EPTOn April 23 2009 13:12 Grobyc wrote:
So we have
Kim Dong Soo
Kim Dong Woo
Kim Dong Ju
AND
Kim Dong Ku????
holy shit -_-
any explanation/answer anyone?
They are all different people?
So we have
Kim Dong Soo
Kim Dong Woo
Kim Dong Ju
AND
Kim Dong Ku????
holy shit -_-
any explanation/answer anyone?
They are all different people?
Kim is the family name. Koreans place the family name first. The last two syllables (sometimes one, like Kang Min (rA), whose name is just the Min) are the person's actual name.
Then, it is normally (not always) structured like this...the family (I think usually grandparents) choose a syllable that all the siblings of a family will share, which will be the second syllable of the individual name.
For instance, my Korean name is Kim Dae Yun. My younger brother's name is Kim Ho Yun.
My friend's name is Kim Bo Ra. Her younger sister's name is Kim So Ra.
My other friend's name is Kim Yoong Joon. He has a sibling whose name I believe is Kim Sung Joon.
Understand?
EDIT
Also, Kim makes up something ridiculous like 15% of all Korean last names, I think. Park comes in second with somewhere between 5-10% I believe. Those two names are considered the only "pure" Korean last names (there's a third that's very rare...I can't remember what it is...I think Song? or Sun? or So or something with an 's' ).
Most all Korean family names are one syllable, though there are a few with two syllables.
