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

Korean family name This is a list of Korean surnames, in Hangul alphabetical order. The most common Korean surname (particularly in South Korea) is Kim (Korean name), Kim (), followed by Lee (Korean name), Lee () and Park (Korean surname), Park (). These three sur ...

, as well as a popular element in

Korean given name Korean names are names that place their origin in, or are used in, Korea. A Korean name in the modern era typically consists of a surname followed by a given name, with no middle names. A number of Korean terms for names exist. For full names, ...

s. The meaning differs based on the

hanja Hanja (; ), alternatively spelled Hancha, are Chinese characters used to write the Korean language. After characters were introduced to Korea to write Literary Chinese, they were adapted to write Korean as early as the Gojoseon period. () ...

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 Korean clans are groups of Koreans, Korean people that share the same Patrilineality, paternal ancestor. They are indicated by the combination of a ''bongwan'' () and a family name. Korean clans distinguish clans that happen to share the same fam ...

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

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

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 borders China and Russia to the north at the Yalu River, Yalu (Amnok) an ...

, and for the family name meaning "pond",

Chungju Chungju () is a Administrative divisions of South Korea, city in North Chungcheong Province, South Korea. Uamsan is a mountain located within the outskirts of the city. The city is famous for the annual martial arts festival held in October. Al ...

Chungcheongbuk-do North Chungcheong Province (), 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 on the south-centre of the Korean Peninsula. No ...

in what is today

South Korea South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea (ROK), is a country in East Asia. It constitutes the southern half of the Korea, Korean Peninsula and borders North Korea along the Korean Demilitarized Zone, with the Yellow Sea to the west and t ...

. 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 (NIKL; ) is a language regulator of the Korean language based in Seoul, South Korea. It was created on January 23, 1991, by Presidential Decree No. 13163 (November 14, 1990). It has previously gone by a ...

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. For the

Koryo-saram Koryo-saram (; ) or Koryoin () are ethnic Koreans of the post-Soviet states, former Soviet Union, who descend from Koreans that were living in the Russian Far East. Koreans first began settling in the Russian Far East in the late 19th century. ...

from the

former Soviet Union The post-Soviet states, also referred to as the former Soviet Union or the former Soviet republics, are the independent sovereign states that emerged/re-emerged from the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991. Prior to their independence, they ...

, it was spelled as Ti (). Notable people with this family name include:

Ji

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 has had notable lead roles in television series such as '' W ...

(born 1987), South Korean actor and singer *

Ji Cheong-cheon Ji may refer to: Names and titles * Ji (surname), the pinyin romanization of several distinct Chinese surnames * Ji (Korean name), a Korean surname and element in given names (including lists of people with the name) * -ji, an honorific used a ...

(1888–1959), Korean independence activist * Ji Da-bin (born 2006), Indonesian footballer *

Ji Dong-won Ji Dong-won (, or ; born 28 May 1991) is a South Korean professional footballer who plays as a forward for Suwon FC. Early life Born in Chuja Islands, an archipelago of Jeju City, Ji began his football career at Gwangyang Jecheol High Sch ...

(born 1991), South Korean professional footballer *

Ji Eun-hee Ji Eun-hee (; born 13 May 1986), 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. She was born in Gapyeong, South Korea. LPGA career Ji joine ...

(born 1986), South Korean professional golfer * Ji Eun-sung (born 1991), South Korean actor * Ji Ha-yoon (born 1995), South Korean actress and model *

Ji Han-jae Ji Han-jae (; Chi Hon-tsoi) is a South Korean hapkido grandmaster known as the founder of Sin Moo Hapkido. He appeared in the 1972 film ''Game of Death'' starring Bruce Lee. Training Born in Andong, Gyeongsangbuk-do, South Korea on October 27, ...

(born 1936), South Korean hapkido grandmaster * Ji Hye-won (born 1998), South Korean actress *

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 Korean drama, TV series ''Queen and I ...

(born 1984), South Korean actor and musician * Ji Jin-hee (born 1971), South Korean actor * Ji Kyeong-deuk (born 1990), South Korean footballer * Ji Kyong-sun (born 1975), North Korean former judoka * Ji Sang-jun (born 1973), South Korean retired swimmer *

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 Seo-yeon (born 2005), South Korean figure skater *

Ji Seong-ho Ji Seong-ho (; born April 3, 1982) is a South Korean politician who is a member of the National Assembly (South Korea), National Assembly as a member of the People Power Party (South Korea), People Power Party (PPP). Born in North Hamgyong Prov ...

(born 1982), South Korean politician * Ji Seong-hwan (born 1974), South Korean field hockey player * Ji Seung-hyun (born 1979), South Korean handball player * Ji Seung-hyun (born 1981), South Korean actor *

Ji So-yun Ji So-yun (, ; born 21 February 1991) is a South Korean professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for Seattle Reign FC of the National Women's Soccer League and the South Korea national team. Club career Ji started her career in Jap ...

(born 1991), South Korean professional footballer * Ji Yoon-ho (born Yoon Byung-ho, 1991), South Korean actor * Ji Young-jun (born 1981), South Korean long distance runner *

Ji Yun-nam Ji Yun-Nam (; born 20 November 1976) is a North Korean former professional 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 qua ...

(born 1976), North Korean former professional footballer

Others

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' ...

( 2000s), American writer * Ien Chi (born 1991), Korean American filmmaker * Chi In-jin (born 1973), South Korean former professional boxer * Jee Man-won (born 1942), South Korean political scientist and journalist *

Jee Seok-jin Jee Seok-jin (; born February 10, 1966) is a South Korean comedian, singer, television presenter, actor, and broadcaster. He made his entertainment industry debut in 1992 as a singer and gained worldwide popularity with the variety show '' Run ...

(born 1966), South Korean entertainer * Jee Yong-ju (1948–1985), South Korean amateur boxer * Jhi Yeon-woo (born 1984), South Korean retired bodybuilder * Daniel Tji Hak-soun (1921–1993), South Korean Roman Catholic bishop

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 gove ...

(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 (3rd place in 1990) * Min-ji (4th place in 1990) * Ji-eun (4th place in 1980, 2nd place in 1990) * Ji-hye (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 (8th place in 2008, 4th place in 2009, 5th place in 2011) * Ji-yeon (7th place in 1980) * Ji-yoon (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 (feminine) * Ji-ho (unisex) * Ji-hwan (masculine) * Ji-hye (feminine) * Ji-na (feminine) * Ji-seok (masculine) * Ji-su (unisex) *

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

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

People

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

Yi Ji Yi Ji ( 200s–221), courtesy name Jibo, was a Chinese diplomat and politician serving in the state of Shu Han during the Three Kingdoms period of China. He previously served under the warlord Liu Biao in the late Eastern Han dynasty before co ...

(1598 – 1623), Joseon dynasty crown prince, deposed in 1622 *

Shin Ji Lee Ji-seon (; 18 November 1981), known professionally as Shin Ji (), is a South Korean singer, lyricist and actress. She attended Dongduk Women's University – Department of Popular Music Popular music is music with wide appeal that is ...

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

References

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