Sam in Korean 샘
Korean media, baristas and the immigration office write Sam as 샘: one syllable, said saem. Here's how it's built, how to say it, and what people will call you.
Sam letter by letter
Each Hangul block is one syllable, built from a consonant, a vowel and sometimes a final consonant underneath.
ㅐ (ae) is said like the e in "bed" by most Koreans today, a little more closed than the a in "cat".
- It's a single syllable in Korean, so say it in one short beat: saem.
How Koreans would call you
One syllable is short for Korea, where given names are almost always two, so 샘 stands out and is easy to remember. In casual sentences Koreans often add 이 after a name that ends in a consonant: 샘이 왔어 ("Sam's here").
샘 means a spring (of water) in Korean, and 샘내다 means to be jealous.
Why it's spelled 샘
Here the letters and the sound line up: applying the loanword rules letter by letter already gives 샘, the same spelling Korean media use.
Type Sam on a Korean keyboard
On the standard two-set (두벌식) layout, 샘 is the jamo ㅅㅐㅁ, typed with the keys toa. 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 Sam in Korean?
Sam is written 샘 in Hangul (Revised Romanization: saem). It is the standard spelling Korean media use for the name. In Hangul it has one syllable: 샘.
How do you pronounce Sam in Korean?
Say it saem, with one short beat. ㅐ (ae) is said like the e in "bed" by most Koreans today, a little more closed than the a in "cat".
Spellings follow the National Institute of Korean Language loanword rules and common Korean media usage. Last checked: October 2026.