Chu, also spelled Choo, 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 nam ...

and an 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 (''se ...

s. Its meaning depends 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, ...

used to write it.

Family name

Overview

The 2000 South Korean Census found 55,309 people with the family name Chu. It could be written with either of two

, indicating different

lineages Lineage may refer to: Science * Lineage (anthropology), a group that can demonstrate its common descent from an apical ancestor or a direct line of descent from an ancestor * Lineage (evolution), a temporal sequence of individuals, populatio ...

. 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 year 2007 application data for South Korean passports found that 55.1% of applicants with this surname chose to spell it in Latin letters as "Chu" in their passports, while 43.1% spelled it as "Choo".

Hanja meaning "autumn" (秋)

This character was originally used to write the

Chinese family name Chinese surnames are used by Han Chinese and Sinicized ethnic groups in China, Taiwan, Korea, Vietnam, and among overseas Chinese communities around the world such as Singapore and Malaysia. Written Chinese names begin with surnames, unlike the ...

now pronounced Qῑu in Mandarin. According to the 2000 Census, 54,667 people in 17,142 households had this family name, making it the 64th-most common family name out of 287 family names distinguished by the census.

Hanja meaning "State of Zou" (鄒)

This character was originally used to write the Chinese family name now pronounced Zōu in Mandarin, and before that the name of the historical

State of Zou Zou (), originally Zhu () or Zhulou (), was a minor state that existed during the Zhou dynasty of ancient China. p. 144 History King Wu of Zhou granted Cao Xie (曹挾) control of the small state of Zhu as a vassal ruler under the State of Lu wi ...

. Though Zōu is a fairly widespread family name in China, where a 2007 survey found it to be the country's 67th-most common family name, the same character is very rarely used as a Korean family name; the 2000 South Korean census found only 642 people in 209 households who used this character to write their family name, making it the country's 190th-most common family name. None of them reported their ''bon-gwan''.

People

People with the family name Chu or Choo include: *

Chu Hwa-il Chu Hwa-il (; born 30 April 1932) is a South Korean former sports shooter. He competed at the 1956 Summer Olympics, the 1964 Summer Olympics and five editions of Asian Games The Asian Games, also known as Asiad, is a continental multi ...

(born 1932), South Korean sport shooter *

Chunghi Choo Chunghi Choo (born 1938) is a jewelry designer and metalsmith who was born in Incheon, Korea in 1938. She received a BFA degree from Ewha Womans University in Seoul, Korea, where she majored in Oriental painting and studied philosophy of Oriental ...

(born 1938), South Korean jewelry designer and metalsmith *

Chu Song-woong Chu Song-Woong (9 April 1941 – 29 December 1985) was a South Korean stage actor. He is referred to as a representative actor of the 1970s. Early life Che was born in Goseong, South Gyeongsang province, Korea. After he graduated from Busan In ...

(1941–1985), South Korean actor *

Choo Byung-jik Choo Byung-jik was 13th South Korean Minister for Construction.South ...

(born 1949), South Korean politician *

Choo Chang-min Choo Chang-min (born 1966) is a South Korean film director and screenwriter. His 2012 period film ''Masquerade'' became one of the top-grossing Korean films of all time. Career Choo Chang-min began his career as an assistant director on such f ...

(born 1966), South Korean film director *

Chu Ga-yeoul Chu Eun-yul (born July 11, 1968), better known as Chu Ga-yeoul, is a South Korean folk-pop singer and songwriter. He's known for his guitar skills and his most famous single, "Don't Go Away". Career Chu auditioned at SM in 2001 and received a ...

(born 1968), South Korean singer *

Chu Sang-mi Chu Sang-mi (born 9 May 1972) is a South Korean actress. She was born in Seoul, South Korea, to the popular stage actor Chu Song-woong. Along with Lee Byung-hun and Choi Ji-woo, Chu co-starred in the film ''Everybody Has Secrets'', taking the role ...

(born 1973), South Korean actress *

Choo Seung-gyun Choo Seung-gyun (born December 6, 1974) is a South Korean retired professional basketball player and coach. He spent his entire 15-year playing career with Korean Basketball League team Jeonju KCC Egis, who retired his number 4 jersey. After a ...

(born 1974), South Korean retired basketball player and coach *

Yoshihiro Akiyama , also known as and by his nickname Sexyama, is a Japanese mixed martial artist and judoka who won the gold medal at the 2001 Asian Championships for South Korea and for Japan at the 2002 Asian Games. A fourth-generation Japanese of ...

(also known as Choo Sung-hoon, born 1975), Zainichi Korean mixed martial artist *

Chu Ki-young Chu Ki-Young ( ko, 추 기영 ; born March 4, 1977) is a retired male javelin thrower from South Korea, who represented his native country at the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta, Georgia. He set his personal best (78.92 metres) on May 2, 2002 at ...

(born 1977), South Korean javelin thrower *

Alex Chu Alex Chu (born Chu Hun-gon September 2, 1979), known simply as Alex (), is a Korean-Canadian singer and actor. He is the male vocalist of the South Korean electropop band Clazziquai. Biography Having immigrated to Canada with his family, ...

(born Chu Hun-gon, 1979), South Korean-born Canadian singer *

Choo Ja-hyun Chu Eun-ju (born January 20, 1979), known by her stage name Choo Ja-hyun, is a South Korean actress. Best known in Korea for the films ''Bloody Tie'' (2006) and ''Portrait of a Beauty'' (2008), Choo has also actively worked in China since 2007, ...

(born 1979), South Korean actress *

Shin-Soo Choo Shin-Soo Choo (; ; born July 13, 1982) is a South Korean professional baseball outfielder and designated hitter for the SSG Landers of the KBO League. He has played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Seattle Mariners, Cleveland Indians, C ...

(born 1982), South Korean baseball player in U.S. Major League Baseball *

Chu Jung-hyun Chu Jung-Hyun (, born January 28, 1988) is a South Korean football player who currently plays for Korea National League side Mokpo City FC. His previous clubs are K-League side Gangwon FC, National League side Yongin City FC and Daejeon KHNP ...

(born 1988), South Korean football player *

Choo Young-woo Choo Young-woo (born June 5, 1999) is a South Korean actor. He made his acting debut in the boys' love ''Yaoi'' (; ja, やおい ), also known by the ''wasei-eigo'' construction and its abbreviation , is a genre of fictional media or ...

(born 1999), South Korean actor *

Chu Ye-jin Chu Ye-jin (born October 11, 2001) is a South Korean actress. She was a contestant on Mnet's girl group survival program ''Produce 101 ''Produce 101'' is a reality television talent competition franchise created by South Korean entertainm ...

(born 2001), South Korean actress

As given name element

There are 23 hanja with the reading "Chu", and a variant form of one of those, on the South Korean government's official list of hanja which may be registered for use in given names; they are: # (가을 추 ''gaeul chu''): "autumn" # (쫓을 추 ''jjocheul chu''): "to chase" # (밀 추 ''mil chu''): "to push" # (뽑을 추 ''bbobeul chu''): "to pluck" # (추할 추 ''chuhal chu''): "ugly" # (가래나무 추 ''garaenamu chu''): "''

Juglans mandshurica ''Juglans mandshurica'' (), also known as Manchurian walnut, or Tigernut, is a deciduous tree of the genus '' Juglans'' (section ''Cardiocaryon''), native to the Eastern Asiatic Region (China, Russian Far East, North Korea and South Korea). ...

'' tree" # (지도리 추 ''jidori chu''): "hinge" # (추나라 추 ''chunara chu''): "

" # (송곳 추 ''song-got chu''): "awl" # (저울추 추 ''geoulchu chu''): "a weight" # (떨어질 추 ''ddeoreojil chu''): "to fall" # (등골 추 ''deung-gol chu''): "backbone" # (다할 추 ''dahal chu'') # (주름 추 ''jureum chu''): "wrinkle" # (꼴 추 ''ggol chu''): "fodder" # (사철쑥 추 ''sacheolssuk chu''): "

mugwort Mugwort is a common name for several species of aromatic flowering plants in the genus ''Artemisia.'' In Europe, mugwort most often refers to the species ''Artemisia vulgaris'', or common mugwort. In East Asia the species ''Artemisia argyi'' is ...

" # (물을 추 ''mureul chu''): "to ask" # (달아날 추 ''daranal chu''): "to run" # (우두머리 추 ''udumeori chu''): "boss" # (쇠망치 추) ''soemangchi chu''): "metal bar" # (병아리 추 ''byeong-ari chu''): "chick' # (마부 추 ''mabu chu''): "groom"I.e. a person who cares for horses (마부; 馬夫), not a husband-to-be. # (미꾸라지 추 ''migguraji chu''): "

loach Loaches are fish of the superfamily Cobitoidea. They are freshwater, benthic (bottom-dwelling) fish found in rivers and creeks throughout Eurasia and northern Africa. Loaches are among the most diverse groups of fish; the 1249 known species ...

" #* (variant)

References

{{surname Korean-language surnames