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

This Manual of Style: Korea (MOS:KO) serves as a definitive style guide for all Wikipedia articles related to Korea, including but not limited to topics such as Korean history, culture, language, geography, politics, and notable figures. It provides comprehensive guidelines to ensure consistency, clarity, and accuracy in articles within the context of an English language encyclopedia.

The primary objective of MOS:KO is to facilitate the creation of high-quality Korea-related content that adheres to the standard editorial practices of the wider WP:MOS, while respecting the unique aspects of Korean topics.

Scope and organization

The guidelines in MOS:KO apply specifically to articles about Korea. These guidelines cover:

• Korean language: Including Hangul, Hanja, and romanization methods.
• Naming conventions: Guidelines for article titles on names, places, titles, dates, numbers, and units of measurement in a Korean context.
• Article layout and templates: Available templates and resources.
• Dates and numbers: Guidelines for dates and numbers in a Korean context.
• Referencing Korean sources: Guidelines on how to cite Korean sources.

Consensus on styles

See also: MOS:VAR and WP:CONSENSUS

Sometimes WP:MOS provides more than one acceptable style or gives no specific guidance. When an article is in the scope of MOS:KO in addition to other overlapping style guides, or where MOS:KO has various valid approaches to a specific situation, it is generally inappropriate for a Wikipedia editor to change from the existing style to another without good reason. Per MOS:VAR, where more than one style or format is acceptable, editors should establish WP:CONSENSUS and find a style to use consistently within an article. Edit warring over stylistic choices, for instance over which method to romanize Korean, is unacceptable.

Korean language

Main articles: Korean language and History of Korean

The Korean language is written in a native alphabet Hangul, a non-Latin alphabet that was developed in the 15th century. Historically, Korea also used Chinese characters in the form of Hanja. Hangul and Hanja can be used together in what is called Korean mixed script. There are various romanization systems in use that transliterate both Hangul and Hanja into the same Latin characters used in English. The guidelines below detail their use when editing Wikipedia.

Use Korean-language terms sparingly

Per MOS:NON-ENG, use non–English terms sparingly. Korean terms can be used if they significantly add to understanding. I.e. given the choice between semantically equivalent words in English and Korean, prefer English words. For example, between maekju (Korean: 맥주; lit. beer) and beer, write beer. An exception to this is if maekju is relevant to the topic, for example if it was a person's nickname or last word. Another example, between ssireum and wrestling, writing ssireum may be appropriate; ssireum is a Korea-specific variant of wrestling, and its unique characteristics may be relevant to the article.

English words of Korean origin

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

Some Korean-language terms have been adopted into the English language; such terms are found in English dictionaries and should be treated as English-language words. For example, "kimchi" and "taekwondo". In many cases, these terms have a common name spelling that differs from the output of typical transliteration systems. As we are on the English Wikipedia, spell these terms using the most common spellings used in English sources. For instance, "taekwondo" is romanized as taegwondo (RR) or t'aegwŏndo (MR), but its common English spelling is used throughout Wikipedia. Also, as these terms are functionally in English, do not italicize them using § Italicization of transliterated words and phrases.

Romanization & transliteration

See also: MOS:NOTLATIN and WP:ACCESSIBILITY

Per MOS:NOTLATIN and WP:ACCESSIBILITY, Hangul and Hanja must include a romanization. There are two widely used Korean romanization systems:

• Revised Romanization (RR): Adopted as the official system in South Korea since 2000, it was created by the South Korean government to replace the McCune–Reischauer system.
• McCune–Reischauer (MR): Though its usage is declining, it is still used both inside and outside Korea. A variant was the official system in South Korea from 1984 to 2000. Another variant is currently the official system in North Korea.

In addition, the Yale romanization of Korean may sometimes be used, particularly among linguists.

What Korean romanization to use

The current community consensus by Wikipedia editors on what type of romanization to use is as follows:

Revised Romanization (RR)

• Use for articles about South Korea.
• Use for topics related to Korea as a whole before the division of Korea in 1945.
• Use for Hanja instead of Hancha (MR).

Example: The South Korean province Gyeonggi Province uses RR instead of Kyŏnggi (MR) for its article.

McCune–Reischauer (MR)

• Use for articles about North Korea.
• Use for pre-1945 Korean names.

Example: The North Korean province Kangwon Province uses MR instead of Gangwon (RR) for its article.

Yale romanization of Korean

• Used rarely, but can be found on topics related to western linguistic studies of Korean.

Romanization templates

See also: Template:Transliteration

All these romanization methods can be introduced through the {{transliteration}} template.

For example, using RR:

Markup	Renders as
{{transliteration|ko|rr|Tteokbokki}} is a popular Korean food.	Tteokbokki is a popular Korean food.

Or using MR:

Markup	Renders as
{{transliteration|ko|mr|Ttŏkpokki}} is a popular Korean food.	Ttŏkpokki is a popular Korean food.

Or using the Yale transliteration method:

Markup	Renders as
{{transliteration|ko|yaleko|Ttekekki}} is a popular Korean food.	Ttekekki is a popular Korean food.

Italicization of transliterated words and phrases

See also: MOS:FOREIGNITALIC

Italics should be used for transliterated Korean words, phrases, or titles that are not listed in a standard English dictionary or that are likely to be unfamiliar to the reader.

Y She was dressed in a hanbok.

N She was dressed in a hanbok.

Repeated terms: If a word becomes familiar through repeated use in the article, for instance if it is the main subject matter of an article, it may be italicized only on the first occurrence. If the term appears rarely, italics and any optional parenthetical gloss may be retained.

Y She was dressed in a hanbok. The hanbok is a traditional Korean dress.

N She was dressed in a hanbok. The hanbok is a traditional Korean dress.

Proper nouns

Transliterated proper nouns (such as people's names, specific places, and things) are not italicized.

Y He traveled to the ancient kingdom of Gojoseon.

N He traveled to the ancient kingdom of Gojoseon.

Titles of works

See also: MOS:FOREIGNTITLE

Titles of works that have been transliterated should be presented in an italicized sentence style. In sentence style, 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.

Y King Sejong wrote Worin cheongang jigok.

N King Sejong wrote Worin Cheongang Jigok.

Alternatively, the transliteration 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 transliteration) it should also be italicized but using title style in the normal way:

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

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

Capitalization of transliterated words and phrases

Except for transliterated § Titles of works, which should be in sentence case, capitalization should generally follow MOS:CAPS. In general, if a transliterated term is not a proper noun, you should not capitalize it.

Hangul

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

The inclusion of Hangul in articles is encouraged, provided the following guidelines are observed. Many Korean words and names share similar or identical romanizations, and translations of Korean terms into English can be inexact or confusing without additional context. Including Hangul characters helps clarify these cases. However, appropriate romanizations should always accompany Hangul characters in an article.

Hangul can be introduced using the {{korean}} template. For 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 removed by setting labels=no. It is recommended to disable labels after the first use if no other non-English language text is present in 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

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.

Parenthetical gloss

When a name, term, or phrase that comes from Korean is mentioned for the first time in an article, Hangul text should be included in parentheses. Use the {{korean}} template for correct formatting.

Y She was dressed in a hanbok (한복; lit. Korean dress).

Avoid using Korean words without translation or further context on their first occurrence.

N She was dressed in a hanbok (한복).

There is no need to include the Hangul if the Korean word has its own article on Wikipedia. The article in question should be linked within the {{transliterate}} template on the first use of the word. For example:

Y She was dressed in a hanbok.

Korean terms that have their own article

For ease of reading and to reduce redundancy, Hangul should generally not be included for names or terms that have their own articles. Readers who wish to see the native representation should be able to find it on the linked article.

Y Yi Sun-sin, along with King ...

N Yi Sun-sin (이순신), along with King ...

Where the Hangul is key to the subject

However, articles should stand on their own. Characters for terms should be included, even if they have their own article, if their native representation is key to the subject within the article or their absence leaves other statements in the article unexplained:

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

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

Hanja

See also: Template:Korean and Template:Lang-ko

Today, Hanja is rarely used in South Korea and not used at all in North Korea. The South Korean education system includes some instruction in Hanja, but its practical use in daily life is minimal. It is mostly seen in specialized fields such as historical research, legal documents, literature, and academic works. In North Korea, Hanja has been completely phased out in favor of Hangul since the Korean War.

However, Hanja's inclusion in Wikipedia articles can be valuable distinguishing between Korean words that are pronounced the same but have different meanings (homophones). For example, the Hangul spelling of a word may be identical for two different terms, but the Hanja can clarify their distinct meanings. It can also help for understanding classical Korean literature or historical documents. Older texts and classical Korean poetry often contain Hanja, which can provide deeper insight into the linguistic and cultural context of the period.

Hanja can be introduced using the {{korean}} template. This template allows for the inclusion of both the Hangul and Hanja characters, along with their romanizations and translations if necessary.

This helps provide a comprehensive understanding of the term being discussed. For example:

Markup	Renders as
Goguryeo ({{korean|hangul=고구려|hanja=高句麗}})	Goguryeo (Korean: 고구려; Hanja: 高句麗)

When to use Hanja

Hanja should be used sparingly and only when it adds significant value to the article. Appropriate usage includes:

• 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.
• Scholarly references: In academic or scholarly articles where the inclusion of Hanja provides clarity or is standard practice.

Hanja vs Mandarin Chinese

Korean words and names (e.g., 寶拉 for the name Bora) are not considered Hanja. Hanja are specific Chinese characters used in the Korean language with unique Korean pronunciations and meanings. Including Mandarin transcriptions of Korean words, which are used for Mandarin speakers, is generally not appropriate in Korea related articles on the English Wikipedia.

Examples

In historical articles, Hanja can provide additional clarity:

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

Y The scholar Yi Hwang (Korean: 이황; Hanja: 李滉) was a prominent Confucian scholar during the Joseon Dynasty.

In summary, the use of Hanja should be reserved for cases where it enhances the reader's understanding and provides necessary disambiguation or historical context.

Spaces between words

For Hangul, the basic rule of thumb is that there are spaces between words that are each 2 or more syllables in length, while there is no space between 2 one-character words or between a one-character word and a 2-or-more-character word. (The rules are of course actually much more complicated than this and depend upon the grammatical categories of the words in question, but this rule of thumb generally holds for non–proper nouns.)

While Hangul and Korean mixed script (Hangul and Hanja together) use spaces between words, text written only in Hanja is usually written without spaces. Thus, gosokhwa doro ("freeway" or "motorway") is written as 고속화 도로 (with a space) in Hangul, but as 高速化道路 (without a space) in Hanja.

Additional guidelines

Translation and transliteration help

If you are unsure how to 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.

Clarification of Romanization method

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:

Wiktionary links

Do not add a Wiktionary link to Korean text (Hangul, Hanja, etc.) except the following cases:

• If understanding running text can be difficult without a Wiktionary link
• Linguistic contexts (e.g. when the topic is about lexical items)

Adding a link to Wiktionary is not a requirement. If the meaning of a Korean term must be explained in an article, the explanation can be simply given within that article without a Wiktionary link.

In any case, these are not allowed:

• Blindly adding a link to each Hangul character (e.g. 기다리다 ({{linktext|기|다|리|다}}) – this does not give any idea what 기다리다 actually means)
• Adding Wiktionary links to
  • personal names (including pseudonyms such as pen 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. See WP:SEAOFBLUE: When possible, do not place links next to each other, to avoid appearing like a single link.

When there is any dispute about a Wiktionary link, the burden lies with the editor who wants to add or retain the link. But any Wiktionary link should be in compliance with the rule above.

Article layout and templates

See also: MOS:LAYOUT

Introductory sentence

See also: MOS:LEAD

An encyclopedia entry with a title that is a Korean proper name should include both the Korean characters (Hangul) and the IPA representations for English and Korean in the first sentence. The article title itself should generally be romanized according to the Romanization guideline below.

The template {{Korean}} may be used to add Korean characters and IPA representations to articles' introductory sentences in a consistent manner. For example:

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

Korean can be used in other infoboxes. Some, such as {{Infobox settlement}} have |native_name= and |native_name_lang= which can be used for Korean. In this way 'English' infoboxes can be used for Korean topics; for instance {{Infobox royalty}} should be used for Korean kings, see Sejong the Great for an example.

Footnote and hatnotes for family names

See also: WP:HAT and Template:Family_name_explanation § Footnotes_vs._hatnotes

Sometimes, it is not obvious to readers which part of a Korean personal name is the family name. To clarify this, you can use the below footnote or hatnote templates. There is no universal consensus on whether to use footnotes or hatnotes for family name explanations. However, never use both. For people of Korean heritage that have clearly adopted a western style name (e.g. James Kim, Lucy Choi) no explanation is needed.

Family Name Footnotes: The template {{family name footnote}} should be added after the use of a person's name to produce an inline footnote. For example:

Markup	Renders as
'''Lee Myung-bak'''{{Family name footnote|[[Lee (Korean surname)|Lee]]|lang=Korean]]}} (born 19 December 1941) is a South Korean former politician...	Lee Myung-bak (born 19 December 1941) is a South Korean former politician...

Footnotes are a Lower-emphasis method of name explanation. Some editors argue that they better avoid giving undue prominence to name explanations. Others argue that they fit name explanations better as they do not muddle the navigational purpose of hatnotes. They may be particularly well-suited to articles that already have other hatnotes (where another might induce banner blindness) or where there is a preexisting footnote system (and thus no need to introduce one). They also have the advantage of being used for multiple different people in the same article.

Family name hatnotes: The template {{Family name hatnote}} can be added to the top of an article (after the {{Short description}}) to produce a hatnote. For example:

Markup	Renders as
{{family name hatnote|[[Lee (Korean surname)|Lee]]|lang=Korean}} '''Lee Myung-bak''' (born 19 December 1941) is a South Korean former politician...	In this Korean name, the family name is Lee. Lee Myung-bak (born 19 December 1941) is a South Korean former politician...

Hatnotes are a high-emphasis method of name explanation. Some editors argue that they are well-suited to articles where the name is particularly in need of clarification or where a footnote system would have to be introduced for the explanation about something else.

Categorization

See also: Wikipedia:Categorization

Some pages or categories related to Korea need to be categorized within general categories. For example, Category:Military of South Korea is categorized within Category:Military by country. In such cases, it is useful to sort the page or category by country (see Wikipedia:Categorization#Category sorting). When categorizing Korea-specific content specific within general categories, the sort key should be set to one of the following:

• Use "Korea" for content related to Korea as a whole.
• Use "Korea, North" for content related specifically to North Korea.
• Use "Korea, South" for content related specifically to South Korea.

By standardizing the sort keys, readers can search for Korea-related content in a consistent manner.

It is also often the case that content related specifically to North Korea or South Korea should be categorized within a general Korean category. For example, Category:Religion in North Korea is categorized within Category:Religion in Korea. In such cases, the sort key should be set to " North Korea" or " South Korea" (note the space in front of "North" and "South") so that they appear in the beginning of the page or subcategory list of the general Korean category.

Templates

A generic Korean article template has been created, with the following features:

• An appropriate infobox template (see below)
• A default Category:Korea link. Ideally, the article should link to the appropriate subcategory listed on the Korea-related categories page.

Infobox templates

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

• Template:Infobox Korean name - for general Korean and South Korean topics. For North Korean topics, use the attribute "context=north".

Geographic templates

• Template:Regions and administrative divisions of North Korea
• Template:Regions and administrative divisions of South Korea
• Template:Eight Provinces of Korea
• Template:Korea-geo-stub

Language templates

• Template:Korean
• Template:Lang-ko

Miscellaneous

No name table

• {{WikiProject Korea}}
• {{History of Korea}}
• {{Five Grand Palaces (Joseon)}}
• {{Three Jewels Temples}}

Naming conventions

Personal, organization, and company names should generally be romanized according to their common usage in English sources. If there is no established English spelling, then Revised Romanization should be used for South Korean names and McCune–Reischauer for North Korean and pre-1945 Korean names.

Generally, Korean templates should be used to show the native script and both romanizations. Please be sure to create redirects from both romanizations and any other likely romanizations and common misspellings.

People

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 transliteration 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 transliterated family name:

Modifications to common Korean family names

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

Then hyphenate each syllable of the given name, capitalizing just the first sylable. 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

4. Ambiguity and many-to-one mapping

If the name based on the modified RR or MR creates a many-to-one mapping, such as Chun (전 and 천) and Woo (우 and 유), and the person in question does not have thier own Wikipedia article, the Hangul should be provided in the article text in a parenthetical gloss using the {{korean}} template. This additional detail helps resolve any ambiguity and ensures clarity. For example:

Y Chun Doo-hwan (Korean: 전두환)

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).

Appropriate infobox templates should be used.

Place names

Articles about places should use the appropriate infobox templates.

Generally, place names are romanized according to the official romanization system of the country the place is a part of. Thus, North Korean place names use McCune-Reischauer Romanization, while South Korean place names use the Revised Romanization of Korean.

Administrative divisions

Provinces

Translate the terms for administrative divisions "-do". For example, North Gyeongsang Province, not Gyeongsangbuk-do.

Cities

For cities, use the romanization of the city name, without the "-si" (e.g., Seoul, Busan). If disambiguation is needed, "City" may be added.

Counties

For counties, use the romanization of the county name with "County" as the translation for "-gun" or "-kun". If disambiguation is needed, the upper level administrative division's name may be added as the generic class (e.g., Unsan County, South Pyongan).

Districts

There are two kind of districts, autonomous districts (자치구) and non-autonomous districts (일반구). For autonomous districts, use the romanization of the district name with "District" translated the "-gu". Non-autonomous districts are named "X-gu". For North Korean locales, use the romanization of the district name with the "-guyok". For North Korean locales -ku, -chigu, use the romanization of the county name, without the "-ku, -chigu".

Towns, neighbourhoods and villages

For clarity, non-autonomous divisions' articles should be titled with the full name. Towns are named "X-eup" (although "-eup" can be omitted), Townships "X-myeon", Neighbourhoods "X-dong" and villages "X-ri".

Administrative divisions of South Korea

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

Administrative divisions of North Korea

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

Other geography

Mountains

If there is no clear WP:COMMONNAME for a mountain, apply the following:

• If the mountain's Korean name ends with either of the terms "san" (산) or "bong" (봉), title their articles with their full unhyphenated Korean names. For example, Seoraksan and Moranbong.
  • If disambiguation is needed, "mountain" can be added—see Wikipedia:Disambiguation.
• If the mountain's name ends in "oreum", split the name. For example, 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.

Rivers

Articles about rivers should be named with the river's short Korean name (without gang or kang) followed by the word River. Thus the article on the Nakdong (Nakdonggang) is at Nakdong River.

If disambiguation with a non-Korean river is needed, "(Korea)" can be added -- see Wikipedia:Disambiguation. An example of this would be Han River (Korea).

Islands

For islands, the full unhyphenated Korean name including do or seom should be used, as in Baengnyeongdo. If disambiguation is needed, "island" can be added -- see Wikipedia:Disambiguation.

This convention applies to islands without an accepted English name. If a different name has been established in common English usage, it should be used, per Wikipedia:Use common names.

Sea of Japan

See also: Talk:Sea of Japan/FAQ

For all articles use: [[Sea of Japan]] which is the common name for the sea among English-language sources.

Buildings and structures

Temples

For Buddhist temples, the full unhyphenated Korean name including sa should be used, as in Bulguksa. If disambiguation is needed, "Temple" can be added -- see Wikipedia:Disambiguation.

This convention applies to temples without an accepted English name. If a different name has been established in common English usage, it should be used, per Wikipedia:Use common names.

This convention may be applied mutatis mutandis to Confucian and other shrines which lack common or official English names, such as the Jongmyo.

Works

For articles about works (books, paintings, etc), romanize titles of works per § Romanization & transliteration, and capitalize and italicize per § Titles of works and MOS:TITLE.

Dates and numbers

See also: MOS:NUM

Date format

See also: MOS:DATEFORMAT and List of date formats by country

For articles that are mostly about Korea, we recommend the use of the MDY date format over the DMY date format. This is due to MOS:DATETIES; while South Korea and North Korea both use YMD in the Korean language, most English-language news sources in both Koreas appear to use MDY as of 2024.

MDY date format:

Y The March First Movement began on March 1, 1919.

DMY date format:

N The March First Movement began on 1 March 1919.

Per MOS:DATEUNIFY, be consistent about which date format is used within each article. Per MOS:DATERET, if a date format conversion is potentially controversial, obtain a WP:DISCUSSCONSENSUS before switching the date format.

Calendars

Prior to the 20th century, Korea used a lunisolar calendar: the Korean calendar. Per MOS:OSNS, while this calendar is permissible to use, all dates provided using this calendar must have an equivalent Gregorian calendar date. We encourage, for consistency with most of the rest of Wikipedia, that dates in the Gregorian calendar be the primary dates given, with Korean calendar dates optionally given as side notes. If you do use the lunar calendar, you should clearly indicate which dates are lunar.

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 rough conversions of these to SI units and link to relevant articles about the units.

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, this should be preserved using an author-mask parameter.

• |last = Jung | first = Yi-Seop | author-mask1 = Jung Yi-Seop

renders:

• YJung Yi-Seop

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

• |last = Jung | first = Yi-Seop

renders:

• NJung, Yi-Seop

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 = Hong Yi-Seop |author-mask1 = Hong Yi-Seop 홍이섭

renders:

• YHong Yi-Seop 홍이섭

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

• NHong Yi-Seop (홍이섭)
• N홍이섭

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 Yi-Seop 홍이섭 崔鉉培

renders:

• YHong Yi-Seop 홍이섭 崔鉉培

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 transliteration), 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

Transliteration and Original Script: Use transliterations 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 transliterated 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 transliterations 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 transliterations 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) transliterations; 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 transliteration 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 transliteration 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 transliteration 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 transliteration, 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 transliteration.

• 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 transliteration has been overly capitalized. Non-latin transliterations 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.

== Notes ==
{{reflist}}

== References ==
{{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

Korea

• Wikipedia:WikiProject Korea
• Wikipedia:WikiProject Korea/Article guidelines
• Wikipedia:WikiProject Korea/Reliable sources

MOS

• Wikipedia:Manual_of_Style#Non-English_terms
• Wikipedia:Manual_of_Style#Other_non-English_concerns
• Wikipedia:Manual of Style/Accessibility
• Wikipedia:Manual of Style#Foreign terms
• Wikipedia:Manual of Style/Text formatting#Foreign terms
• Wikipedia:Manual of Style/Linking
• Wikipedia:Manual of Style/Linking#Interwiki links

Good content

• Wikipedia:Featured article criteria

Useful templates

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

Notes and references

Citations

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.
• 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.

External references

• (in Korean) dictionary.seoul.go.kr - Seoul City Government Web site giving official English names and romanizations for various concepts, including places, foods, railway lines, etc.
• (in English and Korean) Korean Romanization Converter
• Culture Ministry sets guideline for Romanizing Korean names