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 (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.

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 is young, often meaning the time between childhood and adulthood Music * The Young, an American ro ...

" 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 practical imperial rule to Japan in 1868 under Emperor Meiji. Although there were r ...

. Names containing this character, such as Soon-ja and Jeong-ja, 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 Eiko is a feminine Japanese given name. Eikō, also spelled Eikou or Eikoh, is a masculine Japanese given name. The meanings of these names depend on the kanji used to write them. Kanji In the feminine name Eiko, "ko" is generally written with a ...

and

Hideko Hideko (written: , , or ) is a feminine Japanese given name. Notable people with the name include: *, Japanese writer *, Japanese table tennis player *, Japanese swimmer *, Japanese swimmer *, Japanese manga artist *, Japanese fencer *, Japanese ...

, among others. *, first hanja meaning "flourishing" (). The same characters are also used to write the Japanese feminine given names

and

Saeko Saeko is a feminine Japanese given name. Possible writings *サエコ in katakana *さえこ in hiragana is a Japanese language, Japanese syllabary, part of the Japanese writing system, along with ''katakana'' as well as ''kanji''. It is ...

, among others.

People

People with this name include: *

Young-ja Lee Young-ja Lee (born 4 June 1931) is a South Korean music educator and composer. She is considered by many the greatest living female Korean composer. Life and career Born in Wonju, she studied at Ewha Womans University, the Conservatoire de Paris ...

(born 1936), South Korean music educator and composer *

Jung Hye-sun Jung Hye-sun (born Jung Young-ja; February 21, 1942) is a South Korean actress. Jung made her entertainment debut as a voice actress with the KBS Daejeon Daejeon () is South Korea's fifth-largest metropolis, with a population of 1.5 m ...

(born Jung Young-ja, 1942), South Korean actress *

Kim Young-ja Kim Young-Ja (born 4 November 1949) is a South Korean former volleyball player who competed in the 1968 Summer Olympics and in the 1972 Summer Olympics. References

1949 births Living people South Korean women's volleyball players Olympic ...

(born 1949), South Korean volleyball player *

Young-ja Cho Young-Ja Cho (born 1951 Busan, South Korea) is a South Korean sculptor. Life Young-Ja Cho was born in Bussan, South Korea, but currently lives in Molicciara, Italy. She is inspired by Buddhism and Greek mythology; concepts from her native countr ...

(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 ...

(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 entertainment ...

(born 1968), South Korean comedian *

Park Yeong-ja Park Yeong-ja ( ko, 박 영자; born 7 March 1975) is a South Korean rower. She competed in the women's double sculls event at the 1996 Summer Olympics The 1996 Summer Olympics (officially the Games of the XXVI Olympiad, also known as At ...

(born 1975), South Korean rower *Chang Yeong-ja, South Korean financier, one of the principals in the 1982

Lee–Chang scandal The Lee–Chang scandal ( ko, 이철희 장영자 어음 사기 사건, ''Yi Chol-hui–Jang Yeong-ja eoeumsagi sageon'', "Yi Chol-hui–Jang Yeong-ja note fraud incident") was a serious South Korea South Korea, officially the Republ ...

Fictional characters with this name include: *Yeong-ja, the titular character of the 1975 South Korean film ''

Yeong-ja's Heydays ''Yeong-ja's Heydays'' () is a 1975 South Korean film directed by Kim Ho-sun. It became a huge box office hit upon its release; it drew an audience of 360,000, surpassing the top foreign film at the time, ''The Sting'', by 30,000. Plot After re ...

References

{{given name Korean feminine given names

Hanja and meaning

People

See also

References