Young-ja, also spelled Yeong-ja, is a Korean feminine given name. According to South Korean government data, it was the most popular name for baby girls born in 1940. Its meaning depends 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.

Hanja and meaning

There are 34 hanja with the reading "

young Young may refer to: * Offspring, the product of reproduction of a new organism produced by one or more parents * Youth, the time of life when one's age is low, often meaning the time between childhood and adulthood Music * The Young, an America ...

" on the South Korean government's list of hanja which may be used in given names. The syllable "ja" is generally written using a hanja literally meaning "child" (; ). In Japan, where this character is read ''ko'', it was originally used as suffix for the names of girls in the aristocracy. The practice of adding ''-ko'' to girls' names spread to the lower classes following the 1868

Meiji Restoration The , referred to at the time as the , and also known as the Meiji Renovation, Revolution, Regeneration, Reform, or Renewal, was a political event that restored Imperial House of Japan, imperial rule to Japan in 1868 under Emperor Meiji. Althoug ...

. Names containing this character, such as Soon-ja and

Jeong-ja Jeong-ja, also spelled Jung-ja, Jong-ja, or Chung-ja, is a Korean feminine given name. The meaning differs based on the hanja used to write each syllable of the name. Hanja and meaning There are 65 hanja with the reading "Jung (Korean name), jeon ...

, became popular when Korea was under Japanese rule from 1910 to 1945, but declined in popularity afterwards. By 1950 there were no names ending in "ja" in the top ten. Some ways of writing the name Young-ja in hanja include: *, first hanja meaning "flower petals" (). The same characters are also used to write the Japanese feminine given names Eiko and Hideko, among others. *, first hanja meaning "flourishing" (). The same characters are also used to write the Japanese feminine given names Eiko and Saeko, among others.

People

People with this name include: * Young-ja Lee (composer) (born 1936), South Korean music educator and composer *

Jung Hye-sun Jung Hye-sun (; born February 21, 1942), birth name Jung Young-ja (), is a South Korean actress. Jung made her entertainment debut as a voice actress with the KBS Daejeon Daejeon (; ) is South Korea's list of cities in South Korea, fifth-l ...

(born Jung Young-ja, 1942), South Korean actress * Kim Young-ja (born 1949), South Korean volleyball player * Young-ja Cho (born 1951), South Korean sculptor * Lee Young-ja (handballer) (born 1964), South Korean team handball player and Olympic medalist *

Yang Young-ja Yang Young-Ja (; born July 6, 1964) is a retired female table tennis player from South Korea. Table tennis career She won gold medals in women's doubles at the 1987 ITTF World Championships and the 1988 Summer Olympics, together with Hyun Jung ...

(born 1964), South Korean table tennis player *

Lee Young-ja (comedian) Lee Yoo-mi (; born August 15, 1967), better known by her stage name Lee Young-ja () is a South Korean comedian and television presenter. She is signed with iOK Company as her agency. Career Lee made her debut in the South Korean entertainmen ...

(born 1968), South Korean comedian * Park Yeong-ja (born 1975), South Korean rower *Chang Yeong-ja, South Korean financier, one of the principals in the 1982 Lee–Chang scandal Fictional characters with this name include: *Yeong-ja, the titular character of the 1975 South Korean film '' Yeong-ja's Heydays''

References

{{given name Korean feminine given names Feminine given names

Hanja and meaning

People

See also

References