Kathleen in Korean 캐슬린
Korean media, baristas and the immigration office write Kathleen as 캐슬린: three syllables, said kae-seul-lin. Here's how it's built, how to say it, and what people will call you.
Kathleen 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 슬린 is a clear English l, as in "hello", not an r.
- 슬 carries the filler vowel ㅡ (eu). Keep it short and light, almost just the consonant.
- ㅐ (ae) is said like the e in "bed" by most Koreans today, a little more closed than the a in "cat".
- ㅋ at the start is aspirated: a clear puff of air, like the k in "kite".
- Give all 3 syllables the same weight. Korean has no strong stress, so it's kae-seul-lin, evenly.
How Koreans would call you
Korean given names are almost always two syllables (after a one-syllable family name), so at 3 syllables 캐슬린 reads as a foreign name at a glance. In casual sentences Koreans often add 이 after a name that ends in a consonant: 캐슬린이 왔어 ("Kathleen's here").
Why it's spelled 캐슬린
Spelled letter-by-letter you'd get 캐스린, but Korean media write 캐슬린, because the name is written the way it sounds, not the way it's spelled.
- Korean has no th, so th becomes ㅅ (s), the closest sound.
- An l between vowels is written twice (final ㄹ + ㄹ), so Koreans say a clear l instead of a tapped r.
- Korean adds the vowel ㅡ to consonants that have no vowel of their own (슬), which is why Kathleen has 3 syllables in Korean.
Type Kathleen on a Korean keyboard
On the standard two-set (두벌식) layout, 캐슬린 is the jamo ㅋㅐ ㅅㅡㄹ ㄹㅣㄴ, typed with the keys zo tmf fls. 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 Kathleen in Korean?
Kathleen is written 캐슬린 in Hangul (Revised Romanization: kaeseullin). It is the standard spelling Korean media use for the name. In Hangul it has three syllables: 캐 + 슬 + 린.
How do you pronounce Kathleen in Korean?
Say it kae-seul-lin, with even weight on every syllable. The double ㄹ in 슬린 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.