Leo in Korean 레오
Korean media, baristas and the immigration office write Leo as 레오: two syllables, said re-o. Here's how it's built, how to say it, and what people will call you.
Leo letter by letter
Each Hangul block is one syllable, built from a consonant, a vowel and sometimes a final consonant underneath.
The opening ㄹ is a single light tap, halfway between an English r and l. Never roll it.
- ㅗ is a pure "o" with rounded lips. Don't add the w-glide English puts in "go".
- ㅇ at the top of 오 is silent, so 오 is just the vowel: o.
- Two even beats, re-o: Korean doesn't stress one syllable over the other the way English does.
How Koreans would call you
Korean given names are almost always two syllables, so 레오 already sounds natural to Korean ears. With foreign names some Koreans skip 야 and just say 레오 or 레오 씨.
Why it's spelled 레오
Here the letters and the sound line up: applying the loanword rules letter by letter already gives 레오, the same spelling Korean media use.
Type Leo on a Korean keyboard
On the standard two-set (두벌식) layout, 레오 is the jamo ㄹㅔ ㅇㅗ, typed with the keys fp dh. 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 Leo in Korean?
Leo is written 레오 in Hangul (Revised Romanization: reo). It is the standard spelling Korean media use for the name. In Hangul it has two syllables: 레 + 오.
How do you pronounce Leo in Korean?
Say it re-o, with even weight on every syllable. The opening ㄹ is a single light tap, halfway between an English r and l. Never roll it.
Spellings follow the National Institute of Korean Language loanword rules and common Korean media usage. Last checked: October 2026.