Korean Town Name Generator

Most Korean town names are two Sino-Korean syllables, each carrying a meaning, and the second syllable often tells you what kind of place it is. The classic endings are -ju (an old provincial seat: Gyeongju, Jeonju, Cheongju, Wonju), -san (mountain: Busan, Ulsan, Gunsan, Iksan), -cheon (stream: Incheon, Gimcheon, Jecheon, Okcheon), -po (port or inlet: Mokpo, Gimpo, Okpo), -seong (fortress: Hwaseong, Hongseong, Boseong), -yang (the sunny side of a hill or river: Anyang, Goyang, Miryang, Damyang), -won (source or plain: Suwon, Changwon, Namwon) and -hae (sea: Namhae, Donghae, Gimhae). First syllables are usually colors, directions, trees or virtues: cheong (blue), baek (white), song (pine), nam (south), sin (new), an (peace).

Official place names add an administrative suffix that English usually drops: -si for a city, -gun for a county, -eup for a town, -myeon for a township, -dong for a city neighborhood and -ri for a village. A K-drama heroine might grow up in Bongpyeong-myeon and move to Mapo-gu, Seoul. Sejong City and new towns such as Bitgaram break the pattern with pure-Korean names (Hansol, Saerom, Dodam) that sound fresh and are popular for fictional suburbs.

The list runs from metropolitan cities and every rural county to famous neighborhoods, Jeju harbor villages, old North Korean cities and invented towns such as Cheongha, Haesong and Baekcheon that obey the same rules.