Do Chinese names decline? ABOUT

Explanations

Leeteuk: Alternatively, Leeteuk is allowed. Under no circumstances is Leeteuk.
The sound ㅌ is “t”, pronounced with aspiration; the spelling “th” is not accepted, since it does not correspond to the real pronunciation of the sound due to the fact that the sound [x] in Russian is very strong.
The sound of “으” is also not exactly the same clear Russian [ы], but something between [ы] and [у]. However, if when pronouncing his name, Leeteuk pronounces it, as a rule, as “Ituk”, then the word “special”, which contains the same syllable - 특별 - he pronounces it clearly as “tykpyol”.
In the Russian fandom, it was initially customary to write Eteuk.
However, Leeteuk’s version, which is academically correct, no one will ask you to correct.

Heechul: An explanation about aspirated sounds is given above. ㅊ is pronounced like [ch], but with an exhalation. The spelling "chh" is not accepted, since it does not correspond to the real pronunciation of the sound due to the fact that the sound [x] in the Russian language is very strong. The 희 sound is not pronounced as [уй], it is an obsolete version. Hee-chul. Heechul.

Yesung: In order to distinguish between the letters 예 and 에 when transliterating, we accept the spelling “ye” for 예 and “e” for 에. Let's not get confused. Yesung is wrong. Yesung.

Eunhyuk: .
Unyok, Inhyuk, Enyuk, Enhyuk - NO! WRONG! Eun-hyuk. Eunhyuk. Nobody can explain it better than himself, right?

Donghae: fans of Wongwan's textbook argue that you should write Donghae without the surname, but with the surname Donghae. Since in Russian surnames are written separately, and not in one word with the name like the Koreans, the letter does not change, and we choose only one option - Donghae, namely because in particular, in the Japanese and English versions, he writes his name with a D (while Kyuhyun chooses the opposite stunned version)
The choice was made on the option Donghae.

Hyukjae, Donghae: Please note their names end with uh. In order to distinguish between the letters 애 and 에 when transliterating, we accept the spelling “e” for 애 and “e” for 에. Let's not get confused. 혁재, 동해 - end with 애 = Hyukjae, Donghae.

Shindong, Siobhan:“shi” was chosen rather than “cabbage soup” because it is more logical. The fact is that the differences in the pronunciation of the sound [c] and [w] are that for the latter we slightly move the tongue back. For the sound [у], we must make a groove for air, which we did not do in the previous sounds, and tense our tongue.
Since in the case of 시, the first sound still remains [ㅅ], which, however, needs to be made hissing.
We pronounce it close in sound to [ш], but leaving the articulation as for [c] (which is similar to [ш]), hence the “sh” in transliteration.

Cho Kyuhyun- In the passport it says Kyuhyun, but in albums everywhere and profiles (even from SM) it says Kyuhyun. In addition, when transliterating into Russian, the surname is written as a separate word, so there will be no pronunciation. In his cyworld, he created folders for photos called K。Story and Kyu, which is kind of a hint. So the official version of the name is stunned - Kyuhyun.

Then why GaemGyu? After "M" he couldn't write "K". In the word 갬규 - this is exactly his nickname, gemgyu, (gem = game distorted), “Kyu” will be read as “Gyu”
(after sonorant consonants and after vowels there is voicing)

Kuixian: The readings "Gui" and "Kui" correspond to the same character 圭. The situation is the same as with Kyuhyun - Gyuhyun: traditionally preference is given to "Kuihsian", by analogy with "Kyuhyun". Since the WORLD (!) fandom and Sm Entertainment themselves accept Kuixian and Kyuhyun, and not Guixian and Kyuhyun, we will also not deviate from these options.

surname Li:이 - Lee - read as I. Not Lee, but I.
However, the generally accepted option writing in the world - Lee.
We will not deviate from this option, but decided to provide pronunciation information for reference.

Last name Choi:최 - Choi - ㅊ is pronounced like [ch], but with an exhalation. The spelling "chh" does not correspond to the actual pronunciation of the sound due to the fact that the sound [x] in Russian is very strong. It is even more difficult to convey diphthongs in Russian, since we do not have analogues. The 외 diphthong sounds similar to . However, writing Choi is historically rooted, as is the spelling of the Lee surname. Therefore, we will not deviate from this writing.

Additionally
Declension of Korean given names and surnames

Korean names, like Chinese ones, are declined according to the same rules as Russian names. The only difference is that:
- the surname (Kim, Park, Shin) is declined according to Russian rules if it is used separately, without a name
For example: from actor Kim, tell Mr. Park, etc.
!! Only male surnames are declined!
For example: Mrs. Kim.

However ! the surname will not be declined if it is used together with the given name. The last part will be inclined - that is, the last syllable of the name
For example: at Kim Heechul's, tell Kim Heechul

Attention:
For Russian Koreans, both parts are inclined - both the first and last names!
Example: at the house of Kim Sergei Petrovich

Kim O.M. On the morphology of Korean surnames in the Russian language // Anthroponymics. Sat. Art. / Institute of Linguistics, USSR Academy of Sciences. - M.: Nauka, 1970. P. 147-149.

According to the author of this article, materials from periodicals, fiction and scientific literature, as well as observations of oral speech indicate anarchy in the practice of using Korean surnames in the Russian language. The inappropriate tendency to not decline Korean surnames is especially widespread. The author identifies the main reason, in her opinion, for the discrepancy and sees a solution in establishing uniform rules for the use of this group of words in the Russian language, based on the principle of preserving the norms of the Russian language.

Olga Mikhailovna Kim, Doctor of Philology, Professor

On the morphology of Korean surnames in Russian

O. M. Kim

In the motley and immense variety of names, patronymics and surnames used in the modern Russian language, one can also find anthroponyms such as O, No, Lee, Pak, Kim, etc. All of them are very simple in structure. These are monosyllabic words ending in a vowel sound (Ni, Nu, O, etc.) or a consonant (Nam, Kim, Ten, Don, etc.) and two-syllable words ending in “yot” (Hegai, Ogai, Kogai, etc. ) . The bearers of these surnames are Koreans.

Materials from periodicals, fiction and scientific literature, as well as observations of oral speech indicate extraordinary anarchy in the practice of using Korean surnames in the Russian language. The unauthorized tendency not to decline Korean surnames is especially widespread, including those that do not contradict the norm and possibilities of Russian declination: the brigades of George Pak, Sergei Tsoi; letter to Kim Pyotr Ivanovich.

Let us present the figures obtained from the analysis of answers to the question: “Underline (without referring to manuals and reference books) the correct option, in your opinion: Letter to Sergei (Pak or Pak), waiting for (Pak or Pak) Sergei Ivanovich, etc.

A factor that contributes to some extent to liberation from the tendency not to decline Korean surnames is, in our observation, the education of the speaker. Here are some numbers:

The declension or non-declension of Korean surnames in written and spoken speech largely depends on the environment in which the surname is used, i.e., on its distribution. Surnames without names or in combination with initials are declined more often than the “F + I” or “F + I + O” models. Wed: Speech by Comrade. Kim at the XVI Congress of the Communist Party of Uzbekistan; The units of integrated mechanization, headed by V. Ogai and F. Pak, especially distinguished themselves, but: The highest harvest was produced by the teams of Sergei Kwon, Maxim Kim, and Georgy Pak (“Truth of the East”, 1961-1962).

The main reason for the inconsistency and anarchy of the use of Korean surnames in the Russian language should be sought in the complete absence of any ordered tradition in this area. The current rule that “in compound names and surnames of Korean, Vietnamese, Burmese, only the last part is declined if it ends in a consonant” is suitable only for the “F + Korean name” model [Pak Da-il, Choi Yong-gen and etc.). The non-declension of surnames in such combinations is explained by the fact that, when they enter the Russian language, they undergo a kind of simplification: to a speaker of another language, in particular Russian, the boundary between the components, the boundary between the first name and surname, is unclear, and the whole complex is perceived by him as one

complex whole. The question of whether or not to decline Korean surnames would be exhausted by the indicated rule, if not for the fact that, in addition to the Koreans of Korea, the surnames Kim, Nam, Lee, etc. are also borne by thousands of citizens of the USSR, who in their absolute majority adopted European names and the Russian way of calling a person by name and patronymic. And for them, the issue of declination of Korean surnames claims to be the priority of some kind of normalization work. It is put forward by the needs of printing practice, teaching at schools and universities, etc.

The task of Russian scholars is to establish uniform rules for the use of this group of words in the Russian language, based on the principle of preserving the norms of the Russian language. Korean male and female surnames do not differ in endings. The surnames Nam, Tsoi, Ten are worn by both men and women, as well as the surnames Li, Ni, No. Given such features of Korean anthroponymy, the declension or non-declension of Korean surnames (as well as names and nicknames) in the Russian language should act as an important differential feature by which the gender of the bearer of a given surname is determined. All Korean surnames ending in a consonant or "yot" must be declined when denoting males. Used without inflection, these same surnames indicate that they belong to female persons. Korean surnames such as Liu, Li, Ni, etc., both qualitatively and quantitatively, do not fit the model of Russian nouns, and therefore stand outside the types of declension in the Russian language.

Surnames like Ogai., Kogai are typical only for Koreans of the USSR. Linguistically, they are variants of the surnames O, Ko, etc., although legally No and Nogai, O and Ogai, etc. pairs are thought of as different. The phonetic design of Korean surnames in Russian (a very interesting question in itself) is not subject to consideration in this article.

D. E. ROSENTHAL. Handbook of spelling and literary editing. M., 1967, pp. 224-225.

Often, secretaries and clerks, when drawing up protocols, are faced with the manager’s requirement not to decline certain names. We will tell you in the article which surnames actually do not decline. We have prepared a summary table of the most common cases with which difficulties arise.

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What are some misconceptions about the declination of surnames?

Most Russian speakers are unfamiliar with the laws of declension of given names and surnames. Despite the fact that there are many reference books and manuals on this topic, the issue of declination of surnames remains difficult for many people. In many ways, misconceptions regarding the rules for declination of surnames interfere. Here are some of them.

The declension of a surname depends on its linguistic origin. For example, all Georgian, Polish or Armenian surnames are not declined.

The declension of a surname depends on the gender of its bearer.

If the surname coincides with a common noun - Volya, Svoboda, Zhuk - it does not decline.

However, the most common misconception is that there are so many rules for declension that there is simply no point in memorizing them.

In order to refute these misconceptions, let's consider the basic rules for changing surnames by case. We have formulated them in the form of step-by-step instructions, with which you can quickly conclude whether the surname changes by case or not.

Table: declension of surnames in Russian

Download the table in full

How to determine whether a surname is declining: step-by-step instructions

Step #1.

Look at the end of the last name. If it ends in -ov (-ev,), -in (-yn), -sky (-tsky), decline it as standard

Such surnames can be changed without problems. But keep in mind two important exceptions.

A. If the surname ends in -ov, -in, but is foreign (For example, Chaplin or Darwin), then it will change according to cases as a noun of the second declension (for example, table) - Chaplin, Darwin.

B. Women's surnames in -ina (Smorodina, Zhemchuzhina) change depending on how the male version of the same surname changes. If the male version sounds like Smorodin or Zhemchuzhin, then the female surname in the instrumental case will sound like Smorodina or Zhemchuzhina, and if the male version coincides with the female surname - Zhemchuzhina or Smorodina, then the female surname will be declined as a common noun. An example is in the table below.

Step #2.

If you have a non-standard surname, mark what sound it ends with

The main rule that should be followed is that the type of declension is primarily influenced not by the gender or nationality of the speaker, but by whether it ends with a vowel or consonant.

Step #3.

Do not change your last name, which ends in -yh, ikh, as well as e, i, o, u, y, e, yu

For example, the book by Belykh, the speech of Loye, Gramigna, Ceausescu, Lykhny, Maigret and Liu.

Note. In everyday speech and in the language of literature, where it is depicted Speaking , sometimes you can find the declination of male surnames into -y or -i. For example, Chernykh's report. Sometimes you can find the declension of Ukrainian surnames in -ko - Chernenka or Shevchenko. The last version of surname changes was common in the 19th century. But now both the first option and the second are undesirable.

Step #4.

If the surname ends with a consonant (except -i and -yh), look at the gender of its owner

Men's surnames are inclined to a consonant, but women's names are not. The linguistic origin of the surname does not matter. Male surnames that coincide with common nouns are also declined.

For example, reports by Krug, Shock, Martirosyan (for male surnames) and reports by Krug, Shock, Martirosyan (for female surnames).

Note 1. There are male surnames of East Slavic origin that can be inclined in two ways. We are talking about surnames that, when changed, have a fluent vowel - Zhuravl: Zhuravel or Zhuravlem. Most reference books recommend preserving the fluent vowel (Zhuravel) when declining, since from a legal point of view it is important to preserve the integrity of the surname. However, the owner of the surname may insist on the option he has chosen. The main thing in this case is to adhere to the uniformity of changing the surname by case in all legal documents.

Note 2. Last names starting with -th (Shahrai) deserve special mention. Here we are also faced with the possibility of double changing the surname. If the surname is perceived as an adjective, for example, Topchiy, then it changes as Topchego, Topchyu, etc. If the surname is perceived as a noun, it changes as Topchiya, Topchiyu. Such complex cases concern only those surnames in which the consonant “th” is preceded by the vowels “o” or “i”. In all other cases, the surname changes according to the general rules (Shahrayu, Shakhraya, etc.)

Step #5.

The surname ends in the vowel -ya. Is there another vowel before it? If yes, persuade her

Examples: Inna Shengelaya’s notebook, diploma issued to Nikolai Lomaya, meeting with Anna Reya; crimes of Lavrentiy Beria, meeting with Georgy Danelia.

Step #6.

The surname ends in the vowel -a. Is there another vowel before it? If yes, don't persuade her

Examples: Nikolai Galois’s notebook, diploma given to Irina Eria, meeting with Igor Gulia.

Step #7.

The surname ends in -a or -ya, but is preceded by a consonant. Pay attention to the origin of the surname and the emphasis in it

There are only two exceptions to remember:

A. French surnames with an emphasis on the last syllable are not inclined: the books of Alexandre Dumas, Emile Zola and Anna Gavalda, the aphorisms of Jacques Derrida, the goals of Drogba.

B. Mostly Finnish surnames ending in -a are unstressed: meeting with Mauno Pekkala.

All other surnames - Eastern, Slavic, Japanese - ending in stressed and unstressed -a or -ya are declined. Decline also surnames that coincide with common nouns.

Examples: Irina Groza’s notebook, a diploma issued to Nikolai Mukha, a lecture by Elena Kara-Murza, songs by Bulat Okudzhava, roles by Igor Kvasha, films by Akira Kurosawa.

Why is it important to follow the rules for declension of surnames?

You risk encountering misunderstandings if you do not follow the rules for declining surnames.

For example, consider this situation. You have received a letter signed as follows: “letter from Vasily Groz.” Following the laws of Russian grammar, you will most likely assume that a man's surname, which in the genitive case has the ending -a, will have a zero ending in the nominative case and conclude that the author of the letter is Vasily Groz. Such a misunderstanding would not have arisen if the letter had been signed correctly - “letter from Vasily Groza.”

Another example. You have been given an article by A. Pogrebnyak. It is natural to assume that the author of the article is a woman. If it later turns out that the author is a man, Anatoly Pogrebnyak, this may lead to misunderstanding.

Content

Compared to Europeans, the Chinese began using surnames before our era. Initially, they were characteristic only of the royal family and aristocracy, but gradually ordinary people began to use them. Some of them have transformed over time, while others have remained unchanged.

Origin of surnames

If some peoples still do not even have such a concept, then Chinese culture, on the contrary, takes this issue very seriously. Ancient Chinese surnames initially had two meanings:

• “xing” (xìng). A concept that was used to define blood relatives, family. Later, a meaning was added to it, indicating the place of origin of the clan. This concept was precisely used by representatives of the imperial family.
• "shi" (shi). It appeared later and was used to show family ties within the entire family. This was the name of the clan. Over time, it began to denote the similarity of people by occupation.

Over time, these differences disappeared. Today there are no differences between people, but the inhabitants of the Celestial Empire still treat their family with care, honor and carefully study it. An interesting fact is that Koreans use Chinese characters to write their personal names. They adopted them from the inhabitants of the Middle Kingdom and made them Korean, for example, Chen.

Meaning of Chinese surnames

Chinese surnames and their meanings have different origins. They have a large number of them, but only about two dozen are widely distributed. Some originated from professional activity (Tao - potter). Some are based on the name of the states-possessions into which China was fragmented in feudal times (Chen), and some are named after the ancestor who gave the name to the clan (Yuan). But all foreigners were called Hu. Names, of which there are a huge number, are of greater importance in the country.

Translation

There are many dialects in the country, so the same name can sound completely different. Transliterating it into other languages ​​can change the meaning completely, since most of them do not convey intonation, which plays a large role in the Chinese language. Many languages ​​have developed special transcription systems in order to somehow unify the spelling and translation of Chinese surnames.

Chinese surnames in Russian

Last names in Chinese are always written first (one syllable), and only then the name is written (one or two syllables), since family comes first for them. In Russian, according to the rules, they are written similarly. A compound name is written together, and not with a hyphen, as was the case until recently. In modern Russian, the so-called Palladian system is used, which, with the exception of some amendments, has been used to record Chinese surnames in Russian since the nineteenth century.

Chinese male surnames

The nicknames of the Chinese do not differentiate by gender, which cannot be said about the name. In addition to the main name, twenty-year-old boys were given a second name (“zi”). Chinese male names and surnames carry the traits that a man should have:

• Bokin - respect for the winner;
• Guozhi – state order;
• Deming - dignity;
• Zhong – loyal, stable;
• Zian – peaceful;
• Iyngji – heroic;
• Kiang – strong;
• Liang – bright;
• Minj – sensitive and wise;
• Rong – military;
• Fa – outstanding;
• Juan - happiness;
• Cheng – achieved;
• Eiguo – country of love, patriot;
• Yun – brave;
• Yaozu – worshiper of ancestors.

Women's

Women in the Middle Kingdom leave their own after marriage. The Chinese do not have specific rules that guide them when naming a child. Here the main role is played by the imagination of the parents. Chinese female names and surnames characterize a woman as a gentle creature, full of affection and love:

• Ai – love;
• Venkian – purified;
• G – pure;
• Jiao – graceful, beautiful;
• Jiya – beautiful;
• Zhilan – rainbow orchid;
• Ki - beautiful jade;
• Kiaohui – experienced and wise;
• Kiyu – autumn moon;
• Xiaoli – morning jasmine;
• Xingjuan – grace;
• Lijuan – beautiful, graceful;
• Lihua – beautiful and prosperous;
• Meihui – beautiful wisdom;
• Ningong – calmness;
• Ruolan - like an orchid;
• Ting – graceful;
• Fenfang – fragrant;
• Huizhong – wise and loyal;
• Chenguang – morning, light;
• Shuang - frank, sincere;
• Yui – moon;
• Yuming – jade brightness;
• Yun – cloud;
• I am grace.

Declension

In Russian, some Chinese surnames are declined. This applies to those that end in a consonant. If they end in “o” or a soft consonant, then it remains unchanged. This applies to male names. Women's names remain unchanged. All these rules are observed if personal names are used separately. When they are written together, only the last part will be subject to declination. Assimilated Chinese personal names will be subject to full declension in Russian.

How many surnames are there in China?

It is difficult to determine exactly how many surnames there are in China, but it is known that only about a hundred of them are in widespread use. The Celestial Empire is a country with a population of many billions, but paradoxically, most of its inhabitants have the same surname. According to tradition, the child inherits it from his father, although recently only the son could wear it, the daughter took her mother’s. Currently, the names of the genus do not change, although at the initial stage the hereditary names could change. This makes life difficult for the official authorities as it is very difficult to maintain records in such circumstances.

An interesting fact, but almost all personal names in Chinese are written in one character, only a small part consists of two syllables, for example, Ouyang. Although there may be exceptions: the writing will consist of three or even four hieroglyphs. Chinese people with the same surname are not considered relatives, but only namesakes, although until recently people were prohibited from marrying if they had the same surname. Often the child could be given double births - father and mother.

Most common

This may seem funny to some, but just over twenty percent of the inhabitants of the Middle Kingdom have three surnames. The most common Chinese surnames are Li, Wang, Zhang, Nguyen. In modern language there are even stable expressions like “three Zhangs, four Lis”, which mean “any”. They may have different spellings depending on the transliteration.

Funny Chinese first and last names

In accordance with the pronunciation, many foreign words look, if not funny, then bizarre when spoken by someone else. Therefore, even the most harmless word in a foreign language can cause laughter in a Russian person. But sometimes parents’ imagination leads to the fact that in the language itself, names can mean funny and sometimes just wild things. Funny Chinese first and last names:

• Sun Wyn;
• Sui Wyn;
• Chew Yourself;
• Get up Sun.