How to Write My Name in Korean (Hangul Spelling of Nepali Names)

Why spelling matters

Korean offices check who you are by your name.

• The English name on your 외국인등록증 is copied directly from your passport.
• Banks check who you are with your 외국인등록증 or passport. The name on your bankbook uses that spelling too.
• For overseas money transfers, the sender's name must match the name on the bank account. If it does not match, the transfer can be blocked or the money comes back.
• Papers for the employment permit and changing workplace, and claim forms for Departure Guarantee Insurance (출국만기보험) and Return Cost Insurance (귀국비용보험), also use the same spelling.
• When the company pays your salary, the account name and the name on your 근로계약서 (employment contract) must match. Then there are no problems.

If the spelling is different, on paper you become "a different person." So the most important thing is not to change your spelling as you like.

How government documents write your name

From November 22, 2024, there is a standard that government offices follow (행정안전부 (Ministry of the Interior and Safety) Rule No. 303).

• Name in Roman letters: family name first, then given name, in capital letters, with a space between them. (Example: SAWYER TOM)
• Name in Hangul: family name first, then given name, with no space. (Example: 소여톰)
• If an official paper already has a Hangul name, they use it. If not, they read the Roman-letter name by its original sound and write it in Hangul by the foreign word spelling rules.
• The rule is to write both Roman letters and Hangul together. (Example: SAWYER TOM(소여톰))

The Roman-letter name they use is the spelling on your immigration papers, such as your 외국인등록증.

Rules for writing in Hangul

There is one main rule. Write the English spelling in your passport in Hangul, by how it sounds. The basic principles in Chapter 1 of the foreign word spelling rules are added to this.

1. Use only the 24 Hangul letters. Do not make new letters.
2. Do not use strong (tense) consonants (ㄲ, ㄸ, ㅃ, ㅆ, ㅉ). So Kamal is 카말, not '까말'.
3. For final consonants, use only ㄱ, ㄴ, ㄹ, ㅁ, ㅂ, ㅅ, ㅇ. Dipak is 디팍, not '디팤'.
4. If a spelling is already widely used, keep it.

But the foreign word spelling rules have no detailed rules for Nepali. Only 21 languages have detailed rules, such as English, Japanese and Thai. For languages without detailed rules, a joint government and media committee on foreign words decides names one by one. Nepali people's names have almost never been reviewed by this committee.

So the tables below show common ways of writing, not one fixed correct answer. People sometimes write the same name differently.

Sound chart

Consonants

Roman letters	Hangul	Examples
b, bh	ㅂ	Bishal 비샬, Bhim 빔
p, ph	ㅍ	Prakash 프라카스, Phul 풀
d, dh	ㄷ	Dipak 디팍, Dhan 단
t, th	ㅌ	Sita 시타, Thapa 타파
k, kh	ㅋ	Kamal 카말, Khadka 카드카
g, gh	ㄱ	Gopal 고팔, Ghale 갈레
j, jh	ㅈ	Manoj 마노즈, Jha 자
ch, chh	ㅊ	Chandra 찬드라
s, sh, ṣ	ㅅ	Sunita 수니타, Bishal 비샬
r	ㄹ	Ramesh 라메스
l	ㄹ	Laxmi 락스미
m	ㅁ	Maya 마야
n, ṇ	ㄴ	Anita 아니타
ng	final ㅇ	Tamang 타망
h	ㅎ	Hari 하리
y	ㅇ + ㅑ·ㅕ·ㅛ·ㅠ	Maya 마야, Shyam 샴
v, w	ㅂ or ㅜ	Bishwa 비스와

Nepali has separate sounds with a strong puff of air (bh, ph, dh, th, kh, gh, jh, chh), but Hangul has no such difference. So both b and bh are written as ㅂ.

Vowels

Roman letters	Hangul	Examples
a	아 (어 if weak)	Kamal 카말
aa	아	Aarati 아라티
i, ee	이	Sita 시타
u, oo	우	Sunita 수니타
e	에	Ramesh 라메스
o	오	Gopal 고팔
ai	아이	Jaishi 자이시
au	아우	Gautam 가우탐

Examples of common names

If a name is written in two ways, both are shown. Neither one is wrong.

Passport English	Hangul
Bishal	비샬
Bikash	비카스 · 비카시
Prakash	프라카스 · 프라카시
Ramesh	라메스 · 라메시
Suresh	수레스 · 수레시
Rajesh	라제스 · 라제시
Dipak	디팍
Gopal	고팔
Kamal	카말
Bhim	빔
Manoj	마노즈
Krishna	크리슈나 · 크리스나
Laxmi	락스미 · 락슈미
Sunita	수니타
Sita	시타
Sarita	사리타
Anita	아니타
Sabina	사비나

Family names (姓) are written the same way.

Passport English	Hangul
Tamang	타망
Gurung	구룽
Magar	마가르
Thapa	타파
Shrestha	스레스타
Rai	라이
Limbu	림부
Adhikari	아디카리

Where to use it, and where not to use it

Places where you must use the exact passport English spelling

• Alien registration application, stay extension, workplace change application
• 근로계약서 (employment contract), 급여명세서 (pay slip)
• Opening a bank account, overseas money transfer forms
• Claims for Departure Guarantee Insurance and Return Cost Insurance, health insurance, industrial accident (work injury) claims
• Plane tickets, tax reports

Do not write a different spelling on these papers. Even one different letter stops the process.

Places where you can use your Hangul name

• Name tag on work clothes, name label on your dormitory room
• The name called at hospital reception, pharmacy
• Receiver's name for parcels
• Korean class attendance list, what coworkers call you

When you see a doctor using health insurance, you show your 외국인등록증. Even if reception calls you by your Hangul name, receipts and insurance claims must use the name on your card.

It is best to choose one Hangul spelling and always use the same one. If you write it differently on your name tag, parcels and at the hospital, even you will get confused.

When your name is different on different papers

1. First, look at your passport. The passport English spelling is the standard.
2. If your 외국인등록증 and passport are different, ask your local 출입국·외국인관서 (Immigration Office). 1345 offers advice in Nepali.
3. If the name on your bankbook is different, take your 외국인등록증 and passport to the bank counter. It is hard to fix this in the app.
4. If your 근로계약서 or 급여명세서 is different, ask your company to correct it. If the company does not fix it, ask the 고용센터 (Employment Center) or call 1350.
5. If you got a new passport and the number or spelling changed, report the change in your registration details within 15 days (Immigration Act Article 35). You can also report it on 하이코리아 (HiKorea). If you are late, you may get a fine.

Common problems when opening a bank account

• Your passport has your name on one line with no family name, but the bank form asks for family name and given name separately. Show your passport at the counter as it is and ask them to handle it.
• Your name is long and gets cut off on the bankbook. This is because of the bank system's letter limit. Ask the counter to confirm that the cut name is correct.
• Your company made papers with a nickname, so it does not match your salary account name. The company papers must be corrected to the passport spelling.

How to open an account is in Opening a bank account and debit card. Money transfers are in Comparing ways to send money.

Frequently asked questions

Q. Can I make a separate Korean-style name? A. You are free to use a nickname with friends or at work. But you cannot use it on official papers. Writing a Hangul name together on the 외국인등록증 is now only for some groups, such as Chinese people living in Korea long term and overseas Koreans with foreign nationality. Check with 1345 or the 출입국·외국인관서 if this applies to you.

Q. Does the family name or the given name come first? A. On Korean government documents, the rule is family name first, then given name. If your given name is Bishal and your family name is Tamang, in Roman letters it is TAMANG BISHAL (with a space), and in Hangul it is 타망비샬 (no space). But if the form has separate boxes for Surname (family name) and Given name, look at the box names and fill them in correctly. If you put them in the wrong order, your records cannot be found later.

Q. My name is long. Can I shorten it? A. It is OK to use a short name in daily life. On papers, write it exactly as in your passport. If there is not enough space, do not remove letters yourself. Ask the staff at the counter. The system cutting your name is different from you shortening it yourself.

Q. I want to check if my Hangul spelling is correct. A. Nepali names have almost never been officially reviewed, so no office can confirm a "correct answer." You can ask the National Institute of Korean Language's online Q&A service (Online Ganada) at korean.go.kr. But for languages without detailed rules, they often do not give a fixed spelling. It is enough if the sound is close and you always use the same spelling.

Q. I want to change the English spelling in my passport. A. The Nepali government issues your passport. To change it, ask the Embassy of Nepal in Korea or offices in Nepal. If your passport changes, report the change in your registration details within 15 days. Also tell your bank and your company.

Where to get help

• Immigration Contact Center 1345 (many languages, questions about names and papers)
• 고용노동부 (Ministry of Employment and Labor) customer service 1350 (correcting company papers)
• Financial Supervisory Service complaints and advice 1332 (when the bank does not solve the problem)
• 하이코리아 hikorea.go.kr (reporting changes to registration details)
• National Institute of Korean Language korean.go.kr (foreign word spelling rules, Online Ganada)
• Getting a new card and changing your address is in Reissuing your ARC and changing your address.
• For how to make calls, see When you don't know where to call and All help contacts.