Lawrence, letter by letter
Hangul is written in blocks. Each block is one syllable, built from a consonant, a vowel and sometimes a final consonant at the bottom.
| Block | Letters | How each letter sounds | Sound |
|---|---|---|---|
| 로 | ㄹ + ㅗ | ㄹ r (a light, flapped r) ㅗ o, as in “go” (shorter) | ro |
| 렌 | ㄹ + ㅔ + ㄴ | ㄹ r (a light, flapped r) ㅔ e, as in “bed” ㄴ n at the end | ren |
| 스 | ㅅ + ㅡ | ㅅ s ㅡ eu, like “oo” said with spread lips | seu |
Why Lawrence is written this way
- Korean has one letter, ㄹ, for both “r” and “l”. At the start of a syllable it is a light, flapped sound between the two; at the end of a block it sounds like “l”.
- Korean syllables can’t end in most consonant sounds, and two consonants can’t start one, so a soft ㅡ (eu) is added: 스. Say it lightly — it is barely heard.
- Say each block evenly. Korean doesn’t stress one syllable over the others the way English does, so Lawrence sounds like ro-ren-seu.
Introducing yourself
The ending after your name depends on how it ends in Korean. 로렌스 ends in a vowel, so you say 제 이름은 로렌스예요 (je ireumeun rorenseuyeyo). With friends, Koreans add 야 (ya) when calling someone by name. At work, coworkers will usually call you 로렌스 씨 or 로렌스 님.
Official documents such as your residence card use your name in English letters, as in your passport. The Hangul spelling is what friends, coworkers and baristas will write.