Hangul → Romanization Converter
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Romanized
Revised Romanization (RR)
Paste Korean text above. Sound changes like 종로 → Jongno and 신라 → Silla are applied automatically.
What the converter does (and doesn’t)
- Standard mode — computes standard pronunciation first (final-consonant neutralization, liaison, aspiration with ㅎ, palatalization, nasalization, ㄹ → ㄴ, liquidization) and then maps to Roman letters: ㄱ/ㄷ/ㅂ = g/d/b before vowels but k/t/p at the end, ㄹ = r/l, ㅢ = ui, ㅓ = eo, ㅡ = eu. Tense-consonant changes are not written (압구정 Apgujeong).
- Personal-name mode — syllable by syllable without sound changes (홍빛나 Hong Bitna), family name first, given name as one word (optional hyphen). Family names get the customary spelling shown next to the strict one.
- Limits we tell you about — compound-word ㄴ-insertion (솜이불 → somnibul), 사이시옷 words and the eleven ㄴ+ㄹ exceptions (의견란 → uigyeonnan) are applied only for words listed in the regulation; unknown compounds may not get them. Nouns keep ㅎ after ㄱ/ㄷ/ㅂ (묵호 Mukho, 국회 Gukhoe) as the rule prescribes; verbs aspirate (잡혀 japyeo).
Sources & rules applied
- Revised Romanization of Korean — Ch. 2 tables (표기 일람) — vowels; ㄱㄷㅂ → g/d/b or k/t/p; ㄹ → r/l, ㄹㄹ → ll 국립국어원 ↗
- Ch. 3 — points of attention (표기상의 유의점) — Art. 1 sound changes (Baengma, Jongno, Silla, Hangnyeoul, gachi, joko; nouns keep ㅎ: Mukho); Art. 2 optional hyphen; Art. 4 personal names; Art. 5 administrative units; Art. 8 academic transliteration 국립국어원 ↗
- Standard Pronunciation (표준 발음법) — Ch. 4 finals, Ch. 5 assimilation, Ch. 7 insertion — Art. 8–16, 17–20, 29–30 — the sound-change engine implements these; the ㄴ-insertion and exception words come straight from the regulation’s examples 국립국어원 ↗
- Family-name spellings — strict RR vs customary (Kim/Lee/Park) — the regulation leaves surnames to a separate rule that was never enacted; customary forms shown for reference only RR 제3장 제4항 ↗
FAQ
What romanization system does this use?
The Revised Romanization of Korean (국어의 로마자 표기법), the official system of the Republic of Korea since 2000, as published by the National Institute of Korean Language. It is what you see on road signs, station names and passports issued today (Busan, Jeju, Gyeongbokgung).
Why is 종로 romanized Jongno and not Jongro?
Because Revised Romanization writes standard pronunciation, not letters. In 종로 the ㄹ after ㅇ is pronounced ㄴ (nasalization), so the official spelling is Jongno. Our converter applies these sound-change rules — nasalization, liquidization (신라 → Silla), palatalization (같이 → gachi), aspiration (좋고 → joko) — and shows which ones fired.
How do I romanize a Korean name?
Switch to Personal-name mode. Names are written syllable by syllable without sound changes (한복남 → Han Boknam, not Hangbongnam), family name first, given name as one word (a hyphen between syllables is allowed: Bok-nam). Family names have customary spellings (김 Kim, 이 Lee, 박 Park) that differ from the strict rule (Gim, I, Bak) — we show both.
What is the difference between Revised Romanization and McCune–Reischauer (Busan vs Pusan)?
McCune–Reischauer (1937) uses apostrophes and breves (Pusan, Kyŏngju) and is still used in some academic works and in North Korea. Revised Romanization (2000) uses only plain letters (Busan, Gyeongju) and is the South Korean standard. This tool outputs Revised Romanization only.
Can it convert romanized Korean back to Hangul?
No, and on purpose: romanization is ambiguous in reverse (“jeong” could be 정 or 젓, and sound changes hide the original letters). Learn Hangul instead — it takes an afternoon.
What is the “transliteration” mode?
Chapter 3, Article 8 of the regulation defines a letter-by-letter mode for academic use where the original Hangul can be restored: 독립 → doglib, 없었습니다 → eobs-eoss-seubnida. Use it for linguistics papers, not for names or signs.
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