A Korean name is usually two syllables long and sits in front of the family name: Kim Min-jun, Park Seo-yeon.

The first syllable is the shared surname—Kim, Lee, Park or Choi cover nearly half the nation—while the second pair form the given name, chosen for meaning, not sound, and almost always drawn from Sino-Korean roots.

Parents mix and match Chinese characters to plant a wish—Min (“quick, clever”), Seo (“auspicious”), Jun (“talented”)—so even classmates with the same Roman spelling can carry different hanja and different dreams.