Lee (Korean surname)

Lee
The one hanja for Yi
Pronunciation[iː] or [riː]
Origin
Language(s)Korean
Word/NameKorean peninsula
Meaning
  • 리 or 이[1]
    • 李: plum
  • 이
    • 異: different
    • 伊: that
Other names
Variant form(s)I, Yi, Ri, Rhee, Rhie, Reeh
The Simple English Wiktionary has a definition for: Lee.
Yi (Ri)
Hangul
이 (리)
Hanja
Revised RomanizationLee, Li, Yi, I, Ri
McCune–ReischauerLee, Li, Yi, I, Ri
Note: "李" is officially romanized as I in South Korea and Ri in North Korea.

Lee or I (이) is the second most common surname, or family name, in Korea. In 2015 more than 7 million people in South Korea had this name. That is over 14% of all people in the country.[2]

References

  1. ↑ 리(Ri) in North Korea and 이(I) in South Korea. However, 이(I) in South Korea use 리(Lee) as their official English surname.
  2. ↑ "2015년 인구주택총조사 전수집계결과 보도자료" [Results of the 2015 Census of Population and Housing survey]. Korean Statistical Information Service. Retrieved 28 May 2019.