Korean Girl Names
Korean girl names tend to be soft, balanced and full of hopeful meanings. Most have two syllables, each tied to a hanja character: Seo-yeon (瑞妍) combines “auspicious” and “beautiful,” while Ha-eun (夏恩) pairs “summer” with “grace.” Others skip hanja entirely and use native Korean words like Bom (spring) or Da-som (love).
We’ve collected more than 90 Korean girl names with Hangul, a common hanja spelling and the meaning, from today’s top picks to names made famous by K-pop. Start with our overview of Korean names, compare with Korean boy names, or explore Japanese girl names for a neighboring tradition.
Popular Korean girl names
These names regularly rank near the top of South Korea’s birth registrations. Soft endings like -ah, -yun, -eun and -seo dominate.
| Name | Hangul (hanja) | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| Seo-ah | 서아 (瑞兒) | Auspicious + child |
| Ha-yun | 하윤 (夏潤) | Summer + radiant, lustrous |
| Seo-yun | 서윤 (瑞允) | Auspicious + sincere |
| Ha-eun | 하은 (夏恩) | Summer + grace |
| Ji-woo | 지우 (智友) | Wisdom + friend |
| Su-ah | 수아 (秀雅) | Excellent + elegant |
| A-yun | 아윤 (雅潤) | Elegant + lustrous |
| Seo-yeon | 서연 (瑞妍) | Auspicious + beautiful |
| Min-seo | 민서 (敏瑞) | Clever + auspicious |
| Ji-yu | 지유 (智裕) | Wisdom + abundant |
| Yun-seo | 윤서 (潤瑞) | Lustrous + auspicious |
| Chae-won | 채원 (采媛) | Colorful + beautiful lady |
| Da-eun | 다은 (多恩) | Much grace |
| Ye-rin | 예린 (藝潾) | Art + clear water |
| Su-bin | 수빈 (秀彬) | Excellent + refined |
| Si-a | 시아 (詩雅) | Poem + elegant |
| I-seo | 이서 (理瑞) | Reason + auspicious |
| A-rin | 아린 (雅潾) | Elegant + clear |
| So-yul | 소율 (昭律) | Bright + rhythm |
| Ha-rin | 하린 (夏潾) | Summer + clear stream |
| Ye-eun | 예은 (藝恩) | Art + grace |
| Ji-a | 지아 (智雅) | Wisdom + elegance |
Native Korean girl names
Pure Korean names use everyday words for nature, seasons and feelings. They have no hanja, so the meaning is clear to every Korean speaker. Find more ideas in nature names for girls.
| Name | Hangul | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| Ha-neul | 하늘 | Sky, heaven |
| Na-rae | 나래 | Wings |
| Bo-ra | 보라 | Purple |
| Da-som | 다솜 | Love (old Korean) |
| Bom | 봄 | Spring |
| I-seul | 이슬 | Dew |
| Ga-eul | 가을 | Autumn |
| Byeol | 별 | Star |
| Ha-na | 하나 | One, the only one |
| A-reum | 아름 | Beauty |
| Seul-gi | 슬기 | Wisdom (also Red Velvet’s Kang Seul-gi) |
| Na-ri | 나리 | Lily |
| Cho-rong | 초롱 | Lantern; bright, sparkling eyes |
| Sae-bom | 새봄 | New spring |
| Nu-ri | 누리 | World |
| So-ra | 소라 | Conch shell |
| Ga-ram | 가람 | River (old Korean) |
| Bit-na | 빛나 | To shine |
| Sa-rang | 사랑 | Love |
| A-ra | 아라 | Sea (old Korean) |
Korean girl names inspired by flowers, jewels and sky
Hanja for lotus, snow and pearls give these names a graceful, poetic feel. See also names that mean flower and names that mean star.
| Name | Hangul (hanja) | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| Yeon-hwa | 연화 (蓮花) | Lotus flower |
| Mae-hwa | 매화 (梅花) | Plum blossom |
| Su-ryeon | 수련 (睡蓮) | Water lily |
| Hwa-young | 화영 (華英) | Flower + brilliant |
| Seol-a | 설아 (雪兒) | Snow child |
| Eun-ha | 은하 (銀河) | Milky Way, “silver river” |
| Yu-ri | 유리 (琉璃) | Lapis lazuli, glass |
| Jin-ju | 진주 (眞珠) | Pearl |
| Eun-byeol | 은별 | Silver star (hanja + native) |
| Min-ha | 민하 (旻霞) | Autumn sky + rosy clouds |
| Ha-yeon | 하연 (夏蓮) | Summer lotus |
| So-hee | 소희 (昭熙) | Bright + shining |
Classic Korean girl names
Popular with women born from the 1950s to the 1980s. The -ja (子) ending, as in Sun-ja, came from Japanese naming during the colonial era and faded after 1945.
| Name | Hangul (hanja) | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| Ji-young | 지영 (智英) | Wisdom + brilliant |
| Su-jin | 수진 (秀珍) | Excellent + precious |
| Eun-jung | 은정 (恩貞) | Grace + faithful |
| Mi-young | 미영 (美英) | Beauty + brilliant |
| Hye-jin | 혜진 (慧珍) | Intelligent + precious |
| Min-jung | 민정 (旼貞) | Gentle + faithful |
| Eun-ji | 은지 (恩智) | Grace + wisdom |
| Hyun-joo | 현주 (賢珠) | Wise + pearl |
| Young-hee | 영희 (英姬) | Brilliant + lady; the classic textbook girl |
| Mi-sook | 미숙 (美淑) | Beauty + virtuous |
| Jung-hee | 정희 (貞姬) | Faithful + lady |
| Kyung-hee | 경희 (慶喜) | Celebration + joy |
| Eun-young | 은영 (恩英) | Grace + brilliant |
| Su-yeon | 수연 (秀妍) | Excellent + beautiful |
| Ji-hyun | 지현 (智賢) | Wisdom + virtuous |
| So-young | 소영 (昭英) | Bright + brilliant |
| Hye-won | 혜원 (慧媛) | Intelligent + beautiful lady |
| Mi-kyung | 미경 (美京) | Beauty + capital |
| Sun-young | 선영 (善英) | Good + brilliant |
| Sun-ja | 순자 (順子) | Gentle + child |
Short and unisex Korean names for girls
These work for girls and boys alike in Korea. For more, visit our unisex names page.
| Name | Hangul (hanja) | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| Min | 민 (旼) | Gentle, harmonious |
| Yoon | 윤 (潤) | Lustrous, graceful |
| Jin | 진 (珍) | Precious |
| Ji-min | 지민 (智旻) | Wisdom + autumn sky |
| Yeon-woo | 연우 (姸雨) | Beautiful + rain |
| Ji-won | 지원 (智媛) | Wisdom + beautiful lady |
| Seo-jin | 서진 (瑞眞) | Auspicious + true |
| Hae-in | 해인 (海印) | Seal of the sea; also a famous temple |
| Ye-jin | 예진 (藝珍) | Art + precious |
Korean girl names from K-pop and sports stars
These are the real Korean names of well-known idols and athletes.
| Name | Hangul | Famous bearer |
|---|---|---|
| Ji-soo | 지수 | Jisoo of BLACKPINK (Kim Ji-soo) |
| Chae-young | 채영 | Rosé of BLACKPINK (Park Chae-young) |
| Jennie | 제니 | Jennie Kim of BLACKPINK |
| Tae-yeon | 태연 | Taeyeon of Girls’ Generation |
| Yoon-a | 윤아 | Yoona of Girls’ Generation (Im Yoon-a) |
| Su-ji | 수지 | Singer and actor Bae Suzy |
| Ji-eun | 지은 | IU (Lee Ji-eun) |
| Na-yeon | 나연 | Nayeon of TWICE (Im Na-yeon) |
| Ji-hyo | 지효 | Jihyo of TWICE (Park Ji-hyo) |
| Min-ji | 민지 | Minji of NewJeans (Kim Min-ji) |
| Da-hyun | 다현 | Dahyun of TWICE (Kim Da-hyun) |
| Yu-na | 유나 | Olympic figure skating champion Kim Yu-na |
Tips for choosing a Korean girl name
- Pick meaning first, then hanja. 은 can mean grace (恩) or silver (銀); decide which story you want the name to tell.
- Try a native Korean name if you want a meaning anyone can understand instantly, like Ha-na (one) or Bom (spring).
- Choose a romanization. Seo-yeon may appear as Seoyeon, Suh-yun or Seo Yeon; choose one spelling for school and passports.
- Say it with your surname. Kim Ha-eun and Park Ha-eun have different rhythms; the full three-syllable name matters in Korea.
- Blend cultures thoughtfully. Names like Ha-na, Yu-na and Jin also feel natural in English.
Frequently asked questions
What is the most popular Korean girl name?
In recent years Seo-ah, Ha-yun, Ji-an, Seo-yun and Ha-eun have led South Korea’s birth registrations for girls.
What Korean girl name means love?
Sa-rang (사랑) is the modern Korean word for love, and Da-som (다솜) is an old Korean word for love. Ae (愛) is the hanja equivalent.
What is a pretty native Korean name for a girl?
Bo-ra (purple), Na-rae (wings), I-seul (dew), Ha-neul (sky) and Da-som (love) are all beautiful pure Korean names.
What Korean name means flower?
Hwa (花 or 華) means flower and appears in names such as Yeon-hwa (lotus flower), Mae-hwa (plum blossom) and Hwa-young.
Do Korean women take their husband’s surname?
No. Korean women traditionally keep their own family name after marriage, while children usually take the father’s surname.