My name in Korean
Hello!

I’d like to know how to write my name Daniella in Korean. At first I used to write 다니엘라 and then I saw a video saying that in Korean you don’t pay attention to the spelling, just how it sounds. And in my name you can only hear one L so I guess they mean I should write it 다니에라.

But then I wrote the name Elias in google translate and it gave me ”엘리아스” (two L).

What is correct? Should I put 1 or 2 L’s in my name? And in the example with Elias, is google translate wrong or should it be 2 L’s there?

Question

My name in Korean
Hello!

I’d like to know how to write my name Daniella in Korean. At first I used to write 다니엘라 and then I saw a video saying that in Korean you don’t pay attention to the spelling, just how it sounds. And in my name you can only hear one L so I guess they mean I should write it 다니에라.

But then I wrote the name Elias in google translate and it gave me ”엘리아스” (two L).

What is correct? Should I put 1 or 2 L’s in my name? And in the example with Elias, is google translate wrong or should it be 2 L’s there?

Answer

Your original thinking is correct.
The person in the video doesn't know what they are talking about. 다니에라 would be [Daniera] with an "r".

The ㄹ pronunciation goes like this.
1. between two vowels -> like r.   마리 [mari], 이르다 [iruda], 알아 [ara],  모리스 (Maurice).
2. before a consonant or at the end of a phrase -> like l.  밀다 [milda], 알더스 헉슬리(Aldous Huxley), 앨리스 (Alice), 
(it becomes two ㄹ's when the next sound is a vowel.)
3. In the beginning of a phrase -> l or r (it varies).  Some people pronounce 라디오(radio) with an r, and others with l.
(This is partly because most words starting with ㄹ are from foreign languages.)

So one or two l's between vowels in Western languages usually becomes two ㄹ's.
- Galileo = 갈릴레오.
- Elias = 엘리아스.
- Gulliver's Travel = 걸리버 여행기.
- Daniella = 다니엘라.
- Delilah = 델릴라 (or 딜라일라 in English way).  Sometimes people say 데릴라 because it's easier, but it is not the right pronunciation.

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