Wikipedia:Manual of Style/Korea (2024 Rewrite & Proposal)

The Manual of Style: Korea (MOS:KO) is a style guideline for Wikipedia articles that are significantly related to Korea.

This guideline should be considered subordinate and complimentary to the overall Wikipedia:Manual of Style. It is intended to provide extra guidance for Korea topics that the main MOS does not cover. MOS:KO should ideally not contradict the main MOS; if you believe it does, please post on the talk page. It should also ideally harmonize with other relevant manuals of style, particularly MOS:JA and MOS:ZH.

Please use the talk page to thoughtfully ask questions and propose changes.

English words of Korean origin

See also: WP:ENGLISH and List of English words of Korean origin

Some Korean-language terms have been adopted into the English language. If such a term can be found in at least one major reliable English-language dictionary (e.g. the famous traditional dictionaries) from a primarily English-speaking country, we consider it an English-language word. For example, "kimchi" and "chaebol".

Sometimes these terms have a WP:COMMONNAME spelling that differs from the output of typical romanization systems. As we are on the English Wikipedia, spell these terms using the most common spellings used in English sources. For instance, "chaebol" and not jaebeol (Revised Romanization) or chaebŏl (McCune–Reischauer). Also, do not italicize these words per MOS:FOREIGNITALIC. For how to pluralize such words, check what English dictionaries recommend. These words are often not pluralized; e.g. "kimchis" is uncommon.

Romanization

When to romanize

Per MOS:NOTLATIN and WP:ACCESSIBILITY, if a Korean term does not have a clear WP:COMMONNAME spelling or translation in English (see § Translating non-people names to English), you must romanize.

In general, per MOS:NON-ENG, you should use non-English terms sparingly. Korean terms can be used if they significantly add to understanding. E.g. don't write "maekju" when "beer" is sufficiently descriptive.

What Korean romanization to use

Before romanizing a term, check to see if/how it is covered in § Naming conventions. That section may prescribe modifications to the strict romanizations dictated here.

Romanization	Used for	Example	Notes
McCune–Reischauer (MR)	Terms primarily notable before 1945 Terms primarily notable after 1945 in northern and North Korea	kwagŏ	Follow the original 1939 version of the system Use diacritics per WP:DIACRITICS, unless you can demonstrate that no diacritics is more popular for that term per WP:COMMONNAME.
Revised Romanization (RR)	Terms primarily notable after 1945 in southern and South Korea	jeongnang	Use the original phonetic romanization, not the letter-by-letter transliteration. RR officially discourages the use of hyphens to disambiguate pronunciation and in personal names. We also discourage hyphens for disambiguating pronunciation. For personal names, see § Strict romanization vs naming conventions. We prohibit the displaying of optional hyphens (e.g. Hong Gil(-)dong or Haeundae (Hae-undae)).
Yale romanization	For linguistics examples on Korean linguistics topics.	nulk.un (늙은)	For terms on linguistics articles that aren't being used for linguistics purposes (e.g. author names), use MR.

Romanization templates

See also: Template:Transliteration

For the first time you use a romanized term, you should wrap it in the {{transliteration}} template, with parameters set to indicate which romanization system is being used. Subsequent mentions of the term should not be wrapped, and just be italicized. Examples:

• RR: {{transliteration|ko|rr|Tteokbokki}}
• MR: {{transliteration|ko|mr|Ttŏkpokki}}
• Yale: {{transliteration|ko|yaleko|Ttekpokki}}

Italicization of romanized terms

See also: MOS:NONENGITALIC

Italics should be used for romanized Korean words, phrases, or titles that are not already English words (per § English words of Korean origin).

YShe was dressed in a hanbok.

NShe was dressed in a hanbok.

Romanized proper nouns are not italicized.

YHe traveled to the ancient kingdom of Kochŏson.

NHe traveled to the ancient kingdom of Kochŏson.

Capitalization of romanized terms

Except for romanized titles of § Works, which should be in sentence case, capitalization should generally follow MOS:CAPS. Notably for us, if a romanized term is not a proper noun, you should not capitalize it; there may be exceptions based on what is commonly done in reliable sources, however.

Hangul

See also: MOS:NOTLATIN, Template:Korean, and Template:Lang-ko

When to use Hangul

The inclusion of Hangul in Korea-related articles is encouraged, provided that it follows the guidelines in this MOS. It can be helpful in clarifying what Korean concepts are being discussed in the Latin script. Romanizations can sometimes be identical for different Hangul, be irreversible, or be unorthodox. Furthermore, for English-language terms that are translations or official names for Korean terms, it can be difficult to understand what the original Korean name was, which possibly hinders researching or linking the concept being discussed.

Parenthetical gloss

When a romanized or translated Korean term is used for the first time in the article, and if the term doesn't already have its own article, you should display Korean text for it in parentheses or a footnote using {{Korean}}. If the term already has its own article, link it.

YDol hareubang are also called janggunseok (장군석).

NDol hareubang (돌하르방) are also called janggunseok (장군석). (Dol hareubang has its own article already, doesn't need a gloss.)

Where the Hangul is key to the subject

Sometimes, even if a term has its own article, you should include Hangul anyway. For example, if discussing etymology:

YBulgogi is compounded of the Korean words bul (불; lit. fire) and gogi (고기; lit. meat).

NBulgogi is compounded of the Korean words bul, which means "fire," and gogi, which means "meat".

Formatting Hangul

Hangul should be wrapped in preferably the {{Korean}} template. There are multiple reasons why Hangul should be wrapped like this. You can alternatively use {{Lang-ko}} or {{Lang|ko}}, but these are less preferred; they are implemented similarly to {{Korean}} but with fewer features. Also, because we should be consistent within each article about which Hangul wrapper we use, we may as well consistently use {{Korean}}.

Example:

Markup	Renders as
{{transliterate|ko|rr|[[Pansori]]}} is compounded of the words {{transliterate|ko|rr|pan}} ({{korean|판}}) and {{transliterate|ko|rr|sori}} ({{korean|소리}}), the latter of which means "sound".	Pansori is compounded of the words pan (Korean: 판) and sori (Korean: 소리), the latter of which means "sound".

Labels can be hidden by setting labels=no. It is recommended to disable labels after the first use if Korean is the only non-Latin text present on the article. Repeated identical labels introduce visual clutter with little additional understanding. Translations can also be included using the |lit= parameter. For example:

Markup	Renders as
{{transliterate|ko|rr|[[Bibimbap]]}} is compounded of the words {{transliterate|ko|rr|bibim}} ({{korean|비빔|lit=mixed}}) and {{transliterate|ko|rr|bap}} ({{korean|밥|lit=rice|labels=no}}).	Bibimbap is compounded of the words bibim (Korean: 비빔; lit. mixed) and bap (밥; lit. rice).

Italics and bolding for Hangul

Avoid displaying Hangul characters in italics or bold, as they are already distinctive enough, and the formatting makes them less legible: 한 한 한 한. The templates {{nobold}}, {{noitalic}}, and {{normal}} can be used to remove this formatting in places where it is the default, such as within infoboxes.

Hanja

See also: Hanja

When to use Hanja

In contemporary North and South Korea, Hanja is rarely used. However, it has a number of uses on Wikipedia, especially for historical topics.

Hanja for main topics

For the main topic of an article, you should display the Hanja for the topic generally only once or twice. For a concept with significance before 1945, display the Hanja in both the first sentence of the lead per § First sentence and in the {{Infobox Korean name}}. For concepts mostly significant after 1945, display the Hanja only in the Infobox Korean name; Hanja tends to be less important after that time, and we wish to minimize the amount of less important information in the first sentence.

Examples:

Y Goguryeo (Korean: 고구려; Hanja: 高句麗) was one of the Three Kingdoms of Korea.

Goguryeo is a pre-1945 concept and Hanja is frequently used for studies on it.

N Park Chung Hee (Korean: 박정희; Hanja: 朴正熙; November 14, 1917 – October 26, 1979) was the third President of South Korea.

Park Chung Hee is a person whose notability is mostly after 1945, and Hanja is otherwise not particularly important for understanding who he was. Do not provide his name's Hanja in the first sentence, only provide it in the infobox.

Hanja for other terms

For terms that aren't the main subject of the article, follow similar principles to those used for Hangul in § Parenthetical gloss. Additionally, if the topic is mostly relevant after 1945, consider not displaying the Hanja at all if the Hangul is sufficient for grasping what is being discussed.

Providing Hanja alongside Hangul is helpful in scenarios such as these:

• Disambiguation: When different Korean words have the same or similar romanizations or Hangul spellings, Hanja can help distinguish between them.
• Explaining etymology: When explaining the origin of words, if the origin is strongly related to the topic of the article.
• Historical contexts: For topics from periods when Hanja was commonly used, particularly before the widespread adoption of Hangul.

Formatting Hanja

In general, you should display Hanja and a corresponding Hangul reading together using the {{Korean}} template. If you wish to display only Hanja, use {{lang|ko|put Hanja here}}. Do not use {{lang|ko-Hani}} or {{lang|ko-Hant}}; they appear to display simplified Chinese and not Hanja on iOS.

Partial Hanja

In some cases, only parts of Korean terms and names have corresponding Hanja. For example, a person's name with a native Korean given name: "Kim Da-som". In such cases, you can display Korean mixed script as Hanja: Korean: 김다솜; Hanja: 金다솜.

Hanja vs other Chinese characters

There are differences between Hanja and the Chinese characters used elsewhere in the Sinosphere that should be reflected on Wikipedia.

The following should not be considered Hanja:

• In some cases, Chinese-language sources transcribe Korean words into Chinese. For example, transcribing the native Korean name Da-som (다솜) as Duoshun (Chinese: 多順).
  • Furthermore, some sources (particularly those from mainland China) use simplified Chinese characters, which often do not overlap with contemporary Hanja.
• Japanese sources use kanji, another set of Chinese characters that also sometimes differs from those used in Korea. For example, the Hanja name for South Korea, 大韓民國, is rendered as 大韓民国 in Japanese.
  • However, Japan tends not to invent kanji for people when unknown; it tends to rely on phonetic spellings in katakana instead.
• South Korea has also developed its own Chinese transcriptions for Korean terms; for example xinqi (Chinese: 辛奇) for kimchi (originally a native Korean word without Hanja). Unless explicitly accepted as such in dictionaries, such words should also not be considered Hanja.

Due to these issues, in general, prefer Korean-language sources (especially reliable dictionaries) for determining appropriate Hanja.

Unless particularly relevant (e.g. a person is significantly linked to both China and Korea), there is generally no need to mention Chinese transcriptions for Korean terms on articles primarily about Korea, for the same reason that listing a Chinese transcription of U.S. President Jimmy Carter's name is not particularly helpful.

Also, unless particularly relevant, do not include Chinese romanizations (e.g. pinyin) applied to Hanja. For example, do not write: Kim Ku (Korean: 김구; Hanja: 金九; RR: Gim Gu; pinyin: Jīn Jiǔ).

Spaces for Hanja

While Hangul and Korean mixed script (Hangul and Hanja together) use spaces between words, text written only in Hanja is usually written without spaces. E.g. Korean: 고속화 도로; Hanja: 高速化道路; RR: gosokhwa doro; lit. freeway; the Hangul has a space while the Hanja does not.

Article layout

See also: MOS:LAYOUT

First sentence

Family name footnote or hatnote

For articles about people, if the article title displays family name before personal name (as is common in Korean names), you should provide either a {{Family name footnote}} or {{Family name hatnote}}, but not both. The family name footnote should be placed just after the bolded mention of the person's name, with no space in between. If the family name comes after (i.e. the Western ordering), neither templates are needed.

Whether to use a footnote or hatnote is debated; footnotes offer several benefits.

First parentheses

See also: MOS:LEADSENTENCE

In the first sentence of an article primarily about Korea, if there is a notable Korean-language equivalent for the term, display it in parentheses just after the bolded mention of the article's title. This is often only Hangul, but sometimes includes Hanja, per § Hanja for main topics. Make sure the displayed text abides by § Italics and bolding and § Spaces for Hanja. Wrap the Korean text using {{Korean}}. You can display romanization(s) in the template if they are useful and not already the article title.

If showing Korean text does not add significant understanding, or if there is no bolded mention of the title in the first sentence (which is permissible, per MOS:AVOIDBOLD), parenthetical Korean text should be omitted. For example, for Healthcare in South Korea, putting "(Korean: 대한민국의 의료)" isn't particularly useful, as the title is a generic phrase and not a name or proper noun, and because the title is in English and is sufficiently descriptive.

You can also provide the following information in the same parentheses, separated by semicolon:

• An English-language abbreviation, if the article title is in English.
  • This should generally be placed first (to emphasize its relationship with the English term) and be bolded. For example, "The National Institute of Korean Language (NIKL; Korean: 국립국어원) is a..."
• IPA representations for Korean and sometimes English (if the word falls under § English words of Korean origin).
  • Place the IPA(s) within the parentheses ideally just after their relevant terms, and wrap them in {{IPA}} (with lang=ko) for Korean and {{IPAc-en}} for English. For example, "Kimchi (/ˈkɪmtʃiː/; Korean: 김치, IPA: [kim.tɕʰi])". The English IPA was first, following the English word "kimchi" (§ English words of Korean origin). The Korean IPA followed the Hangul.
• Dates of birth and death, per MOS:BIOFIRSTSENTENCE. This should usually go last in the parentheses.

As parentheses can become lengthy and difficult to read, they should not include:

• Birthplace, per MOS:BIRTHPLACE
• Alternate names
  • Our goal is to keep the first sentence easy to parse at a quick glance. Too many synonyms, especially before a definition is even given, make the sentence hard to read.

If the parentheses become too crowded, consider putting less important information in one or more explanatory footnotes, preferrably variations of {{efn}} or {{NoteTag}}. We recommend you do not use normal reference tags (<ref></ref>) for explanatory footnotes. We would like to keep those reserved for citations.

Example:

Markup	Renders as
'''Lee Myung-bak''' ({{IPAc-en|ˌ|l|iː|_|ˌ|m|j|ʌ|ŋ|_|ˈ|b|ɑː|k}}; {{Korean|hangul=이명박}}; {{IPA|ko|i mjʌŋbak|lang}}; born 19 December 1941)	Lee Myung-bak (/ˌliː ˌmjʌŋ ˈbɑːk/; Korean: 이명박; Korean: [i mjʌŋbak]; born 19 December 1941)

Infobox Korean name

Infobox Korean name
Hangul	{{{hangul}}}
Hanja	{{{hanja}}}
Revised Romanization	{{{rr}}}
McCune–Reischauer	{{{mr}}}

If the first sentence is cluttered, {{Infobox Korean name}} can be used in place of {{Korean}} or footnotes. For North Korean topics, the parameter |context=north should be set. If the article topic significantly involves other countries from the Sinosphere, consider using {{Infobox Chinese}} instead, which has parameters for Korean and other Sinosphere languages.

If there is another infobox in the article (e.g. {{Infobox person}}), we recommend you merge the name infobox into the other infobox. This is usually accomplished by adding the |child=yes parameter to the name infobox, then adding the name infobox code to a |module= (or sometimes |embedded=) parameter of the other infobox. For the parameter name, check the documentation for the main infobox (e.g. Template:Infobox person#Parameters).

Translation and romanization help

If you are unsure how to translate or romanize a word or phrase, follow the following steps:

1. Include the Hangul using the {{Korean}} template
2. If possible, produce a rough translation.
3. Use the {{not English inline}} template next to the text to be verified. This will produce an inline note.
4. At the top of the section add the {{cleanup-translation}} template. This will allow another to can later verify or correct the romanization and/or any translation.
5. Post {{subst:Needtrans|pg=Wikipedia:Template index/Translation |language=<Language> |comments= }} ~~~~ to the bottom of the bottom of the WP:PNTCU section on Wikipedia:Pages needing translation into English.
6. add |listed=y parameter to the {{cleanup-translation}} template.

For example:

{{cleanup-translation|Korean|listed=y|date=July 2024}}

The {{Korean|집현전|labels=no}}{{tl|not English inline|Korean}} was a Korean royal research institute during the Joseon period.

Will produce:

Y

The 집현전^{[needs translation]} was a Korean royal research institute during the Joseon period.

Romanization method notice

To clarify to editors which system is being used on a particular article, the {{Revised Romanization}}, {{McCune–Reischauer}}, and {{Yale Romanization}} templates can be placed on the article's talk page. For example, placing the {{McCune–Reischauer}} template will render:

Naming guidelines

Unless if stated otherwise in each subsection of § Naming conventions, assume that these principles apply to all Korea-related terms.

Strict romanization vs naming conventions

Do not mistake the guidelines in WP:NCKO for strict applications of romanization; some of our guidelines differ from official romanization standards.

When strictly romanized text is needed, namely within templates like {{Infobox Korean name}} and {{Korean}}, do not apply the rules of WP:NCKO. Instead, strictly apply the rules of the respective romanization systems.

For example, the spelling "Han Hye-ri" should be used everywhere (e.g. article title, in body of any article, in infobox titles) except for when templates like {{Korean}} or {{Infobox Korean name}} ask for RR. Then you should provide "Han Hyeri" (no hyphen).

Same terms for article titles and in the body

Per WP:CONSISTENT and MOS:CONSISTENT, generally, if a concept has an article, you should refer to that concept in the bodies of other articles using the article title verbatim. E.g. in an article primarily about North Korea, do not write "Sŏul" (McCune–Reischauer), write "Seoul".

Translating non-people names to English

Per WP:TRANSLITERATE, when there are non-people names (e.g. organization names, titles of works, objects, etc) that have an established English-language name, that name is used. For example: N Yukjo → Y Six Ministries of Joseon.

When there aren't enough sources to constitute an established English name, as a last resort you may translate the names to English if there is no loss in accuracy. If you are not sure of or satisfied with the quality of your translation, do not translate; romanize per § Romanization and other relevant guidelines in the naming conventions section.

If you do translate the term, you must also record the original Korean name somewhere. If an invented translated name is the main topic of an article, create redirects for the romanizations and conceivable alternate translations per WP:RPURPOSE.

Ideally, our terminology should be unified within and across articles, meaningful to non-Korean speakers, and traceable to the original Korean for verification. Inventing English names can aid understanding, but missing any of the steps in this guidance can work against our goals.

Create alternate title redirects

Per WP:RPURPOSE, create redirects for conceivable alternate romanizations, translations, and spellings.

Naming conventions

People names

See also: § Author's name

For Korean names of people, follow the below guidance step by step

1. Use established English common name

In the first instance, use the established English common name from reliable sources. This ensures that names are recognized and consistent with widely accepted usage.

2. Personal preference romanization

In the second instance, use the Romanization of the personal preference of the person in question. This respects individual choices and ensures that names are represented as preferred by the individuals themselves.

3. Modified romanization based on historical context

If the above cannot be established, transliterate the name into RR or MR depending on the article's consensus. Then perform the following modifications to the romanized family name:

Modifications to common Korean family names

Hangul	RR	MR	Common Modified Romanization
김	Gim	Kim	Kim
이	I	I	Lee
박	Bak	Pak	Park
최	Choe	Ch'oe	Choi
정	Jeong	Chŏng	Jung
강	Gang	Kang	Kang
조	Jo	Cho	Cho
윤	Yun	Yun	Yoon
장	Jang	Chang	Jang
임	Im	Im	Lim

For South Korean names, hyphenate each syllable of the given name, capitalizing just the first syllable (Moon Jae-in). Write North Korean names as three separate words and capitalize each of them (Kim Jong Un). Editors may use their discretion about any further common modifications not extensively listed here in this style guide to obtain a common romanized name. For example:

Y천우희 → Cheon U hui → Chun Woo-hee

Royalty

Generally, if there is no established common name for a monarch, their article titles should use the format "Name of Kingdom". For example: Taejo of Joseon and Gojong of Korea. There are currently some exceptions to this pattern, due to either common name (e.g. Sejong the Great) or disambiguation (Queen Seondeok of Silla and King Seondeok of Silla).

Article titles on princes should follow the "(Grand) Prince title" format. For example: Grand Prince Yeongchang and Prince Yangpyeong. Common names can also be an exception to this rule, such as Yeonsangun of Joseon.

Appropriate infobox templates should be used.

Administrative divisions

See also: Administrative divisions of North Korea and Administrative divisions of South Korea

Provinces

Use the following spellings for both article titles and in the body of any article (you can truncate the disambiguation for Gangwon/Kangwon Province).

Note that many of these provinces have official English names that differ from these spellings; see Provinces of South Korea for examples. These titles represent the status quo, and are possibly due to a mix of WP:COMMONNAME, WP:USEENGLISH, and WP:TITLECON.

North Korean

• Chagang Province
• North Hamgyong Province
• South Hamgyong Province
• North Hwanghae Province
• South Hwanghae Province
• Kangwon Province, North Korea
• North Pyongan Province
• South Pyongan Province
• Ryanggang Province

South Korean

• North Chungcheong Province
• South Chungcheong Province
• Gangwon Province, South Korea
• Gyeonggi Province
• North Gyeongsang Province
• South Gyeongsang Province
• North Jeolla Province
• South Jeolla Province
• Jeju Province

Pre-modern

See also: Provinces of Korea

TBD

Cities

See also: List of cities in North Korea and List of cities in South Korea

Use the Wikipedia:COMMONNAME for the city, without "-si" (시) nor English-language terms such as "Metropolitan City" or "Special Self-Governing City".

An exception to the above is for disambiguating Sejong City vs. the person Sejong the Great. Most other disambiguations can be handled by adding a comma and upper-level administrative division, e.g. Anyang, Gyeonggi (vs. Anyang in China).

For pre-modern cities that still exist and go by the same name, use the modern spelling. E.g. use "Gyeongju" for the city during the Joseon period. For pre-modern cities that no longer exist, follow § Romanization.

Counties

See also: List of second-level administrative divisions of North Korea and List of counties of South Korea

Romanize per § Romanization, replace "-gun" and "-kun" with "County", e.g. Jindo County.

Districts

See also: List of second-level administrative divisions of North Korea and List of districts in South Korea

Romanize per § Romanization. For South Korean autonomous districts (자치구), replace "-gu" with "District". For non-autonomous districts, keep the format as "X-gu". For North Korean locales, use "-guyok", but do not use "-ku" or "-chigu".

Towns, neighborhoods, and villages

Romanize per § Romanization. Unless there is a clear WP:COMMONNAME, keep "-myeon", "-dong", and "x-ri" and do not translate them. "-eup" is optional.

Visual guide

Below is a visual guide for administrative divisions in both North and South Korea, with examples of how to handle each level.

Administrative divisions of North Korea

Level	Subtype	Hangul	Correct rendering	Incorrect rendering	Separate example of disambiguation for subtype
First-level	Province	황해북도	North Hwanghae Province	Hwanghaebuk-do, North Hwanghae	Kangwon Province, North Korea
	Directly governed city Special city Special administrative region	평양직할시	Pyongyang	P'yŏngyang, Pyongyang Chikhalsi	Sinuiju Special Administrative Region
Second-level	City	신의주시	Sinuiju	Sinuiju-si	Anju, South Pyongan
	County	갑산군	Kapsan County	Kapsan-kun, Kapsan	Unsan County, South Pyongan
	District	중구역 청남구 득장지구	Chung-guyok Chongnam Tukchang	Chung Chongnam-ku Tukchang-chigu	Kumho, South Hamgyong
Third-level	Town	보천읍	Pochon-up	Pochon Town	Kujang (town)
	Neighbourhood Village	기정동 풍계리	Kijong-dong Punggye-ri	Kijong Neighbourhood Punggye Village	—
	Worker's district	남양로동자구	Namyang Workers' District	Namyang Rodongja-ku	—

Administrative divisions of South Korea

Level	Subtypes	Hangul	Correct rendering	Incorrect rendering	Separate example of disambiguation for subtype
Provincial level	Province Special self-governing province	경상북도	North Gyeongsang Province	Gyeongsangbuk-do, Gyeongsangbuk-do Province, Gyeongsangbuk Province, Gyeongbuk Province	Gangwon Province, South Korea
	Special city Metropolitan city Special self-governing city	서울특별시	Seoul	Seoul Teukbyeolsi, Seoul Special City	Sejong City
Municipal level	City	수원시	Suwon	Suwon-si	Anyang, Gyeonggi
	County	칠곡군	Chilgok County	Chilgok-gun, Chilgok	Goseong County, South Gyeongsang
	District	종로구	Jongno District	Jongno-gu, Jongno-gu District	Jung District, Daegu
Submunicipal level	District	덕양구	Deogyang-gu	Deogyang District	Nam-gu, Pohang
	Town	가은읍 평창읍 문산면	Gaeun Pyeongchang-eup Munsan-myeon	Gaeun Town Pyeongchang Town Munsan Township	Seo-myeon, Gyeongju
	Neighborhood Village	삼성동 노근리	Samseong-dong Nogeun-ri	Samseong Neighborhood Nogeun Village	Buam-dong, Seoul

Geographic features

Mountains and hills

See also: Wikipedia:Naming conventions (geographic names) and Wikipedia:WikiProject Mountains § Naming conventions

Unless there is a clear WP:COMMONNAME, romanize the full Korean name using § Romanization. Then apply the following:

• For names with the terms "san" (산) or "bong" (봉), use their full unhyphenated Korean names. E.g. Seoraksan and Moranbong.
• For names with "oreum" (오름), split the name. E.g. Yongnuni Oreum and not Yongnunioreum.
  • Splitting appears to be the general common name convention for oreum. Splitting also results in fewer spelling ambiguities and more segmented names that are easier to quickly parse.

For disambiguation, put the administrative district(s) the mountain is located in in parentheses, e.g. Maehwasan (Gangwon). If the mountain is located in multiple districts, format them like so: Maebongsan (Wonju and Yeongwol) or Gayasan (North and South Gyeongsang). We disambiguate like this by default because Korea has very few distinct mountain ranges, so disambiguating by mountain range often does not work.

Rivers

See also: Wikipedia:Naming conventions (geographic names) and Wikipedia:WikiProject Rivers § Naming

Unless there is a clear WP:COMMONNAME, romanize the full Korean name using § Romanization. Then replace "gang"/"kang" with "River". For example, Nakdong River and Taedong River.

Islands

See also: Wikipedia:Naming conventions (geographic names)

Unless there is a clear WP:COMMONNAME, romanize the full Korean name using § Romanization. Keep and do not hyphenate "do" or "seom", e.g. Baengnyeongdo and Ryŏdo.

Controversial place names

See also: Talk:Sea of Japan/FAQ

For places with disputed English names, namely the Sea of Japan/East Sea and the Liancourt Rocks/Dokdo/Takeshima, use whichever terms match the respective current article title. In most cases, there is no need to mention the alternate name(s). Do not use a WP:PIPELINK. Generally, alternate names should only be mentioned if the naming dispute is relevant to the article itself.

As of August 2024:

N The [[East Sea]] is between Japan and Korea.

N The [[Sea of Japan|East Sea]] is between Japan and Korea.

N The [[Sea of Japan]] (East Sea) is between Japan and Korea.

N The [[Sea of Japan]], or East Sea, is between Japan and Korea.

Y The [[Sea of Japan]] is between Japan and Korea.

Y (in an article about Japan–Korea disputes) There is currently a naming dispute over whether the [[Sea of Japan]] should be called the "East Sea".

This guideline is not an expression of preference for any particular name; it is simply following Wikipedia policy.

These titles have changed in the past, and may change again. If you have a strong understanding of the previous move proposals and Wikipedia's policies, and you think you have a good case to propose renaming such contested articles, you are welcome to do so. Do not make move requests lightly; poorly reasoned move requests will likely be WP:SNOWCLOSED.

Temples

Unless there is a clear WP:COMMONNAME, romanize the full Korean name using § Romanization. E.g. Bulguksa and not "Bulguk Temple".

Works

See also: MOS:NONENGTITLE

If there is no clear WP:COMMONNAME or WP:ENGLISHTITLE, romanize the full Korean name using § Romanization.

If the title of the work did not have spaces in it (e.g. if it was in Hanja, which does not have spaces), you may optionally consider inserting them into the romanized title; this can contribute to readability. Try to follow common spacing conventions. Use spaces to separate ideas or phrases; do not insert them between every character unless that is the common practice.

Titles of works that have been romanized should be presented in italicized sentence case. In sentence case, only the first word of the title and subtitle and all proper nouns or any term that would be capitalized under the conventions of the original language are capitalized. Since Hangul does not have the concept of capital letters, this generally means just capitalizing the first word and any proper nouns.

YKing Sejong wrote Worin cheongang jigok.

NKing Sejong wrote Worin Cheongang Jigok.

Alternatively, the romanization can be presented with a parenthetical gloss with the original Hangul and/or Hanja, if relevant. If an English translation is provided (as opposed to a romanization) it should also be italicized but using title style in the normal way:

YKing Sejong wrote a poem called Songs of the Moon Shining on a Thousand Rivers (월인천강지곡; 月印千江之曲; Worin cheongang jigok).

NKing Sejong wrote a poem called Songs of the Moon Shining on a Thousand Rivers (월인천강지곡; 月印千江之曲; Worin Cheongang Jigok).

Dates and numbers

See also: MOS:NUM

Date format

Main article: MOS:DATEFORMAT

Use the day–month–year (1 March 1919) or month–day–year (March 1, 1919) date format in prose. Year–month–day (1919-03-01) can be used in tables, infoboxes and references—if brevity is helpful—but should otherwise be avoided.

The date format used in an article should be consistent and should not be changed without consensus. If an article has strong national ties with a specific English-speaking country, use the date format most commonly used in that nation.

Calendars

Prior to the 20th century, Korea used a lunisolar calendar: the Korean calendar. Per MOS:OSNS, while you're allowed to reference dates using this calendar, you must also provide an equivalent Julian calendar date for dates before October 15, 1582 or a Gregorian calendar date for dates on and after October 15, 1582. We encourage, for consistency with most of the rest of Wikipedia, that dates in the Julian or the Gregorian calendar be the primary dates given, with Korean calendar dates optionally given as side notes. If you do use the Korean calendar, you must clearly indicate which dates use which calendar.

Units of measurement

See also: Korean units of measurement

Per MOS:UNIT, prefer the use of SI units. If other Korea-related units are used in your sources, such as the li (ri) or pyeong, it is permissible but less preferred to use such units on Wikipedia. If you do use such units, it is recommended you provide conversions of these to SI units and link to relevant articles about the units. Currently, {{Convert}} supports conversion from pyeong to other SI units for area.

Number ranges

Main article: MOS:DASH

To express ranges between numbers, use an en dash (1950–1953 Korean War). Do not use tildes (1950~1953 Korean War), as is done in South Korea.

Wiktionary links

It is possible to link to the Wiktionary definitions of Korean words and phrases. This typically involves the use of {{linktext}} or an external wikilink, e.g. [[wikt:예]].

Use Wiktionary links for Korean text sparingly. They should generally only be used in the following circumstances:

• If the link offers significant understanding of the main topic of the article that cannot be easily communicated within the article
• Linguistic contexts (e.g. when the topic is about lexical items)

Do not do the following:

• Link each character without regard for where word divisions actually are.
  • e.g. {{linktext|기|다|리|다}} → 기다리다. The individual definitions of the characters cannot be used to tell you what the overall word means.
• Add Wiktionary links to
  • personal names (including art names, stage names, etc.). The meaning of a name does not describe a person, and the definition of a personal name is usually nothing more than "a personal name".
  • terms that are not suitable for dictionary entries (e.g. 새터데이 – merely a transcription of English "Saturday" and is not used as a word in Korean).

Two or more links in a row are discouraged per WP:SEAOFBLUE.

When there is any dispute about a Wiktionary link, the editor that wishes to retain or add such a link should articulate why the link abides by this guideline.

Referencing Korean sources

See also: MOS:REFERENCES, WP:CITE, WP:CITEVAR, and WP:CITECONSENSUS

Author's name

See also: § People

When citing Korean authors, editors and contributors for works to be referenced in an article, it is important to maintain consistency in the order of family names and given names as they appear in the source.

Western-style names

If the author of Korean descent has adopted the Western-style name in the source, i.e. where the family name is the last name, use the first and last parameters as normal:

• |last = Choi | first = Lucy

renders:

• YChoi, Lucy

Korean-style names in English

If the author presents their family name first (e.g. "Hong Gil-dong"), this should be preserved using an author-mask parameter.

• |last = Hong | first = Gil-dong | author-mask1 = Hong Gil-dong

renders:

• YHong Gil-dong

Not doing so will index the name with a comma, which should be avoided.

• |last = Hong | first = Gil-dong

renders:

• NHong, Gil-dong

Korean-style names in Hangul

When an authors name is in Hangul, always provide the romanized form of the author's name. The original Hangul may optionally be given immediately following the romanised name in an author-mask parameter:

• |last = Hong | first = Gil-dong |author-mask1 = Hong Gil-dong 홍길동

renders:

• YHong Gil-dong 홍길동

Do not put the Hangul for the name in parenthesis or without a romanisation:

• NHong Gil-dong (홍길동)
• N홍길동

Korean-style names in Hanja

Include Hanja only if it is provided in the source reference and if it significantly aids understanding, for example in an academic or historical context, when the author's name is commonly written in Hanja. The Hangul may also optionally be provided.

• Y |author-mask1 = Hong Gil-dong 홍길동 洪吉童

renders:

• YHong Gil-dong 홍길동 洪吉童

Authors with both Western and Korean publications

When a reference list includes works by the same author in English and Korean, the author's name may be spelled or spaced differently based on the language of the publication.

For works published in English, present the author's name as it appears in the publication. For works published in Korean, use the standard romanization according either RR or MR depending on the article concensus.

If the author's name appears differently across references (e.g., differing spellings in English-language works versus the standard romanization), denote the connection between the two by including the standard romanization and the published or preferred romanization in square brackets, as shown in the example below:

Markup	Renders as
{{refbegin|indent=yes}} * {{citation | last = Lee | first = Sungjoo | author-mask = Lee, Sungjoo [Lee Seongjoo 이성주] | title = Formation of the Silla and Gaya Ceramic Styles | journal = Journal of Korean Art and Archaeology | volume = 6 | year = 2012 | pages = 90–101 }} :: [The author name is written Sungjoo Lee in this publication. The author’s name as it appears in the Korean-language reference entry is given in brackets.] * {{citation | last = Lee | first = Seongjoo | author-mask = Lee Seongjoo 이성주 [Lee, Sungjoo] | title = Cheongdonggi · cheolgi sidae sahoe byeondongron | script-title = ko:청동기·철기 시대 사회 변동론 | trans-title = Social transformation from the Bronze to Iron Ages | publisher = Hagyeon Munhwasa | year = 2007 | location = Seoul }} :: [Since this is a Korean-language work, the author name is given with the standard RR romanization. The author’s name as it appears in the English-language work is given in brackets.] {{refend}}	Lee, Sungjoo [Lee Seongjoo 이성주] (2012), "Formation of the Silla and Gaya Ceramic Styles", Journal of Korean Art and Archaeology, 6: 90–101 [The author name is written Sungjoo Lee in this publication. The author’s name as it appears in the Korean-language reference entry is given in brackets.] Lee Seongjoo 이성주 [Lee, Sungjoo] (2007), Cheongdonggi · cheolgi sidae sahoe byeondongron 청동기·철기 시대 사회 변동론 [Social transformation from the Bronze to Iron Ages], Seoul: Hagyeon Munhwasa [Since this is a Korean-language work, the author name is given with the standard RR romanization. The author’s name as it appears in the English-language work is given in brackets.]

Titles

Romanization and original script: Use romanization for titles in the title parameter and include the original Hangul or Hanja in the script-title parameter.

Example: |title = Han-Jung munhwa gyoryu wa nambang haero Example: |script-title = ko:韓中文化交流와 南方海路

Translation: Always provide a translation of the title in square brackets in the trans-title parameter.

Example: |trans-title = Han-Chinese Cultural Exchange and the Southern Sea Route

Publishers and locations

Publisher Names: Provide the original name of the publisher untranslated, followed by the romanized form and optionally the original Hangul.

Example: |publisher = Gukhak jaryowon 국학자료원 國學資料院 [Institute for Korean National Studies] Location Names: Use the standard English name for locations if a common name exists. For historical or less common locations, use romanizations based on the context. Example: |location = Seoul

Formatting

Square Brackets: Use square brackets for translations in the trans-title parameter to ensure consistency and clarity.

Example: |trans-title = Han-Chinese Cultural Exchange and the Southern Sea Route

Mandatory elements

Minimizing Requirements: Minimize mandatory elements to encourage proper citation practices. Require original script for author names and titles when romanizations are ambiguous or unorthodox.

Additional considerations

Hanja: Use Hanja if it adds significant clarity, especially for authors and titles.

Example: |author-mask1 = Choe Hyeonbae 최현배 崔鉉培

Historical Context: For pre-1945 works, use MR (McCune-Reischauer) romanizations; for post-1945 works, use RR (Revised Romanization).

Examples citations of Korean sources

Per WP:CITESTYLE, editors can use any appropriate reference style for a particular article, so long as it is consistent. Editors are strongly encouraged to use appropriate Citation Style 1 or Citation Style 2 template when listing works.

The following examples explain common do's and don'ts when using Wikipedia's Citation style but apply equally well to APA style, ASA style, MLA style, The Chicago Manual of Style etc. too.

Correctly formatted examples

• Y Jo Yeongnok, ed. (1997), Han-Jung munhwa gyoryu wa nambang haero (in Korean), Seoul: Gukhak jaryowon, ISBN 978-89-8206-169-1

Reference provides romanization per WP:Accessibility

• Y Jo Yeongnok, ed. (1997), Han-Jung munhwa gyoryu wa nambang haero [Han-Chinese Cultural Exchange and the Southern Sea Route] (in Korean), Seoul: Gukhak jaryowon, ISBN 978-89-8206-169-1

Reference provides romanization and translation in square brackets.

• Y Jo Yeongnok 曹永祿, ed. (1997), 韓中文化交流와 南方海路 [Han-Chinese Cultural Exchange and the Southern Sea Route] (in Korean), Seoul: Gukhak jaryowon 國學資料院, ISBN 978-89-8206-169-1

While the reference does not provide a romanization of the title, it does provide a translation and optional original script in Hangul/Hanja

• Y Jo Yeongnok 曹永祿, ed. (1997), Han-Jung munhwa gyoryu wa nambang haero 韓中文化交流와 南方海路 [Han-Chinese Cultural Exchange and the Southern Sea Route] (in Korean), Seoul: Gukhak jaryowon 國學資料院, ISBN 978-89-8206-169-1

Reference provides romanization, translation and optional original script in Hangul/Hanja

Common formatting mistakes

• N 曹永祿, ed. (1997), 韓中文化交流와 南方海路, 서울: 國學資料院, ISBN 978-89-8206-169-1

Original script in Hangul and Hanja is presented without romanization.

• N Jo, Yeongnok, ed. (1997), Han-Jung munhwa gyoryu wa nambang haero 韓中文化交流와 南方海路 [Han-Chinese Cultural Exchange and the Southern Sea Route] (in Korean), Seoul: Gukhak jaryowon 國學資料院, ISBN 978-89-8206-169-1

The author-mask parameter has not been used leading to the name not being properly formated.

• N Jo Yeongnok 曹永祿, ed. (1997), Han-Jung Munhwa Gyoryu Wa Nambang Haero 韓中文化交流와 南方海路 [Han-Chinese Cultural Exchange and the Southern Sea Route] (in Korean), Seoul: Gukhak jaryowon 國學資料院, ISBN 978-89-8206-169-1

The romanization has been overly capitalized. Non-latin romanizations should be capitalised sentence style meaning only the first word and any proper nouns should be capitalized.

Other examples

• ? Jo Yeongnok 조영록 曹永祿, ed. (1997), Han-Jung munhwa gyoryu wa nambang haero 한중문화교류와 남방해로 韓中文化交流와 南方海路 [Han-Chinese Cultural Exchange and the Southern Sea Route] (in Korean), Seoul: Gukhak jaryowon 국학자료원 國學資料院 [Institute for Korean National Studies]

The editor has provided additional information not contained in the source. They have translated the title into Hangul from Hanja and also provided an english translation of the publisher in square brackets. This extra information would usually be deemed unnecessary. In unusual circumstances it might be acceptable, for instance if the source has no ISBN, DOI, OCLC or archive URL and would otherwise be very difficult to verify.

Unusual examples

The following references are other examples from a HJAS style sheet.

• Naemubu che-2 kwa 内務部 第二課, “Okku sŏbu surijohap kwan’gye sŏryu” 沃溝西部水利組合關係書類 [ca. 1908–1914]; MS no. 90-0741, National Archives of Korea 국가기록원, Taejŏn, South Korea.
• Tae Myŏngnyul chikhae 大明律直解 [seventeenth-century xylographic imprint of 1395 edition], 30 kwŏn in 4 vols., v. 2, k. 6, p. 2a; No. 古 5130-11, Kyujanggak Archive 규장각, Seoul National University 서울대학교, Seoul.
• See the daily entry for Sejong’s 世宗 reign year 26, month 2, day 29 (kyŏngja 庚子) [1444; Sejong 26/02/29 (kyŏngja)] in Chosŏn wangjo sillok 朝鮮王朝實錄, comp. National Institute of Korean History 國史編纂委員會 (Kwach’ŏn, Kyŏnggido: Kuksa p’yŏnch’an wiwŏnhoe, 2006– ) [hereafter Sillok], http://sillok.history.go.kr/id/kda_12602020_001.
• T’aejong 1 太宗 [1401]/08/22 (muin 戊寅) in Sillok, http://sillok.history.go.kr/id/kca_10108022_001.

These references are in CMOS format and some elements do not easly fit into the {{citation}} template. Per WP:CITESTYLE editors do not use these templates and can use an alternative citation style, so long as it is consistent. In the examples above, they can be formatted using the {{wikicite}} template:

Text.{{sfnp|Tae Myŏngnyul chikhae (c. 17th Century)}} Some more text. And finally, some more text over here.

== References ==
{{reflist}}

=== Sources ===
{{refbegin|indent=yes}}
* {{wikicite | ref = {{harvid|Tae Myŏngnyul chikhae (c. 17th Century)}} | reference = Tae Myŏngnyul chikhae 大明律直解 [seventeenth-century xylographic imprint of 1395 edition], 30 kwŏn in 4 vols., v. 2, k. 6, p. 2a; No. 古 5130-11, Kyujanggak Archive 규장각, Seoul National University 서울대학교, Seoul.}}
{{refend}}

See also

Useful templates

• Template:Transliteration
• Template:Lang
• Template:Lang/doc#Rationale
• Category:Korean_multilingual_support_templates

References

Sources

References

Bibliography

• American Psychological Association (2020). Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association (7th ed.). Washington: American Psychological Association. doi:10.1037/0000165-000. ISBN 978-1-4338-3215-4. LCCN 2019948381.
• Harvard Journal of Asiatic Studies (2022). "Style Sheet" (PDF). Cambridge, MA: Harvard Journal of Asiatic Studies. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2023-03-13.
• Huh, Sun (2017-08-16). "How to romanize Korean characters in international journals" (PDF). Science Editing. 4 (2): 80–85. doi:10.6087/kcse.100. ISSN 2288-8063. Archived from the original (PDF) on 17 Jul 2024.
• Journal of Korean Studies (n.d.). "Journal of Korean Studies Style Guide" (PDF). Duke University Press. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2021-08-18.
• Oxford University Press (2016). New Oxford Style Manual (New 2nd ed.). Oxford: Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0-19-876725-1. LCCN 2016299976.
• Modern Language Association of America (2008). MLA Style Manual and Guide to Scholarly Publishing (3rd ed.). New York: Modern Language Association of America. ISBN 978-0-87352-297-7 – via Internet Archive.
• ——— (2021). MLA Handbook (9th ed.). New York: Modern Language Association of America. ISBN 978-1-60329-561-1. LCCN 2020039581.
• University of British Columbia (2016). "American Psychological Association style guide for Korean source" (PDF). Vancouver, BC: University of British Columbia. Archived from the original (PDF) on 9 Jun 2024.
• University of Chicago Press (2017). The Chicago Manual of Style (17th ed.). Chicago; London: University of Chicago Press. doi:10.7208/cmos17. ISBN 978-0-226-28705-8. LCCN 2017020712.
• The University of Chicago Press Editorial Staff (2024). The Chicago Manual of Style (18th ed.). University of Chicago Press. ISBN 9780226817972.
• Yale University Library. "Quick Guide on Citation Style for Chinese, Japanese and Korean Sources: Home". Yale University Library Research Guides. Yale University Library. Archived from the original on 2024-07-16.