Ji, also spelled Jee, Chi, or Chee, is a

Korean family name This is a list of Korean surnames, in Hangul alphabetical order. Note: (S) denotes South Korea. (N) denotes North Korea. The most common Korean family name (particularly in South Korea) is Kim, followed by Lee and Park. These three family na ...

, as well as a popular element in

Korean given name A Korean name (Hangul: ; Hanja: ) consists of a family name followed by a given name, as used by the Korean people in both South Korea and North Korea. In the Korean language, ''ireum'' or ''seongmyeong'' usually refers to the family name (''seo ...

s. The meaning differs based on the

hanja Hanja (Hangul: ; Hanja: , ), alternatively known as Hancha, are Chinese characters () used in the writing of Korean. Hanja was used as early as the Gojoseon period, the first ever Korean kingdom. (, ) refers to Sino-Korean vocabulary, wh ...

used to write it.

Family name

As a family name, Ji may be written with either of two hanja, one meaning "wisdom" (), and the other meaning "pond" (). Each has one ''

bon-gwan Bon-gwan (or Bongwan) is the concept of clan in Korea, which is used to distinguish clans that happen to share the same family name (clan name). Since Korea has been traditionally a Confucian country, this clan system is similar to ancient Chinese ...

'': for the family name meaning "wisdom", Pongju Village,

Pongsan County Pongsan County is a county in North Hwanghae province, North Korea. Administrative divisions Pongsan county is divided into 1 '' ŭp'' (town), 1 '' rodongjagu'' (workers' district) and 18 '' ri'' (villages): Transport Pongsan county is served ...

North Hwanghae North Hwanghae Province (Hwanghaebuk-to; , lit. "north Yellow Sea province") is a province of North Korea. The province was formed in 1954 when the former Hwanghae Province was split into North and South Hwanghae. The provincial capital is Sari ...

in what is today

North Korea North Korea, officially the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), is a country in East Asia. It constitutes the northern half of the Korea, Korean Peninsula and shares borders with China and Russia to the north, at the Yalu River, Y ...

, and for the family name meaning "pond", Chungju,

Chungcheongbuk-do North Chungcheong Province ( ko, 충청북도, ''Chungcheongbuk-do''), also known as Chungbuk, is a province of South Korea. North Chungcheong has a population of 1,578,934 (2014) and has a geographic area of located in the Hoseo region in the ...

in what is today

South Korea South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea (ROK), is a country in East Asia, constituting the southern part of the Korea, Korean Peninsula and sharing a Korean Demilitarized Zone, land border with North Korea. Its western border is formed ...

. The 2000 South Korean census found 147,572 people with this family name. In a study by the

National Institute of the Korean Language The National Institute of Korean Language is a language regulator of the Korean language. It was created on January 23, 1991, by Presidential Decree No. 13163 (November 14, 1990). It is based in Seoul, South Korea. The institute was originall ...

based on 2007 application data for South Korean passports, it was found that 79.5% of people with this surname spelled it in Latin letters as Ji in their passports. Another 9.0% spelled it as Jee, and 8.5% as Chi. Rarer alternative spellings (the remaining 3.0%) included Gi, Chee, Je, and Jy.

List

People with this family name include: *

Ji Cheong-cheon Ji Cheong-cheon (25 January 1888 – 15 January 1957), also known as Yi Cheong-cheon, was a Korean independence activist during the period of Japanese rule (1910–1945). He later became a South Korean politician. His name was originally ...

(1888–1959), Korean independence activist * Ji Han-jae (born 1936), South Korean hapkido instructor *

Jee Yong-ju Jee Yong-Ju (Hangul: 지용주, Hanja: 地龍珠) (December 19, 1948 – August 25, 1985) was an amateur boxer from South Korea. He was born in Wonju, Gangwon-do, South Korea. He competed for South Korea in the 1968 Summer Olympics ...

(1948–1985), South Korean amateur boxer *

Jee Man-won Jee Man-won (born November 20, 1942 in Hoengseong, Gangwon-do) is a South Korean political scientist, journalist and entrepreneur. See also * Park Chung-hee * Rhee Seung-man * Kim Gu Kim Gu (, ; August 29, 1876 – June 26, 1949), also kn ...

(born 1942), South Korean political scientist and journalist *

Ji Suk-jin Jee Seok-jin (, born February 10, 1966) is a South Korean comedian, singer, television presenter, actor, and broadcaster. He graduated from Ajou University with a bachelor's degree in Business Administration. In 1992, Jee Seok-jin debuted as ...

(born 1966), South Korean entertainer *

Ji Sang-ryeol Ji Sang-ryeol (born December 26, 1970) is a South Korean actor, comedian, and host. Ji has made numerous appearances in dramas and TV Shows. He is well known for his blunt yet humorous personality in TV Shows such as ''X-Man'' and being of the ...

(born 1970), South Korean actor *

Ji Jin-hee Ji Jin-hee (born June 24, 1971) is a South Korean actor. He is best known for his leading roles in the TV shows ''Dae Jang Geum'' (2003), '' He Who Can't Marry'' (2009), '' Dong Yi'' (2010), ''Misty'' (2018) and '' Designated Survivor: 60 Days' ...

(born 1971), South Korean actor *

Chi In-jin Chi In-jin (, born July 18, 1973, in Seoul) is a South Korean former professional boxer who competed from 1991 to 1996. He has held the WBC featherweight title twice between 2004 and 2007. Career Boxing Chi made his debut as a professional bo ...

(born 1973), South Korean boxer *

Ji Sang-jun Ji Sang-jun (; born December 12, 1973) is a retired male backstroke and freestyle swimmer from South Korea, who represented his native country at two consecutive Summer Olympics, starting in Barcelona, Spain (1992). He is best known for winning ...

(born 1973), South Korean swimmer *

Ji Seung-hwan Ji Seong-hwan (born September 16, 1974) is a field hockey player from South Korea, who was a member of the Men's National Team that won the silver medal at the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney. In the final the Asians were beaten by title holder ...

(born 1974), South Korean field hockey player *

Ji Kyong-sun Ji Kyong-sun (born 28 December 1975) is a North Korean former judoka. She competed in the 2000 Summer Olympics. She later competed in the 2002 Asian Games The 2002 Asian Games ( ko, 2002년 아시아 경기대회/2002년 아시안 게임, I ...

(born 1975), North Korean judo athlete *

Ji Yun-nam Ji Yun-Nam (; born 20 November 1976) is a former North Korean international footballer, who played for April 25 in the DPR Korea League. International career Ji has appeared for the Korea DPR national football team in eight FIFA World Cup q ...

(born 1976), North Korean footballer *

Ji Seung-hyun (handballer) Ji Seung-Hyun (born 7 January 1979) is a Korean handball player who competed in the 2004 Summer Olympics The 2004 Summer Olympics ( el, Θερινοί Ολυμπιακοί Αγώνες 2004, ), officially the Games of the XXVIII Olympiad ( ...

(born 1979), South Korean handball player * Ji Young-jun (born 1981), South Korean long distance runner *

Ji Hyun-woo Ji Hyun-woo (born Joo Hyung-tae on 29 November 1984) is a South Korean actor and musician. He was formerly the lead guitarist for Korean indie rock band and is best known for his leading roles in the cable TV series '' Queen and I'' (2012) a ...

(born 1984), South Korean actor and musician *

Jhi Yeon-woo Jhi Yeon-woo (born April 26, 1984) is a South Korean bodybuilder.Jhi Yeon-woo
Daum.

Contes ...

(born 1984), South Korean female bodybuilder *

Ji Eun-hee Ji Eun-hee (; ; born 13 May 1986 in Gapyeong, South Korea), also known as Eun-Hee Ji, is a South Korean professional golfer who plays on the U.S.-based LPGA Tour. She is also a member of the South Korean KLPGA. LPGA career Ji joined the LPGA T ...

(born 1986), South Korean golfer *

Ji Dong-won Ji Dong-won (, Hanja: 池東沅, or ; born 28 May 1991) is a South Korean professional footballer who plays as a winger for FC Seoul and the South Korea national team. Early life Born in Chuja Islands, an archipelago of Jeju City, Ji beg ...

(born 1991), South Korean footballer *

Ji Chang-wook Ji Chang-wook (born 5 July 1987) is a South Korean actor and singer. He rose to fame for playing the lead role of Dong-hae in daily drama series ''Smile Again'' (2010–2011), and had notable lead roles in television series such as '' Warrior B ...

(born 1987), South Korean actor * Ji Kyeong-deuk (born 1990), South Korean footballer *

Ji So-yun Ji So-yun ( ko, 지소연, ; born 21 February 1991) is a South Korean professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for WK League club Suwon FC and the South Korean national team. Club career Ji started her career in Japan, playing fo ...

(born 1991), South Korean footballer *

Ji Yoon-ho Ji Yoon-ho (born Yoon Byung-ho; March 16, 1991) is a South Korean actor. Filmography Television series Films References External links * 1991 births Living people 21st-century South Korean male actors South Korean male televisi ...

(born Yoon Byung-ho, 1991), South Korean actor * Ien Chi (born 1991), American filmmaker of Korean descent *

Ji Eun-sung Ji Eun-sung (born August 3, 1991) is a South Korean actor. He is perhaps best known for his roles in the television series ''Shine or Go Crazy ''Shine or Go Crazy'' () is a 2015 South Korean television series based on the novel of the same n ...

(born 1991), South Korean actor * Ji Ha-yoon (born 1995), South Korean actress and model *

Alexander Chee Alexander Chee (born August 21, 1967) is an American fiction writer, poet, journalist and reviewer. Born in Rhode Island, he spent his childhood in South Korea, Kauai, Truk, Guam and Maine. He attended Wesleyan University and the Iowa Writers' ...

(fl. 2000s), American writer of Korean descent

Given name

There are 46 hanja with the reading "ji" on the South Korean government's official list of hanja which may be registered for use in given names. Some common ones are listed in the table at right. Many names containing this syllable have been popular throughout the late 20th and early 21st centuries, including:

As name element

Historically-popular given names formed with the syllable "ji" include: ;Masculine *

Ji-hoon Ji-hoon, also spelled Ji-hun, is a Korean masculine given name. The meaning differs based on the hanja used to write each syllable of the name. There are 46 hanja with the reading " ji" and 12 hanja with the reading "hun" on the South Korean gover ...

(4th place in 1970, 1st place in 1980 and 1990, 2nd place in 2008, 3rd place in 2009, 8th place in 2011) * Ji-hu (2nd place in 2009, 7th place in 2011) ;Feminine *

Eun-ji Eun-ji, also spelled Eun-jee, is a Korean feminine given name. The meaning differs based on the hanja used to write each syllable of the name. There are 30 hanja with the reading "''eun''" and 61 hanja with the reading "'' ji''" on the South K ...

(3rd place in 1990) * Min-ji (4th place in 1990) *

Ji-eun Ji-eun, also spelled Jee-eun, Ji-un or Jee-un, is a Korean feminine given name. Its meaning differs based on the hanja used to write each syllable of the name. There are 61 hanja with the reading "'' ji''" and 30 hanja with the reading "'' eun''" ...

(4th place in 1980, 2nd place in 1990) *

Ji-hye Ji-hye, also spelled Jee-hye, or Ji-hae, is a Korean feminine given name. The meaning differs based on the hanja used to write each syllable of the name. There are 65 hanja with the reading "'' ji''" and 25 hanja with the reading "'' hye''" on ...

(1st place in 1980 and 1990) * Ji-hyun (10th place in 1990) * Ji-min (3rd place in 2008, 6th place in 2009 and 2011) *

Ji-woo Ji-woo, also spelled Ji-u, or Ji-oo, is a Korean unisex given name. The meaning differs based on the hanja used to write each syllable of the name. There are 61 hanja with the reading "'' ji''" and 60 hanja with the reading "''woo''" on the South ...

(8th place in 2008, 4th place in 2009, 5th place in 2011) *

Ji-yeon "Ji Yeon" (; from Korean 지연 ) is the seventh episode of the American Broadcasting Company's fourth season of ''Lost'' and 79th episode overall. The episode was written by co-executive producers Edward Kitsis and Adam Horowitz, and directed b ...

(7th place in 1980) *

Ji-yoon Ji-yoon, also spelled Jee-yoon, Ji-yun, or Ji-youn, is a Korean unisex given name. The meaning differs based on the hanja used to write each syllable of the name. There are 46 hanja with the reading " ji" and 16 hanja with the reading "yoon" on th ...

(9th place in 2011) * Ji-young (1st place in 1970, 3rd place in 1980, 10th place in 1990) Other names containing this syllable include: ;First syllable * Ji-ae (feminine) *

Ji-hae Ji-hae is a Korean unisex given name, in modern times predominantly feminine. The meaning differs based on the Hanja used to write each syllable of the name. There are 46 Hanja with the reading and 23 Hanja with the reading on the South Korean ...

(feminine) * Ji-ho (unisex) *

Ji-hwan Ji-hwan, also spelled Chi-hwan, is a Korean masculine given name. The meaning differs based on the hanja used to write each syllable of the name. There are 46 hanja with the reading " ji" and 21 hanja with the reading " hwan" on the South Korean go ...

(masculine) *

(feminine) * Ji-na (feminine) *

Ji-seok Ji-seok is a Korean masculine given name. Its meaning depends on the hanja used to write each syllable of the name. There are 46 hanja with the reading " ji" and 20 hanja with the reading " seok" on the South Korean government's official list of h ...

(masculine) *

Ji-su Ji-soo, also spelled Ji-su, Jee-su, or Jee-soo, is a Korean unisex given name. Its meaning differs based on the hanja used to write each syllable of the name. There are 46 hanja with the reading "Ji (Korean name), ji" and 67 hanja with the reading ...

(unisex) *

Ji-tae Ji-tae is a Korean male given name People with this name include: *Justin Chon (born 1981), Korean American actor whose middle name is Jitae *Yoo Ji-tae (born 1976), South Korean actor and film director Fictional characters with this name include ...

(masculine) * Ji-won (unisex) *

Ji-woong Ji-woong, also spelled Ji-ung, is a Korean masculine given name. The meaning differs based on the hanja used to write each syllable of the name. There are 46 hanja with the reading " ji" and two hanja with the reading "woong" on the South Korea ...

(masculine) ;Second syllable * Su-ji (unisex) * Ye-ji (feminine)

People

People with the single-syllable given name Ji include: *

Shin Ji Shin Ji (born Lee Ji-Seon; 18 November 1981) is a South Korean singer, lyricist and actress. She attended Dongduk Women's University – Department of Popular Music. She made her debut in 1998 in the group, Koyote, and wrote lyrics for some ...

(born 1981 as Lee Jee-seon), South Korean singer and lyricist

References

{{given name, type=both Korean-language surnames Korean given names