Girls' Generation: Im Yoon-ah is a member of Girls' Generation and an actress — Yoona is her real given name, not a stage name. It is also the real given name of Yunah (Noh Yun-ah) of ILLIT.
About the name Yoona
Yoona (윤아) is a two-syllable name. The first syllable is often romanized as "Yoon" or "Yun," while the second is "a." This gives rise to alternative spellings such as Yun-a, Yunah, and Yoon-ah. The use of a hyphen or double 'o' helps to indicate the pronunciation of the Korean vowels. The meaning of Yoona is shaped by the hanja chosen for each syllable, both of which are sound elements associated with earth.
For the first syllable, 윤, options like 昀 (sunlight) and 潤 (moisten, glossy) can be used. For the second syllable, 아, options include 娥 (pretty) or 雅 (clear, correct). Combining these, a Yoona written with 昀娥 might evoke a feeling of "sunny prettiness," while 潤雅 could suggest "glossy clarity." Yoona is mostly given to girls, as seen with Im Yoon-ah of Girls' Generation and actress fame, and Yunah (Noh Yun-ah) of ILLIT, both of whom use this as their real given name. When introducing the name abroad, the choice of hanja can be helpful in conveying a specific meaning.
Other spellings
The same name is romanized in several ways: Yoona, Yun-a, Yunah, Yoon-ah. They are all 윤아.
How to pronounce Yoona
Say it as yoo-nah (2 syllables). Korean doesn't stress one syllable the way English does, so give each beat roughly the same weight rather than saying YOO-nah.
- The final consonant of the first syllable carries over to start the next one, so the two syllables run together.
The recording is a synthesized standard Seoul voice; the respelling above is an English approximation of it. More on the rules: how to pronounce Korean names. To hear more spoken Korean, try Korean greetings with audio.
Five Elements (Ohaeng)
In Korean naming tradition each syllable carries an element, decided by the consonant it starts with. This is what a name sounds like in terms of energy.
- 윤 (starts with ㅇ)→Earthsteadiness, trust, holding things together
- 아 (starts with ㅇ)→Earthsteadiness, trust, holding things together
Hanja used for Yoona
These are hanja characters legally registrable for each syllable, with their dictionary meanings. A parent picks one character per syllable, and that combination becomes the written meaning of the name.
윤30 characters can be used
- 昀sunlight햇빛 윤
- 尹govern다스릴 윤
- 潤moisten, glossy불을 윤/윤택할 윤
- 允eldest, truly맏 윤/진실로 윤
- 胤succeed이을 윤
- 沇flow흐를 윤
- 鈗weapon병기 윤
- 玧earplug bead귀막이 구슬 윤
아42 characters can be used
- 娥pretty예쁠 아
- 我I, me나 아
- 雅clear, correct맑을 아/바를 아
- 兒child아이 아
- 亞second, next버금 아
- 阿hill언덕 아
- 妸beautiful아름다울 아
- 牙molar, government office어금니 아/관아 아
Yoona name FAQ
- What does Yoona mean in Korean?
- A popular way to write Yoona (윤아) is 昀 (sunlight) + 娥 (pretty), giving the meaning "sunlight + pretty". The meaning depends on the hanja the parents choose — 윤아 can be written 1,260 different ways.
- Is Yoona a Korean name?
- Yes. Yoona is a Korean given name written 윤아 in hangul, mostly given to girls.
- How do you write Yoona in Korean?
- In hangul it is 윤아; a common hanja spelling is 昀娥. It is also romanized as Yun-a, Yunah, Yoon-ah.
- What element is the name Yoona?
- By its sounds, Yoona carries Earth + Earth in the Five Elements (Ohaeng) of Korean naming.
Names sharing a syllable
Yoona belongs to someone else. Yours is drawn from your own birth chart — the four pillars of your birth date and hour decide which elements your name should carry.
Find your Korean name