Korean Names That Mean Love

Love shows up in Korean names in two beautiful ways: through the plain, tender native word for it, and through Hanja that carry centuries of feeling. Here are five names built around warmth and affection.

1. 사랑 — Sarang

The native Korean word for "love" — used, sweetly and directly, as a name. It is hard to get more heartfelt than this. Native Korean, no Hanja.

2. 애 — Ae

The Hanja 愛 means "love, affection." On its own it is short and bright; in practice it usually works as a building block, paired with another syllable inside a two-syllable name.

3. 다정 — Dajeong

From 多 ("much") and 情 ("affection"), this reads as "warm-hearted" or "full of feeling." In everyday Korean, 다정하다 describes someone who is gentle and affectionate — a lovely thing to be named.

4. 애린 — Aerin

This pairs 愛 ("love") with a soft second syllable, 린, whose Hanja varies — sometimes a character suggesting a jewel-like glow. Taken together it reads as something like "loving and luminous."

5. 정 — Jeong

More a concept than a single name, 情 (jeong) is the deep, almost untranslatable Korean idea of affection and bond — the quiet attachment that grows between people over time. It appears woven into many names, lending them real warmth.

Korean naming treats love less as a grand declaration and more as a steady, everyday warmth. Curious which name fits your heart? The quiz takes about a minute.