Work it out Out and about
Read Korean
Type or paste Korean and see how to say it in English letters, block by block.
Romanization rules last checked Oct 2026. Always confirm with the official source.
Official romanization
- Say it syllable by syllable
- Letter by letter (as spelled)
Type or paste some Korean
Or tap one of the examples to see how it works.
Block by block
Each Hangul block is a syllable: a first consonant, a vowel and sometimes a final consonant.
Sound tips for this text
Korean has no strong word stress: give each syllable about the same weight.
Which system this uses
Korea's official way to write Korean in English letters is the Revised Romanization of Korean, published by the Ministry of Culture and Tourism in 2000 and maintained by the National Institute of Korean Language. It's the system on road signs, subway maps and palace tickets, so the result here should match what you see around you: 경복궁 is Gyeongbokgung, 압구정 is Apgujeong.
Why there are two lines
The official system writes Korean as it is pronounced, not letter for letter. When syllables meet, sounds change, and the romanization follows the sound:
- Linking: a final consonant moves to a following vowel (서울에 → seoure).
- Nasal sounds: 백마 → Baengma, 독립문 → Dongnimmun, 종로 → Jongno.
- Double l: ㄴ next to ㄹ becomes ll, as in 신라 → Silla and 한라산 → Hallasan.
- Palatalization: 같이 → gachi, 해돋이 → haedoji.
- ㅎ combining: 좋고 → joko, 잡혀 → japyeo. In nouns the h is kept: 묵호 → Mukho.
- Doubled sounds aren't written: 압구정 is said “ap-kku-jeong” but written Apgujeong.
The “letter by letter” line uses the official system's transliteration rule (meant for academic use), where 집 is jib and 물엿 is mul-yeos. It shows you exactly which letters are in the word.
Limits
- Some sound changes depend on meaning, which a simple tool can't know. Compounds can gain an extra n sound (학여울 → Hangnyeoul, 알약 → allyak). We add it only before 역 (station) and 약 (medicine) at the end of words of three or more syllables, so those two examples come out as hagyeoul and aryak.
- Hyphens for administrative areas (Jongno-gu, Jeju-do) and names written family name first aren't added automatically.
- People and companies often keep their own spellings (Samsung, Hyundai, Lee, Park). Romanization of names follows what the person uses.
- The tips are rough English comparisons; listening to a native speaker is still the best guide.
Source: National Institute of Korean Language, Romanization of Korean and theofficial Korean text of the rules. Our function matches 57 of 59 official example spellings we tested; the two misses are the meaning-dependent examples above.
Questions people ask
Why does the romanization not match the Korean letters one to one?
Korea’s official system writes words the way they are pronounced. When two syllables meet, sounds change: 독립문 is said “dong-nim-mun”, so it is written Dongnimmun. The second line shows the plain letter-by-letter version so you can see both.
Why do I see different spellings of the same word around Korea?
Older signs and many personal and company names use spellings from before the 2000 system, such as Pusan for 부산 (now Busan) or Kim and Lee for family names. The official rules allow people and companies to keep established spellings, so names on business cards may differ from this tool.
Can I use this to read a menu?
Yes: paste or type a dish name to see how to say it, then show the Korean to staff if your pronunciation does not land. The tool tells you the sound, not the meaning, so pair it with a translation app for unfamiliar dishes.
Is ㅓ an “o” or a “u” sound?
Neither exactly. ㅓ is written eo and sounds close to the u in “cup”, with the mouth a little more open. That’s why 서울 (Seoul) is said more like “suh-ool” than “see-ool”.