Levi in Korean 리바이
Korean media, baristas and the immigration office write Levi as 리바이: three syllables, said ri-ba-i. Here's how it's built, how to say it, and what people will call you.
Levi 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.
- 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 ri-ba-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 리바이 reads as a foreign name at a glance. With foreign names some Koreans skip 야 and just say 리바이 or 리바이 씨.
Why it's spelled 리바이
Spelled letter-by-letter you'd get 레비, but Korean media write 리바이, because the name is written the way it sounds, not the way it's spelled.
- There is no v in Korean either: v becomes ㅂ (b).
- The long i (as in "my") is spelled 아이: two beats in Korean, one in English.
Type Levi on a Korean keyboard
On the standard two-set (두벌식) layout, 리바이 is the jamo ㄹㅣ ㅂㅏ ㅇㅣ, typed with the keys fl qk 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 Levi in Korean?
Levi is written 리바이 in Hangul (Revised Romanization: ribai). It is the standard spelling Korean media use for the name. In Hangul it has three syllables: 리 + 바 + 이.
How do you pronounce Levi in Korean?
Say it ri-ba-i, 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.