• Log InLog In
  • Register
Liquid`
Team Liquid Liquipedia
EST 17:59
CET 23:59
KST 07:59
  • Home
  • Forum
  • Calendar
  • Streams
  • Liquipedia
  • Features
  • Store
  • EPT
  • TL+
  • StarCraft 2
  • Brood War
  • Smash
  • Heroes
  • Counter-Strike
  • Overwatch
  • Liquibet
  • Fantasy StarCraft
  • TLPD
  • StarCraft 2
  • Brood War
  • Blogs
Forum Sidebar
Events/Features
News
Featured News
RSL Revival - 2025 Season Finals Preview8RSL Season 3 - Playoffs Preview0RSL Season 3 - RO16 Groups C & D Preview0RSL Season 3 - RO16 Groups A & B Preview2TL.net Map Contest #21: Winners12
Community News
SC2 All-Star Invitational: Jan 17-1812Weekly Cups (Dec 22-28): Classic & MaxPax win, Percival surprises1Weekly Cups (Dec 15-21): Classic wins big, MaxPax & Clem take weeklies3ComeBackTV's documentary on Byun's Career !11Weekly Cups (Dec 8-14): MaxPax, Clem, Cure win4
StarCraft 2
General
SC2 All-Star Invitational: Jan 17-18 Chinese SC2 server to reopen; live all-star event in Hangzhou Weekly Cups (Dec 22-28): Classic & MaxPax win, Percival surprises Starcraft 2 Zerg Coach ComeBackTV's documentary on Byun's Career !
Tourneys
OSC Season 13 World Championship $5,000+ WardiTV 2025 Championship $100 Prize Pool - Winter Warp Gate Masters Showdow Sparkling Tuna Cup - Weekly Open Tournament Winter Warp Gate Amateur Showdown #1
Strategy
Custom Maps
Map Editor closed ?
External Content
Mutation # 506 Warp Zone Mutation # 505 Rise From Ashes Mutation # 504 Retribution Mutation # 503 Fowl Play
Brood War
General
I would like to say something about StarCraft (UMS) SWITCHEROO *New* /Destination Edit/ BGH Auto Balance -> http://bghmmr.eu/ What monitor do you use for playing Remastered? BW General Discussion
Tourneys
SLON Grand Finals – Season 2 [Megathread] Daily Proleagues [BSL21] LB SemiFinals - Saturday 21:00 CET [BSL21] WB & LB Finals - Sunday 21:00 CET
Strategy
Fighting Spirit mining rates Simple Questions, Simple Answers Game Theory for Starcraft Current Meta
Other Games
General Games
Nintendo Switch Thread Awesome Games Done Quick 2026! Stormgate/Frost Giant Megathread Mechabellum Beyond All Reason
Dota 2
Official 'what is Dota anymore' discussion
League of Legends
Heroes of the Storm
Simple Questions, Simple Answers Heroes of the Storm 2.0
Hearthstone
Deck construction bug Heroes of StarCraft mini-set
TL Mafia
Mafia Game Mode Feedback/Ideas Survivor II: The Amazon Sengoku Mafia TL Mafia Community Thread
Community
General
Canadian Politics Mega-thread US Politics Mega-thread The Games Industry And ATVI Russo-Ukrainian War Thread 12 Days of Starcraft
Fan Clubs
White-Ra Fan Club
Media & Entertainment
Anime Discussion Thread [Manga] One Piece
Sports
2024 - 2026 Football Thread Formula 1 Discussion
World Cup 2022
Tech Support
Computer Build, Upgrade & Buying Resource Thread
TL Community
The Automated Ban List TL+ Announced Where to ask questions and add stream?
Blogs
National Diversity: A Challe…
TrAiDoS
I decided to write a webnov…
DjKniteX
James Bond movies ranking - pa…
Topin
StarCraft improvement
iopq
Customize Sidebar...

Website Feedback

Closed Threads



Active: 1638 users

'L' sound in korean names?

Forum Index > BW General
Post a Reply
Normal
caldo149
Profile Blog Joined April 2009
United States469 Posts
September 14 2009 09:31 GMT
#1
I was talking to one of my friends who is realtively fluent in Korean, and when I was reading some names like Lee Jaedong (이제동) and Lim Yo Hwan (임요환) he said that there wasn't an L sound in either of their respective names... like, it's supposed to be Ee Jaedong and Im Yo Hwan. I didn't believe him at first, since I didn't think TLPD would be wrong and a like a bazillion fans would be wrong either, but based on this guide he's right, there is no L sound at the beginning. Why is it spelled with an L in English letters if there's no L sound? I am thoroughly confused =/


Hellions are my homeboys
GTR
Profile Blog Joined September 2004
51507 Posts
Last Edited: 2009-09-14 09:35:30
September 14 2009 09:33 GMT
#2
It's how Westerners have romanized their name.
Don't ask me why.

FYI the closest hangul character to 'L' is ㄹ.
Commentator
p4NDemik
Profile Blog Joined January 2008
United States13896 Posts
September 14 2009 09:44 GMT
#3
We can't have those vowels running around all naked without being bundled up with consonants - that's just madness!
Moderator
caldo149
Profile Blog Joined April 2009
United States469 Posts
September 14 2009 09:46 GMT
#4
On September 14 2009 18:44 p4NDemik wrote:
We can't have those vowels running around all naked without being bundled up with consonants - that's just madness!


Madness? ...THIS... IS... KOREAN!
Hellions are my homeboys
Hittegods
Profile Joined April 2007
Stockholm4641 Posts
Last Edited: 2009-09-14 09:59:49
September 14 2009 09:59 GMT
#5
Ee Jaedong Han timing?
This neo violence, pure self defiance
yoodeok
Profile Joined April 2009
United States101 Posts
September 14 2009 10:03 GMT
#6
Short answer: The reason is that back in the day, Yi/이 was Lee/Rhee/리, and Im/임 was Lim/림. These days, the language has shifted, such that you don't see the L/R sound anymore very much, save some place names, such as Gwangan-ri/광안리.
Dad works for Samsung -> automatic rabid Samsung KHAN fanboy. Buy LG and I'll cut you
7mk
Profile Blog Joined January 2009
Germany10157 Posts
September 14 2009 10:19 GMT
#7
On September 14 2009 18:46 caldo149 wrote:
Show nested quote +
On September 14 2009 18:44 p4NDemik wrote:
We can't have those vowels running around all naked without being bundled up with consonants - that's just madness!


Madness? ...THIS... IS... KOREAN!



lolololol

@OP it's not like TLPD is "wrong" now because you're still supposed to write Lee, not sth silly like Ee. That would just look stupid ^^
beep boop
alffla
Profile Blog Joined November 2005
Hong Kong20321 Posts
Last Edited: 2009-09-14 10:32:46
September 14 2009 10:32 GMT
#8
hmph i dont evne know why. but if they were chinese their last names would be romanized as Lee / Li and ...Lim / Lam lol.

does that help..? at all? o _O
Graphicssavior[gm] : What is a “yawn” rape ;; Masumune - It was the year of the pig for those fucking defilers. Chill - A clinic you say? okum: SC without Korean yelling is like porn without sex. konamix: HAPPY BIRTHDAY MOMMY!
7mk
Profile Blog Joined January 2009
Germany10157 Posts
September 14 2009 10:43 GMT
#9
On September 14 2009 19:32 alffla wrote:
hmph i dont evne know why. but if they were chinese their last names would be romanized as Lee / Li and ...Lim / Lam lol.

does that help..? at all? o _O


So in chinese, do you also not pronounce the "L" ?

Bruce Ee? :p
beep boop
Terranlisk
Profile Blog Joined February 2007
Singapore1404 Posts
Last Edited: 2009-09-14 10:45:26
September 14 2009 10:44 GMT
#10
On September 14 2009 19:43 7mk wrote:
Show nested quote +
On September 14 2009 19:32 alffla wrote:
hmph i dont evne know why. but if they were chinese their last names would be romanized as Lee / Li and ...Lim / Lam lol.

does that help..? at all? o _O


So in chinese, do you also not pronounce the "L" ?

Bruce Ee? :p

no.... Bruce Lee/Li
aka myheronoob
7mk
Profile Blog Joined January 2009
Germany10157 Posts
Last Edited: 2009-09-14 10:46:23
September 14 2009 10:45 GMT
#11
On September 14 2009 19:44 MyHeroNoob wrote:
Show nested quote +
On September 14 2009 19:43 7mk wrote:
On September 14 2009 19:32 alffla wrote:
hmph i dont evne know why. but if they were chinese their last names would be romanized as Lee / Li and ...Lim / Lam lol.

does that help..? at all? o _O


So in chinese, do you also not pronounce the "L" ?

Bruce Ee? :p

no....


what exactly is this answering
is this a "no, you do pronounce the L" is it a "no you don't pronounce the L" or is it a "no you stupid dumbass Bruce Lee is an american name"

Which one? ^^

edit: ah ok ninja edit :p
beep boop
kaleidoscope
Profile Blog Joined December 2008
Singapore2887 Posts
September 14 2009 11:12 GMT
#12
Bruce Lee? We still pronounce them with the "L".. (aka Lee Xiao Long)

For korean, yep, the 이 is known as Lee, but the with the "L", it fits the chinese surname of Lee.. Partially since korean are once from China..
대지따라 돌린게 시간이다.. 흘러가고 돌아오지도 않고..
alffla
Profile Blog Joined November 2005
Hong Kong20321 Posts
September 14 2009 11:14 GMT
#13
On September 14 2009 19:45 7mk wrote:
Show nested quote +
On September 14 2009 19:44 MyHeroNoob wrote:
On September 14 2009 19:43 7mk wrote:
On September 14 2009 19:32 alffla wrote:
hmph i dont evne know why. but if they were chinese their last names would be romanized as Lee / Li and ...Lim / Lam lol.

does that help..? at all? o _O


So in chinese, do you also not pronounce the "L" ?

Bruce Ee? :p

no....


what exactly is this answering
is this a "no, you do pronounce the L" is it a "no you don't pronounce the L" or is it a "no you stupid dumbass Bruce Lee is an american name"

Which one? ^^

edit: ah ok ninja edit :p


hahah in chinese "Lee" sounds like.. "Lee" LOL but in korean is "Ee" .

koreans and chniese share many same last names but the language is different. maybe the romanization of korean names came from how chniese names were romanized? lol o_O i actually have no idea about this topic just bullshitting.
Graphicssavior[gm] : What is a “yawn” rape ;; Masumune - It was the year of the pig for those fucking defilers. Chill - A clinic you say? okum: SC without Korean yelling is like porn without sex. konamix: HAPPY BIRTHDAY MOMMY!
dasanivan
Profile Blog Joined June 2008
United States532 Posts
September 14 2009 11:24 GMT
#14
On September 14 2009 20:12 kaleidoscope wrote:
Bruce Lee? We still pronounce them with the "L".. (aka Lee Xiao Long)

For korean, yep, the 이 is known as Lee, but the with the "L", it fits the chinese surname of Lee.. Partially since korean are once from China..



koreans are mostly mongolian in origin, not chinese. but cultural things like name and language have lots of chinese influence.


snowbird
Profile Blog Joined October 2005
Germany2044 Posts
Last Edited: 2009-09-14 11:56:24
September 14 2009 11:55 GMT
#15
A general rule for words of chinese origin that start with an 'r/l' is that the initial 'r/l' is dropped if followed by 'i' or 'y' in South Korea (not in North Korea). This is also true for the name '리/이' (Lee) [李]. So originally there was an R/L, it's just that the language has evolved and they dropped it. So that's the connection between Ee and Lee.

There are romanization rules but for names people often make up their own romanizations for aesthaetic reasons. Lee is the most common romanization of the name '이', but sometimes you'll see Yi, I, Ri, Rhee (like 이승만/리승만 Seungman Rhee, first president of South Korea), etc...

If you'd go by the rules, the romanization should be Ee, but that looks kinda stupid.

@riotsnowbird
50bani
Profile Blog Joined June 2009
Romania480 Posts
September 14 2009 12:03 GMT
#16
Yeah the language must have changed a lot, I guess. Koreans still use Chinese characters to spell their names occasionally, and 李 seems to be the one for both Chinese "Li" and Korean "이" .
Did you people find it interesting that the name of the president who killed himself recently was romanised as "Roh" when it should have been "No"? Why did they do it like that?
I'm posting on twoplustwo because I have always been amazed at the level of talent that populates this site --- it's almost unparalleled on the Internet.
520
Profile Blog Joined April 2009
United States2822 Posts
September 14 2009 12:04 GMT
#17
이 = 李
임 = 林

As far as the hanja for Korean names are concerned. The characters, separately, are pronounced 리 and 림 respectively, but they are not pronounced in South Korea. However, in the North, 리 and 림 are both pronounced and spelled that way.
Writer
Scorch
Profile Blog Joined March 2008
Austria3371 Posts
September 14 2009 12:13 GMT
#18
Slightly off topic: Is there no sound for F/V/W in Korean? They always say "pesseli" instead of science vessel, "depiloh" for defiler, "ribo" for reaver etc.
520
Profile Blog Joined April 2009
United States2822 Posts
Last Edited: 2009-09-14 12:24:07
September 14 2009 12:18 GMT
#19
On September 14 2009 21:13 Scorch wrote:
Slightly off topic: Is there no sound for F/V/W in Korean? They always say "pesseli" instead of science vessel, "depiloh" for defiler, "ribo" for reaver etc.

Yes, for F/V. There is a W sound in Korean.

ㅍ, the Korean equivalent of the letter "p", is used for v's and f's.
Writer
zeppelin
Profile Joined December 2007
United States565 Posts
Last Edited: 2009-09-14 12:26:20
September 14 2009 12:26 GMT
#20
On September 14 2009 21:18 scintilliaSD wrote:
Show nested quote +
On September 14 2009 21:13 Scorch wrote:
Slightly off topic: Is there no sound for F/V/W in Korean? They always say "pesseli" instead of science vessel, "depiloh" for defiler, "ribo" for reaver etc.

Yes, for F/V. There is a W sound in Korean.

ㅍ, the Korean equivalent of the letter "p", is used for v's and f's.


and b's! (sometimes)
Mah Buckit!
Profile Joined April 2009
Finland474 Posts
September 14 2009 13:07 GMT
#21
Fortunately we can all still understand reavureavureavu and plaguuuuuuuuu.
Don´t really care about how they pronounce other things.
Starcraft? Epic Grimness.
wanderer
Profile Blog Joined May 2007
United States641 Posts
Last Edited: 2009-09-15 00:56:46
September 14 2009 18:44 GMT
#22
hi there

i read the original post and scrolled through looking for one of those brief essay post-looking things where they explain how the L sound works in the language and since i didn't see any i'm just gonna post and hope that i'm the first one actually answering the question properly:

meet the letter riul. riul looks like this ㄹ

riul, when starting a syllable in korean, makes the r sound. however when at the end of a syllable it makes the l sound.

as a side note, riul can also make the l sound when you have two syllables where the one on the left ends with riul and the one on the right begins with riul.

for example: plaguuuuuuuuuu, like the guy who posted above me. in korean, this would be written as 플레 그 and then the uuuuu would be more u sounds, so it would be like 플레 그으으으으으으으~
(the circle thing when starting a syllable in korean is silent, but i'm not teaching you the whole language here so just go with it)

you've probably seen people spell out the plaguuuu by writing puh lagu uuuuuhhh -- that's more literally what the whole korean spelling of it is saying. they like to emphasize the uh sounds after hard consonants in their language (we have a lot of those in ours, which is probably why you hear it so much when you see them talk about puh row toss uh and cho guh during their game broadcasts). in our language we just like to say plague in stead of puh-layguh. koreans are just more literal and strict with their spelling than we are in ours.

since that was an example of combining two riuls to make an l sound, i'll give you an example of the whole "when its at the end of a word" thing, an example of when its at the beginning and makes the r sound... and then i'll shut up and go back to lurking:

물is pronounced mool (like what the cow says but with an l at the end) and means water.


제기랄
is pronounced che gi ral (3 syllables, 3 pictures... convenient isn't it?) and the last syllable has 2 riuls: one at the beginning (the r sound) and one at the end (the l sound). by the way, chegiral means bullshit or damnit.

that's all there is to know

edit -- if you aren't convinced for whatever reason that the blocks of black rectangles at the bottom of some of those characters are actually riuls, copy/paste to notepad and blow it up with the font to see for yourself.
Fuck you, I have a degree in mathematics and I speak 12 languages. (I called the World Cup final in 2008 btw)
Phrogs!
Profile Blog Joined August 2008
Japan521 Posts
Last Edited: 2009-09-14 19:39:02
September 14 2009 19:38 GMT
#23
You've only just noticed this? Let me blow your mind some more~

Woongjin Stars = 웅진 스타즈

Oh shit, where's the W?!
PH
Profile Blog Joined June 2008
United States6173 Posts
September 14 2009 19:51 GMT
#24
This is why East Asians get made fun of for not being able to pronounce L's...it's 'cause it doesn't really exist by itself in the Korean language.
Hello
caldo149
Profile Blog Joined April 2009
United States469 Posts
September 14 2009 21:23 GMT
#25
On September 15 2009 04:38 Phrogs! wrote:
You've only just noticed this? Let me blow your mind some more~

Woongjin Stars = 웅진 스타즈

Oh shit, where's the W?!

OMG my mind has been blown. wtf. Why do people add consonant sounds that are not there!?

@ wanderer: that's a ton of awesome info but I'm looking more for why it's spelled with the L sound in the English alphabet when there really is no L sound, like 이, for example. It should be 리 if there is actually the L sound.

From most of the posts here it seems like people simply value the aesthetic of the consonant sound more than having accurate pronounciation.
Hellions are my homeboys
GTR
Profile Blog Joined September 2004
51507 Posts
September 14 2009 21:27 GMT
#26
On September 15 2009 04:38 Phrogs! wrote:
You've only just noticed this? Let me blow your mind some more~

Woongjin Stars = 웅진 스타즈

Oh shit, where's the W?!


Phoenetically it's 'Oongjin Seutahjeu', but Woongjin decided to romanize their name as 'Woongjin' so there you go.
Commentator
illu
Profile Blog Joined December 2008
Canada2531 Posts
September 14 2009 21:30 GMT
#27
On September 15 2009 04:51 PH wrote:
This is why East Asians get made fun of for not being able to pronounce L's...

Just Koreans and Japanese, I think ;P
:]
PH
Profile Blog Joined June 2008
United States6173 Posts
September 14 2009 23:36 GMT
#28
On September 15 2009 06:23 caldo149 wrote:
Show nested quote +
On September 15 2009 04:38 Phrogs! wrote:
You've only just noticed this? Let me blow your mind some more~

Woongjin Stars = 웅진 스타즈

Oh shit, where's the W?!

OMG my mind has been blown. wtf. Why do people add consonant sounds that are not there!?

@ wanderer: that's a ton of awesome info but I'm looking more for why it's spelled with the L sound in the English alphabet when there really is no L sound, like 이, for example. It should be 리 if there is actually the L sound.

From most of the posts here it seems like people simply value the aesthetic of the consonant sound more than having accurate pronounciation.

Yeah, that's just a weird thing that happened...it somehow got romanized that way for no real reason. When you hear people speak it, though, it does kiiind of sound like you could get away with an L sound in there.

On September 15 2009 06:27 GTR wrote:
Show nested quote +
On September 15 2009 04:38 Phrogs! wrote:
You've only just noticed this? Let me blow your mind some more~

Woongjin Stars = 웅진 스타즈

Oh shit, where's the W?!


Phoenetically it's 'Oongjin Seutahjeu', but Woongjin decided to romanize their name as 'Woongjin' so there you go.

For the "o" character in Korean, a lot of Korean things that start with the at character are romanized with w's in front...like there's a bank in Korea called "oori eunhaeng", which means "our bank", but it's romanized to "woori bank"...that's another weird thing.

On September 15 2009 06:30 illu wrote:
Show nested quote +
On September 15 2009 04:51 PH wrote:
This is why East Asians get made fun of for not being able to pronounce L's...

Just Koreans and Japanese, I think ;P

Don't the Japanese have a kanji or two that require L's specifically as opposed to R's? I don't know.

The poor Chinese get made fun of for the whole L/R thing more than Koreans and Japanese do, though...haha.
Hello
skindzer
Profile Blog Joined May 2005
Chile5114 Posts
September 15 2009 00:21 GMT
#29
I remember one time rekrul said that its "eem yo hwan"
Its not only the rain that brings the thunder
caldo149
Profile Blog Joined April 2009
United States469 Posts
September 15 2009 00:23 GMT
#30
On September 15 2009 09:21 skindzer wrote:
I remember one time rekrul said that its "eem yo hwan"


and he was right.
Hellions are my homeboys
wanderer
Profile Blog Joined May 2007
United States641 Posts
Last Edited: 2009-09-15 01:03:42
September 15 2009 00:55 GMT
#31
On September 15 2009 06:23 caldo149 wrote:
Show nested quote +
On September 15 2009 04:38 Phrogs! wrote:
You've only just noticed this? Let me blow your mind some more~

Woongjin Stars = 웅진 스타즈

Oh shit, where's the W?!

OMG my mind has been blown. wtf. Why do people add consonant sounds that are not there!?

@ wanderer: that's a ton of awesome info but I'm looking more for why it's spelled with the L sound in the English alphabet when there really is no L sound, like 이, for example. It should be 리 if there is actually the L sound.

From most of the posts here it seems like people simply value the aesthetic of the consonant sound more than having accurate pronounciation.



My last name is Lee irl. I could spell it 리 or 이 in Korean if I wanted to. Yes, 이 is not literally pronounced Lee but rather as "Ee", which is the same as the Chinese last name Yi. (The majority of all Korean words have roots in Chinese, dontchaknow)

Back then they were two different names, but since they pretty much sound the same and the beginning consonant isn't as big of a deal when it comes to things like 이 or that "Woong" thing you saw earlier, in English we find it very important to have a our way with romanizing words so that they look easier for us to pronounce... unless you're from another country that is.

I'll let Wikipedia explain the difference:


Lee is the common English spelling of 이 (Korean pronunciation: [iː]), a common Korean family name. The proper pronunciation of the name in South Korea is "E" as in the letter in English; for more information, read the aforementioned link to "Korean pronunciation." Although in North Korea the name is still spelled as "리" and pronounced "Lee". Many times South Koreans will knowingly introduce themselves as "Lee" to foreigners even though this is not the proper pronunciation of their name. The more traditional spelling and therefore pronunciation of the name is the North Korean "리" (Lee). 이 derived from the Chinese Hanzi character (the Korean Hanja character is written the same way) 李 is the second most common family name (after Kim)김 in Korea, with 이 derived from 異 or 伊 being relatively rare. The name is sometimes also transliterated as Yi (more commonly used in modern times when transliterating a given, rather than family, name) or Ri (North Korean), and was previously transliterated as Rhie or Rhee. The pronunciation of 李 as 리 is still common in North Korea.
Fuck you, I have a degree in mathematics and I speak 12 languages. (I called the World Cup final in 2008 btw)
wanderer
Profile Blog Joined May 2007
United States641 Posts
September 15 2009 01:01 GMT
#32
On September 15 2009 04:38 Phrogs! wrote:
You've only just noticed this? Let me blow your mind some more~

Woongjin Stars = 웅진 스타즈

Oh shit, where's the W?!

There is no Woo sound in Korean. Its just Oong, but if you want to be all English and make it more pronounceable and nicer to our eyes then you'll add the W so that its easier to look at and obvious to pronounce.


back to lurking
Fuck you, I have a degree in mathematics and I speak 12 languages. (I called the World Cup final in 2008 btw)
GreEny K
Profile Joined February 2008
Germany7312 Posts
September 15 2009 01:29 GMT
#33
Wow, had no idea Lee sounds better. And is that in all asian languages? Like Bruce Lee would be pronounced Bruce Ee?
Why would you ever choose failure, when success is an option.
wok
Profile Blog Joined July 2009
United States504 Posts
September 15 2009 01:41 GMT
#34
is Bruce Lee Korean?
I'll race you to defeatism... you win.
520
Profile Blog Joined April 2009
United States2822 Posts
September 15 2009 02:39 GMT
#35
On September 15 2009 10:29 GreEny K wrote:
Wow, had no idea Lee sounds better. And is that in all asian languages? Like Bruce Lee would be pronounced Bruce Ee?

No. This rule doesn't apply for Chinese.
Writer
520
Profile Blog Joined April 2009
United States2822 Posts
September 15 2009 02:40 GMT
#36
On September 15 2009 09:55 wanderer wrote:
Show nested quote +
On September 15 2009 06:23 caldo149 wrote:
On September 15 2009 04:38 Phrogs! wrote:
You've only just noticed this? Let me blow your mind some more~

Woongjin Stars = 웅진 스타즈

Oh shit, where's the W?!

OMG my mind has been blown. wtf. Why do people add consonant sounds that are not there!?

@ wanderer: that's a ton of awesome info but I'm looking more for why it's spelled with the L sound in the English alphabet when there really is no L sound, like 이, for example. It should be 리 if there is actually the L sound.

From most of the posts here it seems like people simply value the aesthetic of the consonant sound more than having accurate pronounciation.



My last name is Lee irl. I could spell it 리 or 이 in Korean if I wanted to. Yes, 이 is not literally pronounced Lee but rather as "Ee", which is the same as the Chinese last name Yi. (The majority of all Korean words have roots in Chinese, dontchaknow)

Back then they were two different names, but since they pretty much sound the same and the beginning consonant isn't as big of a deal when it comes to things like 이 or that "Woong" thing you saw earlier, in English we find it very important to have a our way with romanizing words so that they look easier for us to pronounce... unless you're from another country that is.

I'll let Wikipedia explain the difference:

Show nested quote +

Lee is the common English spelling of 이 (Korean pronunciation: [iː]), a common Korean family name. The proper pronunciation of the name in South Korea is "E" as in the letter in English; for more information, read the aforementioned link to "Korean pronunciation." Although in North Korea the name is still spelled as "리" and pronounced "Lee". Many times South Koreans will knowingly introduce themselves as "Lee" to foreigners even though this is not the proper pronunciation of their name. The more traditional spelling and therefore pronunciation of the name is the North Korean "리" (Lee). 이 derived from the Chinese Hanzi character (the Korean Hanja character is written the same way) 李 is the second most common family name (after Kim)김 in Korea, with 이 derived from 異 or 伊 being relatively rare. The name is sometimes also transliterated as Yi (more commonly used in modern times when transliterating a given, rather than family, name) or Ri (North Korean), and was previously transliterated as Rhie or Rhee. The pronunciation of 李 as 리 is still common in North Korea.


That being said, the Korean name 이 does not correspond to the Chinese last name Yi. It corresponds to the Chinese last name 李, which makes it the most common surname in the world, as it is shared by Koreans, Chinese and a small number of Vietnamese.
Writer
Kenpachi
Profile Blog Joined August 2009
United States9908 Posts
September 15 2009 02:44 GMT
#37
haha what a coincidence. My cousin was like theres no L sound today. (Note that my Korean is 3rd grade level.)
Nada's body is South Korea's greatest weapon.
SanguineToss
Profile Blog Joined August 2009
Canada815 Posts
September 15 2009 03:18 GMT
#38
On September 14 2009 20:12 kaleidoscope wrote:
Bruce Lee? We still pronounce them with the "L".. (aka Lee Xiao Long)

For korean, yep, the 이 is known as Lee, but the with the "L", it fits the chinese surname of Lee.. Partially since korean are once from China..


Bro get your facts straight, just cause we took your alphabet doesnt mean we originated from chinese people -_-
Pieguy314
Profile Blog Joined November 2008
Canada262 Posts
September 15 2009 03:36 GMT
#39
On September 15 2009 12:18 SanguineToss wrote:
Show nested quote +
On September 14 2009 20:12 kaleidoscope wrote:
Bruce Lee? We still pronounce them with the "L".. (aka Lee Xiao Long)

For korean, yep, the 이 is known as Lee, but the with the "L", it fits the chinese surname of Lee.. Partially since korean are once from China..


Bro get your facts straight, just cause we took your alphabet doesnt mean we originated from chinese people -_-

FYI chinese does NOT have an alphabet.
asdfasdf
LosingID8
Profile Blog Joined December 2006
CA10828 Posts
September 15 2009 03:43 GMT
#40
On September 14 2009 21:26 zeppelin wrote:
Show nested quote +
On September 14 2009 21:18 scintilliaSD wrote:
On September 14 2009 21:13 Scorch wrote:
Slightly off topic: Is there no sound for F/V/W in Korean? They always say "pesseli" instead of science vessel, "depiloh" for defiler, "ribo" for reaver etc.

Yes, for F/V. There is a W sound in Korean.

ㅍ, the Korean equivalent of the letter "p", is used for v's and f's.


and b's! (sometimes)

the H sound is sometimes substituted for the F sound in loan words (easiest example is foil)
ModeratorResident K-POP Elitist
PH
Profile Blog Joined June 2008
United States6173 Posts
September 15 2009 05:51 GMT
#41
Really? I thought it would be done with the "p" letter... "poil"...lol.
Hello
gngfn
Profile Joined January 2009
United States1726 Posts
September 15 2009 06:07 GMT
#42
On September 15 2009 08:36 PH wrote:
Don't the Japanese have a kanji or two that require L's specifically as opposed to R's? I don't know.

No.
520
Profile Blog Joined April 2009
United States2822 Posts
September 15 2009 10:56 GMT
#43
On September 15 2009 12:43 LosingID8 wrote:
Show nested quote +
On September 14 2009 21:26 zeppelin wrote:
On September 14 2009 21:18 scintilliaSD wrote:
On September 14 2009 21:13 Scorch wrote:
Slightly off topic: Is there no sound for F/V/W in Korean? They always say "pesseli" instead of science vessel, "depiloh" for defiler, "ribo" for reaver etc.

Yes, for F/V. There is a W sound in Korean.

ㅍ, the Korean equivalent of the letter "p", is used for v's and f's.


and b's! (sometimes)

the H sound is sometimes substituted for the F sound in loan words (easiest example is foil)

Or 화이팅/파이팅 :p
Writer
kaleidoscope
Profile Blog Joined December 2008
Singapore2887 Posts
September 15 2009 11:11 GMT
#44
On September 15 2009 12:18 SanguineToss wrote:
Show nested quote +
On September 14 2009 20:12 kaleidoscope wrote:
Bruce Lee? We still pronounce them with the "L".. (aka Lee Xiao Long)

For korean, yep, the 이 is known as Lee, but the with the "L", it fits the chinese surname of Lee.. Partially since korean are once from China..


Bro get your facts straight, just cause we took your alphabet doesnt mean we originated from chinese people -_-


I didnt say that koreans are really once 100% china ppl.. They are called Koreans for a reason =D There are hybridisation of cultures and language cos of the migration of china to korean in the past.. Same goes for the japanese.. The real aborigines of japan are found mainly on the northern..

대지따라 돌린게 시간이다.. 흘러가고 돌아오지도 않고..
Normal
Please log in or register to reply.
Live Events Refresh
Next event in 1d 14h
[ Submit Event ]
Live Streams
Refresh
StarCraft 2
PiGStarcraft352
Nathanias 38
MindelVK 31
EmSc Tv 19
StarCraft: Brood War
Britney 16798
Hyun 48
Aegong 39
NaDa 16
Dota 2
monkeys_forever262
League of Legends
JimRising 595
C9.Mang0191
Counter-Strike
fl0m1365
Heroes of the Storm
Liquid`Hasu118
Other Games
Grubby5152
summit1g5018
tarik_tv2461
Beastyqt738
Sick158
ZombieGrub150
Mew2King63
Organizations
StarCraft 2
EmSc Tv 19
EmSc2Tv 19
Blizzard YouTube
StarCraft: Brood War
BSLTrovo
sctven
[ Show 18 non-featured ]
StarCraft 2
• naamasc235
• Kozan
• IndyKCrew
• sooper7s
• AfreecaTV YouTube
• Migwel
• intothetv
• LaughNgamezSOOP
StarCraft: Brood War
• Azhi_Dahaki10
• STPLYoutube
• ZZZeroYoutube
• BSLYoutube
Dota 2
• masondota21917
League of Legends
• Doublelift3051
Other Games
• imaqtpie2502
• WagamamaTV403
• Shiphtur284
• tFFMrPink 15
Upcoming Events
OSC
1d 14h
Korean StarCraft League
2 days
OSC
2 days
IPSL
2 days
Dewalt vs Bonyth
OSC
2 days
OSC
3 days
uThermal 2v2 Circuit
3 days
Replay Cast
4 days
Patches Events
4 days
Liquipedia Results

Completed

Proleague 2025-12-29
WardiTV 2025
META Madness #9

Ongoing

C-Race Season 1
IPSL Winter 2025-26
BSL Season 21
Slon Tour Season 2
CSL 2025 WINTER (S19)
eXTREMESLAND 2025
SL Budapest Major 2025
ESL Impact League Season 8
BLAST Rivals Fall 2025
IEM Chengdu 2025
PGL Masters Bucharest 2025
Thunderpick World Champ.
CS Asia Championships 2025

Upcoming

Escore Tournament S1: W2
Escore Tournament S1: W3
BSL 21 Non-Korean Championship
Acropolis #4
IPSL Spring 2026
Bellum Gens Elite Stara Zagora 2026
HSC XXVIII
Thunderfire SC2 All-star 2025
Big Gabe Cup #3
OSC Championship Season 13
Nations Cup 2026
Underdog Cup #3
NA Kuram Kup
ESL Pro League Season 23
ESL Pro League Season 23
PGL Cluj-Napoca 2026
IEM Kraków 2026
BLAST Bounty Winter 2026
BLAST Bounty Winter Qual
TLPD

1. ByuN
2. TY
3. Dark
4. Solar
5. Stats
6. Nerchio
7. sOs
8. soO
9. INnoVation
10. Elazer
1. Rain
2. Flash
3. EffOrt
4. Last
5. Bisu
6. Soulkey
7. Mini
8. Sharp
Sidebar Settings...

Advertising | Privacy Policy | Terms Of Use | Contact Us

Original banner artwork: Jim Warren
The contents of this webpage are copyright © 2026 TLnet. All Rights Reserved.