Lisa, 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 리 | ㄹ + ㅣ | ㄹ r (a light, flapped r) ㅣ i, as in “see” | ri |
| 사 | ㅅ + ㅏ | ㅅ s ㅏ a, as in “father” | sa |
Why Lisa is written this way
- Every sound in Lisa has a close match in Korean, so it is spelled just as it sounds: 리 (ri) + 사 (sa).
- Say each block evenly. Korean doesn’t stress one syllable over the others the way English does, so Lisa sounds like ri-sa.
Introducing yourself
The ending after your name depends on how it ends in Korean. 리사 ends in a vowel, so you say 제 이름은 리사예요 (je ireumeun risayeyo). With friends, Koreans add 야 (ya) when calling someone by name. At work, coworkers will usually call you 리사 씨 or 리사 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.