Korean Names and Honorifics (2026): Surname First, Kim 21.5%, Lee/Yi/Rhee Spellings, -ssi vs -nim, What to Call the Shop Owner, and When 'Oppa' Is Allowed

A Korean name is a surname followed by a given name, the surname is one of a few dozen common ones, and what you call the person depends less on the name than on their rank relative to you. Get three things right and the rest follows: use a title rather than a bare name for anyone senior, add 씨 (ssi) to the given name of a peer, and reserve the family words — 오빠 (oppa), 언니 (eonni), 형 (hyeong), 누나 (nuna) — for people who have become friends. This part covers the names themselves (why 21.5% of the country is Kim and why Lee, Yi and Rhee are one name), the address terms you will use daily, and the passport-spelling rule that decides whether you get into a concert.

Names: order, syllables, spelling

Surname first. 김민준 (Gim Minjun in the official system, Kim Min-jun on a passport) is Kim, the surname, plus Min-jun, the given name; the given name is two syllables in the great majority of cases, so a Korean name is three syllables and the first is the family name. Two-syllable names (one-syllable given name) and four-syllable names exist but are uncommon. Married women keep their surname.

A few surnames cover most people. Statistics Korea's 2015 census — still the latest published count — found 5,582 surnames in use, with Kim at 21.5%, Lee 14.7% and Park 8.4%, followed by Choi and Jung; the top ten together are 63.9% of the population (Statistics Korea via eToday). Given names therefore do the identifying work, which is one reason people are addressed by title and full name rather than by surname alone; "Mr. Kim" in a Korean office narrows it down to a fifth of the floor.

Spelling is not standardized. The government's Revised Romanization of 2000 writes 김 (Gim), 이 (I), 박 (Bak) and 최 (Choe), and that system is what road signs and this site use for ordinary words. Personal names are exempt in practice: families choose the passport spelling, and the choices are overwhelmingly Kim, Lee, Park, Choi, with 정 (Jeong) split between Jung, Jeong and Chung. So Lee, Yi, Rhee and Li are one surname; Park, Pak and Bak are one; Jung, Jeong, Chung and Jong are one. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs prints surname then given name on the passport, given name as one word or hyphenated, and restricts changes once a spelling is registered (passport.go.kr). The same applies to you in reverse: the spelling on your residence card follows the machine-readable line of your passport — surname, then given names — and that string is what banks, phone companies and ticket sites match against. Book a concert as "Sam Smith" when the passport says "SMITH SAMUEL JOHN" and you will not get in; the tickets guide explains the check, and the residence card guide covers what is printed on the card.

Who you are talking to → what to call them

Who	Call them	Do not say	Notes
A peer or junior colleague you know by name	Given name + 씨 (ssi): 민준 씨 (Min-jun-ssi)	Surname + 씨 (ssi): 김 씨 (Kim-ssi)	The polite neutral form; used among equals in offices and classes
A superior at work	Title + 님 (nim): 팀장님 (timjangnim), 부장님 (bujangnim), or surname + title + 님 (nim): 김 부장님 (Kim bujangnim)	김 씨 (Kim-ssi), or the bare given name	The title replaces the name; you may never learn a senior's given name
A teacher, doctor, lawyer, or an older professional	선생님 (seonsaengnim)	Their name + 씨 (ssi)	Literally "teacher", used as a general respectful title
A customer (as staff would address you)	고객님 (gogaengnim), 손님 (sonnim)	—	You will hear it constantly; no reply term needed
A shop owner, restaurant owner, taxi driver, an unknown middle-aged man	사장님 (sajangnim)	아저씨 (ajeossi) to his face	"Boss" — flattering when he is not the owner, harmless when he is
A middle-aged woman serving at a restaurant	사장님 (sajangnim) or 저기요 (jeogiyo)	아줌마 (ajumma)	이모 (imo, "aunt") is affectionate and common among Koreans, but from a foreigner it can land oddly; 사장님 (sajangnim) is always safe
A stranger whose attention you need	저기요 (jeogiyo)	Whistling, snapping, "hey"	Works for staff, passers-by, the person who dropped something
An older friend, once you are close	형 (hyeong) / 누나 (nuna) if you are male; 오빠 (oppa) / 언니 (eonni) if you are female	Those words to a boss, a stranger, a shop owner	Affectionate, not polite; wait until offered
A friend of the same birth year, 동갑 (donggap)	Given name, casual speech once agreed	Casual speech before it is agreed	Same birth year is the basis of friendship terms; the age guide explains why
Someone younger who is not a friend	Given name + 씨 (ssi)	The bare name in front of others	Rank protects juniors too; the bare name is for friends and family
A child	Given name + 아 (a) or 야 (ya): 민준아 (Min-jun-a)	씨 (ssi)	The vocative ending, used to children and close friends only

The two mistakes that matter are in the second row. Surname + 씨 (ssi), as in 김 씨 (Kim-ssi), is how a foreman addresses a laborer; said to a manager it is a small insult. And a senior's given name is not for you to use at all; the title is the name. If you do not know the title, 선생님 (seonsaengnim) covers any older professional and 사장님 (sajangnim) any business owner, and both are impossible to get wrong in the direction of too much respect.

Greetings, thanks, and registers

Korean has speech levels, and a greeting announces which one you are using. 안녕하십니까 (annyeonghasimnikka) is the formal register: broadcasts, the military, a hotel front desk's first greeting, a presentation. 안녕하세요 (annyeonghaseyo) is the everyday polite form and the one you will use nearly always. 안녕 (annyeong) is casual: friends, children, and anyone who has told you to drop the formal speech. The National Institute of Korean Language's ruling is that the first two are both respectful and the choice is situational (korean.go.kr). For thanks, 감사합니다 (gamsahamnida) and 고맙습니다 (gomapseumnida) are equally standard and equally polite; the first is a Sino-Korean word and slightly more common in formal settings, the second is native Korean. Use either.

The switch from polite speech, 존댓말 (jondaenmal), to casual speech, 반말 (banmal), is explicit. Two people who meet use polite forms; once ages or ranks are known, the senior may say 말 놓으세요 (mal noeuseyo) — "put the speech down", drop the formality — or 말 편하게 하세요 (mal pyeonhage haseyo). Only then does the junior use casual speech, and often only after being told twice. A foreigner is safe staying polite indefinitely; nobody is offended by too much respect, while switching early is the most common social error learners make.

Business cards and introductions

Present and receive a business card, 명함 (myeongham), with two hands, read it before putting it away, and leave it on the table during a meeting rather than in a pocket — the card is a proxy for the person's rank. Introduce yourself with your full name and, if you have one, your organization: 저는 (jeoneun) ○○입니다 (imnida), "I am ○○". Koreans meeting a foreigner will often ask your age within minutes; the point is to place you on the seniority ladder so they know how to speak to you, and the Korean age guide explains the arithmetic. A slight bow with the greeting is enough; in business a handshake follows, right hand, with the left hand touching the right forearm when the other person is senior. The survival phrases part gives the sentences for all of this with romanization.

Mistakes people make

• 김 씨 (Kim-ssi) to a boss or a client. Surname + 씨 (ssi) is for workmen and suspects in the news. Use the title.
• First names to seniors because "that's what we do at home". Korean offices where everyone uses English names exist; unless yours is one, the title is the name.
• 오빠 (oppa) or 언니 (eonni) to a shop owner or a stranger because they look the right age. The words assume closeness; use 사장님 (sajangnim) or 저기요 (jeogiyo).
• Reversing your own name on a booking. Match the passport's machine-readable line: surname first, given names as printed.
• Switching to casual speech because someone your age did. Wait for 말 놓으세요 (mal noeuseyo).
• Treating 이모 (imo) as a safe general word for older waitresses. It is intimate slang; 사장님 (sajangnim) is the safe form.

Next: the 90 sentences you will actually say this week, sorted by situation, with a printable card builder — survival phrases.