Korean to Romanization
Paste Korean and get romanization the way it is actually pronounced. Paste a whole song to sing along line by line.
Try:
Why not letter by letter
Korean is not pronounced the way it is spelled. A final consonant carries over to a following vowel, turns nasal before ㄴ or ㅁ, and ㅎ is sometimes silent and sometimes aspirates the consonant next to it. Read a letter-by-letter romanization aloud and it sounds off. Pronunciation mode applies these rules first, then romanizes:
| Korean | Pronunciation | Spelling |
|---|---|---|
| 감사합니다 | gamsahamnida | gamsahabnida |
| 같이 | gachi | gati |
| 좋아요 | joayo | johayo |
| 한국어 | hangugeo | hangugeo |
| 신라 | silla | sinla |
Spelling mode is exactly what you type on the Korean romanization keyboard to produce the same text — switch to it if you want to practise typing Korean with English letters.
How to use it
- Paste Korean into the box. The romanization appears below as you type.
- To sing along, paste the whole song and turn on Line by line — each Korean line is followed by its romanization.
- Turn on Hyphenate syllables to see how each syllable is actually said: 있어요 shows as
i-sseo-yo, so you can see the ㅆ carry over.
FAQ
What is the difference between Pronunciation and Spelling mode?
Pronunciation mode follows how the words are actually said, applying liaison, nasalization and ㅎ rules, so 감사합니다 becomes
gamsahamnida — good for singing along or reading aloud. Spelling mode maps each letter one to one, so 감사합니다 becomes
gamsahabnida, which is exactly what you would type on this site's Korean romanization keyboard.
Is this the official Korean romanization?
Pronunciation mode follows South Korea's official Revised Romanization with the standard pronunciation rules applied.
Like the official system, it does not mark tensed consonants (읽다 is ikda, not ikkda).
Can I romanize song lyrics with it?
Yes. Paste the whole song and turn on Line by line: each Korean line is followed by its romanization. Turn on Hyphenate syllables to see how each syllable is pronounced.
Can I use it for a Korean name on a passport?
Not recommended. Korean names are usually registered with a personal spelling (이 is often Lee, 박 is often Park) rather than the rules, so use the spelling on the person's documents.