My Name Is in Korean: 제 이름은, 저는, or (이)라고 합니다?
How to Say My Name Is in Korean With Two Decisions
Someone asks you, 이름이 뭐예요? (ireumi mwoyeyo?) — “What’s your name?” You already know the answer, of course. The awkward part is building the Korean sentence around it.
When you are learning how to say my name is in Korean, three useful shapes appear very quickly:
제 이름은 안나예요. (je ireumeun annayeyo.)
My name is Anna.
저는 안나예요. (jeoneun annayeyo.)
I’m Anna.
저는 안나라고 합니다. (jeoneun annarago hamnida.)
I’m called Anna / My name is Anna.
All three can introduce the same person. What changes is the frame around the name. Think of a name tag 🏷️: first decide what part of the tag you want the sentence to point at, then let the final Korean sound of your name choose the ending.
That gives you two decisions, not a list of sentences to memorize.
First, Decide What You Want to Put in Front
제 이름은 ___: put “my name” in front
제 이름은 (je ireumeun) means “my name…” The word 제 (je) is the shortened form of 저의 (jeoui), meaning “my.” So this pattern says exactly what many beginners expect:
제 이름은 안나예요.
My name is Anna.
It is useful when the name itself is the information you want to state clearly. You can hear the structure almost word by word: “As for my name, it is Anna.” You do not need to analyze every particle to use it correctly.
저는 ___: put yourself in front
저는 (jeoneun) starts from “I” rather than “my name.” In a name exchange, that can be enough:
A: 이름이 뭐예요?
Ireumi mwoyeyo?
What’s your name?
B: 저는 안나예요.
Jeoneun annayeyo.
I’m Anna.
The information is still your name, but the sentence points to you rather than to the noun 이름. This is why 제 이름은 안나예요 and 저는 안나예요 can both work without being identical sentences.
Do not turn them into a fake rule such as “제 이름은 is textbook Korean, 저는 is real Korean.” Both structures are used. The better question is simpler: do you want to say “my name is…” explicitly, or identify yourself as “I’m…”?
Your Name Chooses What Comes After It
Now the name tag matters. Not the English spelling — the final Korean sound of the name you are saying.
If the Korean form ends without a final consonant: 예요
안나 (Anna) ends in 나, which has no final consonant.
제 이름은 안나예요.
저는 안나예요.
Another example:
마야 (Maya) → 마야예요.
If the Korean form ends with a final consonant: 이에요
존 (John) ends with the final consonant ㄴ.
제 이름은 존이에요.
저는 존이에요.
The useful habit is to look at the Korean form you actually pronounce or write. The final English letter is not the rule. Korean endings attach to the Korean sound pattern.
입니다 does not switch
If you are using the formal 입니다 (imnida) ending, you do not alternate between two forms:
저는 안나입니다.
저는 존입니다.
This is handy in a more formal introduction because the name can change while the ending stays the same. 👋
라고 합니다 and 이라고 합니다: One More Switch
There is another introduction pattern that learners often meet:
저는 안나라고 합니다.
I’m called Anna.
저는 존이라고 합니다.
I’m called John.
The choice again follows the end of the Korean name form.
No final consonant → 라고 합니다
안나 → 안나라고 합니다
Final consonant → 이라고 합니다
존 → 존이라고 합니다
You can also build a sentence such as 제 이름은 존이라고 합니다. The pattern presents the name as what you are called. Because the ending is 합니다, it fits neatly into a more formal self-introduction.
One caution: do not arrange 제 이름은 ___예요, 저는 ___예요, and ___(이)라고 합니다 as if they were three fixed levels from casual to most polite. They are different sentence frames, and the speech ending inside each frame also matters.
What Is Your Name in Korean? Here’s How the Reply Works
The polite beginner-friendly question is:
이름이 뭐예요? (ireumi mwoyeyo?)
What’s your name?
You do not need to mirror every word in the question. Either of these can answer it:
제 이름은 안나예요.
저는 안나예요.
In a more respectful setting, you may hear 성함이 어떻게 되세요? (seonghami eotteoke doeseyo?). 성함 (seongham) is an honorific word for someone’s name. If someone asks you that, you can still answer with 제 이름은… or 저는…. You do not need to raise your own name by replying 제 성함은….
One Person, One Name, Three Ways to Introduce It
Let’s keep Anna in place and change only the frame. This is the easiest way to hear what each sentence is doing.
1. The name itself is the topic
제 이름은 안나예요.
My name is Anna.
Useful when you want to state the name explicitly.
2. You are the topic
저는 안나예요.
I’m Anna.
Shorter in structure because 이름 does not need to appear.
3. You present what you are called
저는 안나라고 합니다.
I’m called Anna.
This frame works especially well when you are giving a self-introduction rather than only filling in a missing name.
Notice that the person never changed. The name never changed either. Only the camera angle of the sentence moved: my name → me → what I’m called. That is the part worth remembering.
Build Your Own Sentence Before You Leave
Okay, use your own name now. ✍️
Step A: Choose the frame.
제 이름은 ___ / 저는 ___ / 저는 ___(이)라고 합니다
Step B: Check the final Korean sound of the name you actually use.
Step C: If you choose 예요/이에요, use 예요 after no final consonant and 이에요 after a final consonant.
Step D: If you choose (이)라고 합니다, use 라고 합니다 after no final consonant and 이라고 합니다 after a final consonant.
So:
안나 → 제 이름은 안나예요.
존 → 저는 존이에요.
마야 → 저는 마야라고 합니다.
벤 → 저는 벤이라고 합니다.
If your goal is to learn how to say my name is in Korean, you can now build the sentence instead of borrowing one example and hoping your own name behaves the same way.
And if someone asks you how to say my name is in Korean with a different name, start with the same two switches: choose the sentence frame, then listen to the end of the name.