Eli in Korean 일라이
Korean media, baristas and the immigration office write Eli as 일라이: three syllables, said il-la-i. Here's how it's built, how to say it, and what people will call you.
Eli letter by letter
Each Hangul block is one syllable, built from a consonant, a vowel and sometimes a final consonant underneath.
The double ㄹ in 일라 is a clear English l, as in "hello", not an r.
- ㅇ at the top of 이 is silent, so 이 is just the vowel: i.
- Give all 3 syllables the same weight. Korean has no strong stress, so it's il-la-i, evenly.
How Koreans would call you
Korean given names are almost always two syllables (after a one-syllable family name), so at 3 syllables 일라이 reads as a foreign name at a glance. With foreign names some Koreans skip 야 and just say 일라이 or 일라이 씨.
Why it's spelled 일라이
Spelled letter-by-letter you'd get 엘리, but Korean media write 일라이, because the name is written the way it sounds, not the way it's spelled.
- The long i (as in "my") is spelled 아이: two beats in Korean, one in English.
- An l between vowels is written twice (final ㄹ + ㄹ), so Koreans say a clear l instead of a tapped r.
Type Eli on a Korean keyboard
On the standard two-set (두벌식) layout, 일라이 is the jamo ㅇㅣㄹ ㄹㅏ ㅇㅣ, typed with the keys dlf fk dl. 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 Eli in Korean?
Eli is written 일라이 in Hangul (Revised Romanization: illai). It is the standard spelling Korean media use for the name. In Hangul it has three syllables: 일 + 라 + 이.
How do you pronounce Eli in Korean?
Say it il-la-i, with even weight on every syllable. The double ㄹ in 일라 is a clear English l, as in "hello", not an r.
Spellings follow the National Institute of Korean Language loanword rules and common Korean media usage. Last checked: October 2026.