Country namesakes
The most amazing feature of Korea lies in the fact that it is a country of namesakes. Any Russian who visited here could make sure of himself. For a few days of stay in Korea, you will probably meet many kimov, packs and whether. At the same time, all these kids and whether, as a rule, do not consist of each other in any respect. They are not relatives, albeit distant, namely the same name. This, however, is not the only one weird in our opinion the feature of Korean names.
How are Korean names and surnames arranged? Korean surnames are usually one-staple (there are two-sided, but very rarely). Korean names in most cases, on the contrary, duplex, although sometimes there are and names consisting of one syllable. By Far Eastern tradition, the name is always written after the name. However, those Koreans who often communicate with foreigners, at meetings with them often refer to the American way: first the name, and then the name. This, of course, makes a considerable confusion. However, inside Korea, the normal order is kept strictly, and if you met the Korean with the name of the three syllables, then almost certainly the first syllable is his last name, and the second is the name. If Korean is called, say, Kim Him, then "Kim" — This is his last name, and "Him Su" — name. Of course, there are no counties of Koreans, patronymic – a purely Russian invention (there is something similar, however, the Bulgarian and Arabs).
Both names and surnames in Korea Chinese, hieroglyphic origin. Although the number of Chinese hieroglyphs, which are most often used to form names, and not very large, just a few hundred, but they can be combined with each other quite quaint, and the number of possible combinations is huge. Therefore, although Korea is the country of namesakes, theses, that is, people with the same men, here are quite rare, much less often than in Russia. By virtue of this, the list of the most popular Korean names is almost impossible, standard names as such do not exist: the Korean name is quite an arbitrarily selected combination of two hieroglyphs, each of which has its own independent value.
A clear face between women’s and male names does not exist. Of course, there are hieroglyphs that are most often included in female names, and there are those that can be found only in the male name. To first, "feminine" These are, for example, such hieroglyphs as "Mi" ("the beauty"), "Suk" ("Clean, chastity"), "hooked" ("flower"). In men’s names are often found hieroglyphs "NS" ("Tiger"), "juice" ("stone") and some others. Thus, Pak Flavor (Pak Flower-Beauty) is almost certainly a woman, and Chhel Ho Juice (Chvel Tiger Stone) – Almost probably a man. However, most nominal hieroglyphs are neutral. Such hieroglyphs "syn" ("reliability"), "IN" ("humanity"), "HN" ("wisdom") can be likely to enter into composition and male and female name. Therefore, to determine by name, whether it is about a man or a woman, it is not always possible.
Until the end of the last century, Koreanka, for the most part, did not have official, that is, hieroglyphic, personal names. They were called or on home nickname, or by the surname (which they, having married, did not change), or by the name of their older child. Now the situation, of course, has changed. However, in our days, a woman in Korea, going married, retains his former surname.
As I have already mentioned, a characteristic and often puzzling alien feature of Korea is the exclusive abundance of namesakes. In the whole Korea in the 1980s. There were 298 names. This in itself is not very much, but it is necessary, in addition, to consider that more than half of the country’s total population wore one of the 10 most common names. According to the data conducted in 1985. population census, then of 44 million 420 thousand Koreans surname Kim wore 8 million. 785 thousand., Li – 5 million. 985 thousand., Pak – 3 million. 436 thousand., ChGVE (in Russia is recorded as Tsoi) – 1 million. 913 thousand. and chon – 1 million. 781 thousand. human. This means that every fifth Korean wore the surname Kim, every eighth – whether. Other common surnames include Kan, Cho, Yun, Chan, Lim, Khan, Sim, O, CO (the number of media of each of these surnames in 1985. exceeded 600 thousand people). The carriers of all these 13 surnames, combined, are 60% of the country’s population! Of course, it seems to us strange, but Koreans, in turn, seems to be a strange Russian situation, when many people wear identical names. There is no topic in Korea, but in Russia, where neither look, everywhere Sergei, Andrei and Lena!
The abundance of namesakes in Korea leads to the fact that it is almost impossible to find a person for one name in Korea. Everyone who worked in Korea had to deal with the situation when a Russian businessman or an official demanded from the translator to immediately find him "Kima from Kison Electronics". If we consider the fact that the company employs, for example, 700 people, and the fact that one in five of them, according to the laws of statistics, is the name of Kim, it is clear that the right to discover Kim among about 140 candidates were, to put it mildly, not very easy.
