Donald in Korean 도널드
Korean media, baristas and the immigration office write Donald as 도널드: three syllables, said do-neol-deu. Here's how it's built, how to say it, and what people will call you.
Donald letter by letter
Each Hangul block is one syllable, built from a consonant, a vowel and sometimes a final consonant underneath.
드 carries the filler vowel ㅡ (eu). Keep it short and light, almost just the consonant.
- ㄹ at the bottom of 널 is an l: the tongue touches just behind the teeth and stays there.
- ㅓ (eo) in 널 is the open "uh" of "sun", not an "o".
- ㄷ at the start is soft and unvoiced, halfway between t and d.
- ㅗ is a pure "o" with rounded lips. Don't add the w-glide English puts in "go".
How Koreans would call you
Korean given names are almost always two syllables (after a one-syllable family name), so at 3 syllables 도널드 reads as a foreign name at a glance. With foreign names some Koreans skip 야 and just say 도널드 or 도널드 씨.
Why it's spelled 도널드
Spelled letter-by-letter you'd get 도낼드, but Korean media write 도널드, because the name is written the way it sounds, not the way it's spelled.
- The unstressed "uh" vowel is written ㅓ (eo), whatever letter English uses for it.
- Korean adds the vowel ㅡ to consonants that have no vowel of their own (드), which is why Donald has 3 syllables in Korean.
Type Donald on a Korean keyboard
On the standard two-set (두벌식) layout, 도널드 is the jamo ㄷㅗ ㄴㅓㄹ ㄷㅡ, typed with the keys eh sjf em. Want to get fast at it? Try the Hangul Typing Test.
Similar names in Korean
Write any name in Hangul
Questions people ask
How do you write Donald in Korean?
Donald is written 도널드 in Hangul (Revised Romanization: doneoldeu). It is the standard spelling Korean media use for the name. In Hangul it has three syllables: 도 + 널 + 드.
How do you pronounce Donald in Korean?
Say it do-neol-deu, with even weight on every syllable. 드 carries the filler vowel ㅡ (eu). Keep it short and light, almost just the consonant.
Spellings follow the National Institute of Korean Language loanword rules and common Korean media usage. Last checked: October 2026.