Hi! I’m Korean, living in Korea.
I’ve never really needed an English name before, but I recently started overseeing a global business department at work, so I’m interacting with more English speakers now. Some of them find my name a bit “too exotic” or aren’t sure how to pronounce it at first.
I know times have changed and “Jiyoon” (gee-you-n / dʒiːjuːn) isn’t actually that hard, but still, having to sit there and “teach” my name in business settings can get a bit tiring sometimes.
So lately I’ve been telling people they can just call me “June.” The problem is… my last name is “Ju,” so my full name becomes “June Ju,” which sounds a bit awkward to me as a Korean.
I’m wondering if there’s a name that’s easy for English speakers to read/pronounce, but still has some connection to my original name “Jiyoon.”
Would love any suggestions!
***** update *****
Wow, I got way more responses than I expected yay thanks haha
I’ve never really thought my name was hard to pronounce, and honestly, the idea of making up an “English” name always felt a bit weird to me. But lately, a few people straight-up said “Jiyoon? That’s hard to say,” and I guess it got to me a little.
You guys are right though.
It’s not a difficult name, and I don’t need to change it just for someone else’s convenience. Really appreciate all the thoughtful and kind responses.