Maria, 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 마 | ㅁ + ㅏ | ㅁ m ㅏ a, as in “father” | ma |
| 리 | ㄹ + ㅣ | ㄹ r (a light, flapped r) ㅣ i, as in “see” | ri |
| 아 | ㅇ + ㅏ | ㅇ silent at the start ㅏ a, as in “father” | a |
Why Maria 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”.
- Say each block evenly. Korean doesn’t stress one syllable over the others the way English does, so Maria sounds like ma-ri-a.
Introducing yourself
The ending after your name depends on how it ends in Korean. 마리아 ends in a vowel, so you say 제 이름은 마리아예요 (je ireumeun mariayeyo). With friends, Koreans add 야 (ya) when calling someone by name. At work, coworkers will usually call you 마리아 씨 or 마리아 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.