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Roman

• 1. Why the change?
• 2. What has been changed?
• 3. Frequently asked questions.
• 4. The Romanization of Korean (Full text).
• 5. Examples.

• 1. Why the change?

  It was wrong for the information age.

  The old system wasn't appropriate for the information age. The breve (as in "" and "") and the apostrophe (as in k', t', p', ch') were always difficult to use with consistency on computers and on the Internet.

  It didn't maintain important phonetic differences.

  When it came to daily usage, the old system was far too often used without the apostrophe. This made it impossible to differentiate between ㄱ, ㄷ, ㅂ, ㅈ and ㅋ, ㅌ, ㅍ, ㅊ. Without revising the system used to Romanize Korean, these consonants would continue to be written the same in most cases.

  The breve was left out even more frequently than the apostrophe. Once omitted, however, it becomes impossible to differentiate between the vowels 어 and 오, and 으 and 우. All of these vowels appear frequently, and often they determine the difference between the meaning of one word and another. Leaving the Romanization system unchanged would only guarantee that these critical differences were ignored forever.

  The frequency of highly abbreviated usage of the old system made revision unavoidable.

• 2. What has been changed?

  • 1) "ㄱ, ㄷ, ㅂ, and ㅈ" have been changed from "k, t, p, and ch" to "g, d, b, and j."

    • 광주 Kwangju >> Gwangju
    • 대구 Taegu >> Daegu
    • 부산 Pusan >> Busan
    • 제주 Cheju >> Jeju

  • 2) "어" and "으" have been changed from "" and "" to "eo" and "eu."

    • 성주 Sngju >> Seongju
    • 금곡 Kmgok >> Geumgok

  • 3) "ㅋ, ㅌ, ㅍ, and ㅊ" have been changed from "k', t', p', and ch'" to "k, t, p, and ch."

    • 태안 T'aean >> Taean
    • 충주 Ch'ungju >> Chungju

  • 4) "ㅅ" will always be written as "s" instead of both "sh" and "s" depending on the vowel it preceded.

    • 신라 Shilla >> Silla
    • 실상사 Shilsangsa >> Silsangsa

  • 5) Other changes

    Principles of transcriptions are the same as in the old system, in that words are Romanized according to sound, as opposed to a transliteration system, in which Romanization would be done according to Korean spelling regardless of pronunciation.

    • 한라[할라] Halla
    • 신문로[신문노] Sinmunno
    • 종로[종노] Jongno
    • 독립문[동님문] Dongnimmun
    • 국민[궁민] Gungmin
    • 법문[범문] Beommun

    When at the end of a word or when followed by a consonant, "ㄱ, ㄷ, and ㅂ" are written as "k, t, and p."

    • 곡성 Gokseong
    • 무극 Mugeuk

• 3. Frequently asked questions.

  • Reasons for revision

    The old system is widely used throughout the world, why change it now?

    While it is true that the old system has been widely used around the world to record the pronunciation of Korean, from a general linguistic point of view it had various shortcomings. The difference between some voiced and non-voiced sounds are in Korean little more than allophones, but old system transcribed these as entirely different phonemes. This is a problem that should have been remedied long ago, but unfortunately has had to wait until now for attention.

    Because the old system did not reflect the phonetic characteristics of the Korean language, it was never compatible for easy and consistent use of native speakers of Korean, even if it was used outside of Korea without particular difficulty.
    This difficulty contributed to confusion and inconsistency in the Romanizing of Korean. The old system differentiated between voiced and non-voiced consonants, making it very difficult for Koreans to understand and contributing to spellings such as "Kumkang" and "Hankuk" for "금강" and "한국" instead of "Kumgang" and "Han'guk," as would have been correct according to the old system.
    There were contradictions as well. "대구" was written "Taegu," but 동대구, the name of Daegu's largest passenger train terminal, was Romanized "Tongdaegu." And because "ㄷ, ㅂ, and ㅈ" have to be written in a way that a distinction is maintained between "ㅌ, ㅍ, and ㅊ," people rarely wrote "ㄷ, ㅂ, and ㅈ" as "t, p, and ch," even when they were conscious of the fact that this was not correct according to the old system, since they would not want to have words confused with the "t', p', and ch'" that often had the apostrophe omitted.
    The result was that "ㄷ, ㅂ, and ㅈ" were written "t, p, and ch" on road signs but as "d, b, and j" almost everywhere else, such as personal names and the names of companies and schools.

    This revision of the Romanization of Korean was undertaken with the belief that if not corrected, this confusion and inconsistency would only continue to worsen with time. Priority was given to pronunciation instead of Korean orthography out of consideration of the needs of foreigners, and in this sense the government's Romanization policy remains unchanged. The difference is that phonological opposition is made clear in the new system.

  • Special symbols

    The old Romanization system was based on the one developed privately in 1939, and was unfit for the information age. The old system used the breve (v), which is not to be found on a computer keyboard. The apostrophe is on all keyboards but was still omitted more often than not in common usage. , , k', t', p', and ch' are all lacking in existing ASCII code, making them difficult for everyday usage with computers and the Internet. It is only a matter of course that, rarely used properly anyway, these be left out of the new system.

  • Distinctions of consonants

    Why does a Romanization system have to differentiate between "ㄱ, ㄷ, ㅂ, and ㅈ" and "ㅋ, ㅌ, ㅍ, and ㅊ"?

    Massive confusion occurs if a distinction is not made between "ㄱ, ㄷ, ㅂ, and ㅈ" and "ㅋ, ㅌ, ㅍ, and ㅊ." The difference between many personal names cannot be made without respect for this distinction, for example in the case of "대수" and "태수" names that can easily that of two brothers. Without guaranteeing this distinction, one ends up with a situation like would be in English by writing both "Tale" and "Dale" as "Tale." While perhaps not a particularly dire problem in some languages, in Korean the distinction is critical, particularly for personal names.

  • Distinctions of vowels

    Why is the difference between "어", and "오" and "으" and "우" so important?

    "어" and "오" are completely different phonemes in Korean. A distinction not only must be made but is also possible. The same goes for the two vowels "으" and "우." Korean family names are an easy example, as the names "선" and "손" both become "Son" when the breve is omitted, just as "성" and "송" both become "Song." The native speaker of Korean clearly feels a difference between the vowels, and so many have little choice but to improvise. Again in the case of names, someone with the name "성" does not want to become "Song," so, having no guarantee that their name will be written consistently as "Sng," often felt the need to write "성" as "Sung" to make this distinction, leaving it to guesswork to determine how that person may have Romanized their name.

  • The characteristics of the Korean language

    Does a Romanization system have to reflect the characteristics of the Korean language?

    Romanization systems exist for the purpose of reflecting the phonetic characteristics of a given language that does not ordinarily use Roman letters. Any Romanization system that does not respect the phonological opposition of Korean is not maintaining the principle purpose of a system in the first place. Phonological opposition with consistency is entirely possible when Romanizing Korean, and so it is only a matter of course that this be assured with a new system.

  • Usage overseas

    Most of the maps and encyclopedias of the world use the McCune-Reischauer System of Romanization of Korean Language for Korean place names, won't the change cause confusion?

    Much confusion can be expected for some time. The old system, based on the McCune-Reischauer system of Romanization for the Korean Language, is widely used overseas, particularly in Western countries. Many other documents besides maps and encyclopedias use the old system as well. It is indeed believed that it will take considerable time before the new system is recognized around the world. Confusion between the old and new systems can be expected. But if we delay making this needed change out of fear of this initial confusion, problems of inconsistency will only worsen, making the situation only more difficult to rectify for the next generation. The Korean government is prepared to do its part so that the new system is widely recognized and understood in Korea and around the world. The new system will not be accepted overnight, but the government is prepared to apply patience and effort to making this new system work.

  • The benefits of revision

    What's so good about the new system?

    While at first there may seem to be little advantage to following the new system, the benefits will be great over the long run. Since in the old system both "ㄱ, ㄷ, ㅂ, and ㅈ" and "ㅋ, ㅌ, ㅍ, and ㅊ" end up written as "k, t, p, and ch," even simple tasks such as Internet searches suddenly become highly inefficient. Since 대성 and 태성, for example, but become Taesong when the apostrophe is omitted, a search for either would turn up both. A system that is easy to follow and always maintains critical and frequent phonetic differences will make finding people, places, and everything else immensely easier because phonetic distinctions will be maintained consistently and there will be little cause for arbitrary improvision.

  • Consonants

    Westerners tend to hear "ㄱ, ㄷ, ㅂ, and ㅈ" as "k, t, p, and ch." Why do these consonants have to be written "g, d, b, and j"?

    It is true that most Westerners hear "ㄱ, ㄷ, ㅂ, and ㅈ" as "k, t, p, and ch" when these consonants appear as the first letter in a word. But the problem is that "ㅋ, ㅌ, ㅍ, and ㅊ" also seem like "k, t, p, and ch" to the average Western ear as well, and the differences between each of these vowels are important in Korean. The Korean phonological opposition must be given first priority in a Romanization system designed for Korean, even if to foreign ears these differences are not easily recognized. In addition, when the differences between "ㄱ, ㄷ, ㅂ, and ㅈ" and "ㅋ, ㅌ, ㅍ, and ㅊ" are written with consistency, it makes non-native pronunciation of Korean more distinguishable to native speakers.

  • Vowels

    Aren't "eo" and "eu" rather distant from "어" and "으"?

    When it comes to views about the new system, many have expressed opposition to transcribing "어" as "eo" and "으" as "eu." Some may think it ideal to write "어" as "o" and "으" as "u," but then there becomes no way to distinguishing "어" from "오" and "으" from "우." This leaves one with little choice but to develop a way to make this distinction. As long as "" and "" are no longer going to be used, the only option available is to Romanize "어" and "으" using two Roman letters.

    "어" is a front vowel, while "으" is a back vowel. Both lie between "o." "으" comes from closer to the front of the mouth than "u," and so it was decided to place add "e" in front of "o" and "u". Given the phonetic characteristics of Korean, a language of many written vowels all of which experience no variation, we are left with little option but to explain to non-native speakers that "eo" is "어" and "eu" is "으." Roman letters will have their own sound value in every language, whether that languages uses Roman letters as its main script or only when Romanized. Using "eo" and "eu" to Romanize "어" and "으" is unavoidable.

  • Family names

    Will family names be written according to the new system?

    In principle family names should follow the new system, but there are names that will have difficulty doing this. The family name "이" should be written as "I," but no one with this family name currently writes their name this way. Ninety five percent of all persons with the family name "이" write their name "Lee," though one can also find "Rhee," "Yi," "Ri," "Li," "Rhie," and "Lie." The Ministry of Culture and Tourism will continue to work towards determining methods of Romanization for family names that might have difficulty following the new system and announce these separately. Some family names may require the setting of a separate standard for the sake of consistency within that name. This will be determined as the soonest date possible.

  • Business names

    Will business and schools have to change the spelling of their names?

    Just as in the case of Romanizations of personal names that have already been established, businesses that so desire may continue to use previously established Romanizations. Business names such as Samsung and Hyundai, both known the world over, will not be required to change to "Samseong" and "Hyeondae." New companies, however, will be encouraged to follow this system. Also, the government will gladly welcome decisions by companies using inconsistent names to follow the new system.

• 4. The Romanization of Korean (Full text).

  • 1. Basic Principles of Romanization

    • (1) Romanization is based on standard Korean pronunciation.
    • (2) Symbols other than Roman letters are avoided to the greatest extent possible.

  • 2. Summary of the Romanization System

    • (1) Vowels are transcribed as follows :
      • simple vowels

        diphthongs

        ㅏ	ㅓ	ㅗ	ㅜ	ㅡ	ㅣ	ㅐ	ㅔ	ㅚ	ㅟ
        a	eo	o	u	eu	i	ae	e	oe	wi

      • diphthongs

        diphthongs

        ㅑ	ㅕ	ㅛ	ㅠ	ㅒ	ㅖ	ㅘ	ㅙ	ㅝ	ㅞ	ㅢ
        ya	yeo	yo	yu	yae	ye	wa	wae	wo	we	ui

        Note 1 : ㅢ is transcribed as ui, even when pronounced as ㅣ.

        Note 2 : Long vowels are not reflected in Romanization.

    • (2) Consonants are transcribed as follows :
      • plosives (stops)

        plosives (stops)

        ㄱ	ㄲ	ㅋ	ㄷ	ㄸ	ㅌ	ㅂ	ㅃ	ㅍ
        g,h	kk	k	d,t	tt	t	b,p	pp	p

      • affricates

        affricates

        ㅈ	ㅉ	ㅊ
        j	jj	ch

      • fricatives

        fricatives

        ㅅ	ㅆ	ㅎ
        s	ss	h

      • nasals

        nasals

        ㄴ	ㅁ	ㅇ
        n	m	ng

      • liquids

        liquids

        ㄹ

        r,l

        Note 1 : The sounds ㄱ, ㄷ, and ㅂ are transcribed respectively as g, d, and b when they appear before a vowel; they are transcribed as k, t, and p when followed by another consonant or form the final sound of a word. (They are Romanized as pronunciation in [ ].)
        e.g.
        구미 Gumi, 영동 Yeongdong, 백암 Baegam, 옥천 Okcheon, 합덕 Hapdeok, 호법 Hobeop, 월곶[월곧] Wolgot, 벚꽃[벋꼳] beotkkot, 한밭[한받] Hanbat

        Note 2 : ㄹ is transcribed as r when followed by a vowel, and as l when followed by a consonant or when appearing at the end of a word. ㄹㄹ is transcribed as ll.
        e.g.
        구리 Guri, 설악 Seorak, 칠곡 Chilgok, 임실 Imsil, 울릉 Ulleung, 호법 Hobeop

  • 3. Special Provisions for Romanization

    • (1) When Korean sound values change as in the following cases, the results of those changes are Romanized as follows :
      • 1. The case of assimilation of adjacent consonants
        e.g.
        백마[뱅마] Baengma, 신문로[신문노] Sinmunno, 종로[종노] Jongno, 왕십리[왕심니] Wangsimni, 별내[별래] Byeollae, 신라[실라] Silla
      • 2. The case of the epenthetic ㄴ and ㄹ
        e.g.
        학여울[항녀울] Hangnyeoul, 알약[알략] allyak
      • 3. Cases of palatalization
        e.g.
        해돋이 haedoji, 알같이[가치] gachi, 맞히다[마치다] machida
      • 4. Cases where ㄱ, ㄷ, ㅂ, and ㅈ are adjacent to ㅎ
        e.g.
        좋고[조코] joko, 놓다[노타] nota, 잡혀[자펴] japyeo, 낳지[나치] nachi
      • However, aspirated sounds are not reflected in case of nouns where ㅎ followsㄱ, ㄷ, and ㅂ, as in the examples below.
        e.g.
        묵호 Mukho, 집현전 Jiphyeonjeon

      Note : Tense (or glottalized) sounds are not reflected in cases where morphemes are compounded, as in the examples below.
      e.g.
      압구정 Apgujeong, 낙동강 Nakdonggang, 죽변 Jukbyeon, 낙성대 Nakseongdae, 합정 Hapjeong, 팔당 Paldang, 샛별 saetbyeol, 울산 Ulsan

    • (2) When there is the possibility of confusion in pronunciation, a hyphen '-' may be used.

      e.g.
      중앙 Jung-ang, 반구대 Ban-gudae, 세운 Se-un, 해운대 Hae-undae

    • (3) The first letter is capitalized in proper names.

      e.g.
      부산 Busan, 세종 Sejong

    • (4) Personal names are written by family name first, followed by a space and the given name. In principle, syllables in given names are not separated by hyphen, but the use of a hyphen between syllables is permitted.

      e.g.
      민용하 Min Yongha (Min Yong-ha), 송나리 Song Nari (Song Na-ri)

      • ① Assimilated sound changes between syllables in given names are not transcribed.

        e.g.
        한복남 Han Boknam (Han Bok-nam), 홍빛나 Hong Bitna (Hong Bit-na)

      • ② Romanization of family names will be determined separately.
    • (5) Administrative units such as 도, 시, 군, 구, 읍, 면, 리, 동, and 가 are transcribed respectively as do, si, gun, gu, eup, myeon, ri, dong, and ga, and are preceded by a hyphen. Assimilated sound changes before and after the hyphen are not reflected in Romanization.

      e.g.
      충청북도 Chungcheongbuk-do, 제주도 Jeju-do, 의정부시 Uijeongbu-si, 양주군 Yangju-gun, 도봉구 Dobong-gu, 신창읍 Sinchang-eup, 삼죽면 Samjuk-myeon, 인왕리 Inwang-ri, 당산동 Dangsan-dong, 봉천1동 Bongcheon 1(il)-dong, 종로 2가 Jongno 2 (i)-ga, 퇴계로 3가 Toegyero 3 (sam)-ga

      Note : Terms for administrative units such as 시, 군, 읍 may be omitted.
      e.g.
      청주시 Cheongju, 함평군 Hampyeong, 순창읍 Sunchang

    • (6) Names of geographic features, cultural properties, and man-made structures may be written without hyphens.

      e.g.
      남산 Namsan, 속리산 Songnisan, 금강 Geumgang, 독도 Dokdo, 경복궁 Gyeongbokgung, 무량수전 Muryangsujeon, 연화교 Yeonhwagyo, 극락전 Geungnakjeon, 안압지 Anapji, 남한산성 Namhansanseong, 화랑대 Hwarangdae, 불국사 Bulguksa, 현충사 Hyeonchungsa, 독립문 Dongnimmun, 오죽헌 Ojukheon, 촉석루 Chokseongnu, 종묘 Jongmyo, 다보탑 Dabotap

    • (7) Proper names such as personal names and those of companies may continue to be written as they have been previously.
    • (8) When it is necessary to convert Romanized Korean back to Hangeul in special cases such as in academic articles, Romanization is done according to Hangeul spelling and not pronunciation. Each Hangeul letter is Romanized as explained in section 2 except that ㄱ, ㄷ, ㅂ, ㄹ are always written as g, d, b, l. When ㅇ has no sound value, it is replaced by a hyphen may also be used when it is necessary to distinguish between syllables.

      e.g.
      집 jib, 짚 jip, 밖 bakk, 값 gabs, 붓꽃 buskkoch, 먹는 meogneun, 독립 doglib, 문리 munli, 물엿 mul-yeos, 굳이 gud-i, 좋다 johda, 가곡 gagog, 조랑말 jolangmal, 없었습니다 eobs-eoss-seubnida

  • Additional Provisions

    • 1. This system of Romanization becomes effective on the date it is formally proclaimed.
    • 2. Signs using the previous system of Romanization (road signs, official large-scale notices, information posted at cultural sites, etc.), when this system of Romanization becomes effective, must follow this system by December 31, 2005.
    • 3. Publication such as textbooks using the previous system of Romanization must follow this system by February 28, 2002.

  • New Romanization System (Simplified Table)

    New Romanization System (Simplified Table) 1

    ㅏ

    ㅓ

    ㅗ

    ㅜ

    ㅡ

    ㅣ

    ㅐ

    ㅔ

    ㅚ

    ㅟ

    ㅑ

    ㅕ

    ㅛ

    ㅠ

    ㅒ

    ㅖ

    ㅘ

    ㅙ

    ㅝ

    ㅞ

    ㅢ

    a

    eo

    o

    u

    eu

    i

    ae

    e

    oe

    wi

    ya

    yeo

    yo

    yu

    yae

    ye

    wa

    wae

    wo

    we

    ui

    New Romanization System (Simplified Table) 2

    final

    ㅇ

    ㄱ

    ㄴ

    ㄷ

    ㄹ

    ㅁ

    ㅂ

    ㅅ

    ㅈ

    ㅊ

    ㅋ

    ㅌ

    ㅍ

    ㅎ

    g

    n

    d

    r

    m

    b

    s

    j

    ch

    k

    t

    p

    h

    ㄱ

    k

    g

    kg

    ngn

    kd

    ngn

    ngm

    kb

    ks

    kj

    kch

    kk

    kt

    kp

    kh(k)

    ㄴ

    n

    n

    ng

    nn

    nd

    II(nn)

    nm

    nb

    ns

    nj

    nch

    nk

    nt

    np

    nh

    ㄹ

    l

    r

    lg

    ll

    ld

    ll

    lm

    lb

    ls

    lj

    lch

    lk

    lt

    lp

    lh

    ㅁ

    m

    m

    mg

    mn

    md

    mn

    mm

    mb

    ms

    mj

    mch

    mk

    mt

    mp

    mh

    ㅂ

    p

    b

    pg

    mn

    pd

    mn

    mm

    pb

    ps

    pj

    pch

    pk

    pt

    pp

    ph(p)

    ㅇ

    ng

    ng

    ngg

    ngn

    ngd

    ngn

    ngm

    ngb

    ngs

    ngj

    ngch

    ngk

    ngt

    ngp

    ngh

• 5. Examples.

  Examples

  지역	OLD	NEW
  부산	Pusan	Busan
  광주	Kwangju	Gwangju
  인천	Inch'on	Incheon
  제주	Cheju	Jeju
  경주	Kyngju	Gyeongju
  고구려	Kogury	Goguryeo
  부곡	Pugok	Bugok
  울산	Ulsan	Ulsan
  대구	Taegu	Daegu
  대전	Taejn	Daejeon
  전주	Chonju	Jeonju
  청주	Ch'ngju	Cheongju
  김포	Kimp'o	Gimpo
  동대구	Tongdaegu	Dongdaegu
  정읍	Chngp	Jeongeup
  묵호	Muk'o	Mukho