1. The Syllable Integrity Principle (No Lone Consonants)
In English and European languages, consonants often cluster without vowels (e.g. "Str-" in "Street" or "-s" in "Chris"). In Korean, every consonant must attach to a vowel to form a syllable block.
When translating a name with consonant clusters, Korean inserts the neutral vowel "ㅡ" (eu). For example, "Chris" becomes "크리스" (Keu-ri-seu) across 3 syllable blocks, and "Smith" becomes "스미스" (Seu-mi-seu).
2. Mapping Missing Sounds: F, V, and TH
Korean phonology maps absent sounds to their closest equivalents according to official standards:
• F converts to ㅍ (P): "Flora" → "플로라", "Frank" → "프랭크".
• V converts to ㅂ (B): "Victoria" → "빅토리아", "David" → "데이비드".
• TH converts to ㅅ (S) or ㄷ (D): "Smith" → "스미스", "Ethan" → "이든".