MangaBaka Korean Romanisation Style

> [!NOTE] > This romanisation guide is not entirely finished and might change at any moment, be it partially or entirely. > Last update: 2025-01-18 ## Core Romanisation Style This style guide defines how to consistently romanise and style Korean-language titles (Manhwa/Webtoons) for metadata purposes. The goal is to provide a standard that is easy to read, type, and apply across various databases, while respecting the linguistic norms of **Revised Romanisation (RR)** ### The Basis We follow the **[Revised Romanisation of Korean](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Revised_Romanization_of_Korean)** with the following specific enhancements and deviations to align with our styling standards: - **Loanword Restoration**: Translate clear **English/foreign loanwords** into their standard spelling (e.g., 택시 → "Taxi", 헌터 → "Hunter") instead of strict transliteration (*Taeksi*, *Heonteo*) ― **major deviation**. - **Particle Separation**: All grammatical particles are **separated by a space** and written in **lowercase**, regardless of standard Hangul agglutination (e.g., 나를 → *Na reul*) - **Pronunciation-based Transcription**: Romanisation reflects **pronunciation** (sound changes/assimilation) rather than strict Hangul ortography, strictly adhering to standard RR rules (e.g., 독립 → *Dongnip*, not *Dokrip*). - **Names**: Family names are capitalised, and given names are hyphenated (e.g., 김민수 → *Kim Min-su*). ### Capitalisation As we are romanising **titles**, we use the **Chicago Headline Style**: - Capitalise all **nouns**, **verbs**, **adjectives**, **adverbs** and **auxiliary verbs** (when separated). - Keep all **particles** (e.g., eun, neun, i, ga, ui), **suffixes** when hyphenated, and **verb endings** (when fused) in lowercase. - **Copulas** (ida, anida) follow the specific fusion rules (see [Copulas](#copulas-ida--anida)) ### Word Spacing, Fusions, and Hyphenation Korean is an agglutinate language, but for title legibility, we standardise distinct word boundaries. - **Nouns and Compounds**: Keep compound nouns separate unless they are established single dictionary words. - **Verbs and Adjectives**: The verb stem and its grammatical endings (suffixes) are always **fused** (e.g., 가다 → *Gada*, 갔습니다 → *Gasseumnida*). - **Auxiliary Verbs:** When an auxiliary verb follows a main verb (usually connected by a particle or ending), it is **separated** and **capitalised** (e.g., 하고 있다 → *Hago itda*). - **Particles**: Always **separate** particles from the preceding noun/pronoun. - **Hyphens**: Used for **personal names**, **honorifics**, **titles**, **specific prefixes**, and **Arabic numerals with counters**. !!! warning Sound Change (Assimilation) Rule Revised Romanisation dictates that spelling changes to reflect natural pronunciation changes between syllables. - **Sinmun** (신문) not *Sin-mun* - **Jongno** (종로) not *Jong-ro* - **Halla-san** (한라산) not *Han-ra-san* - **Gungmul** (국물) not *Guk-mul* **Exception**: To preserve the meaning of words in a title, semantic boundaries in **separated words** do *not* undergo assimilation across the space (e.g., *Guk Mul* if written as two separate nouns, though rare). !!! ## Actual Title Showing the Style 나 혼자만 레벨업: 헌터스 길드의 초대 ～이세계에서 귀환한 랭커가 다시 튜토리얼을 클리어하는 방법～ Na Honjaman Level Up: Hunters Guild ui Chodae ～Isekai eseo Gwihwanhan Ranker ga Dasi Tutorial eul Clear Haneun Bangbeop～ - **Loanwords**: 레벨업 → Level Up, 헌터스 → Hunters, 길드 → Guild, 랭커 → Ranker, 튜토리얼 → Tutorial, 클리어 → Clear. - **Particles**: *ui*, *eseo*, *eul* are all separate and lowercase. - **Assimilation**: *Bangbeop* (Method) follows RR rules. - **Verbs**: *Gwihwanhan* (Returned) is fused; *Haneun* (Doing) is fused. - **Noun + Verb spacing**: *Clear Haneun* is separated because "Clear" is a restored English loanword acting as the object noun phrase concept. - **Punctuation**: Tilde `～` preserved for subtitles. ## Further Clarification ### Loanword Restoration Rule Unlike Japanese, where loanwords are often heavily modified, Korean loanwords often map directly to English. To improve searchability and readability: **Standard English Terms**: If a Hangul word corresponds to a common English word, use the English spelling. - 버스 → **Bus** (not *Beoseu*) - 던전 → **Dungeon** (not *Deonjeon*) - 아카데미 → **Academy** (not *Akademi*) - S급 → **S-Class** or **S-Geup** (prefer English *S-Class* if broadly understood contextually, otherwise romanise the counter). **Unclear/Faux-English**: If the term is a "Konglish" abbreviation or unique concept without a direct English equivalent, romanise the Korean sound. - 스킨십 → **Skinship** (Accepted Konglish) - 알바 → **Alba** (German/Korean slang for part-time) !!! tip Loanword Hybrid Components If a compound consists of a Loanword + Native Particle/Noun: - **Skill**-eul (Skill + particle) → **Skill eul** - **Bus**-tago (Bus + riding) → **Bus Tago** !!! ### Verbs and Adjectives Korean verbs consist of a **Stem** + **Endings**. In titles, these are **FUSED**. - **Dictionary Form**: 가다 (*Ga-da*) → **Gada** - **Honorific/Formal**: 갑니다 (*Ga-pni-da*) → **Gamnida** - **Past Tense**: 갔다 (*Gat-da*) → **Gatda** - **Modifier FOrm**: 예쁜 (*Yeppeun*) → **Yeppeun** (Pretty), 먹는 (*Meokneun*) → **Meongneun** (Eating - *note the sound change k → ng). !!! warning Auxiliary Verbs When a sentence structure involves `Main Verb + Space + Auxiliary Verb`, romanise them as two separate capitalised words. - 먹고 싶다 (want to eat) → **Meokgo Sipda** - 해야 한다 (must do) → **Haeya Handa** - 되어 버렸다 (ended up becoming) → **Doseo Beoryeotda** !!! ### Hyphenation #### Personal Names Follow the pattern: **Surname** + **Given Name**. The Given Name is **hyphenated** with the second syllable in **lowercase**. - 김민수 → **Kim Min-su** - 박지민 → **Park Ji-min** - 이재욱 → **Lee Jae-wook** (Common conventional spellings for surnames like Lee/Park/Choi are acceptable if the author is well-known, otherwise follow RR: *I*, *Bak*, *Choe*). #### Honorifics Honorifics and titles attached to names are **hyphenated** and **lowercase**. - 민수씨 → **Minsu-ssi** - 선생님 → **Seonsaeng-nim** (Teacher) - 형님 → **Hyung-nim** / **Hyeong-nim** (Older brother - honorific) - 누나 → **Nuna** (Older sister) - 아저씨 → **Ajeossi** (Mister/Uncle - often lexicalised without hyphen if standalone, hyphenated if used as address). #### Prefixes Specific prefixes regarding numbering or size are hyphenated - 제1화 → **Je-1-hwa** (Chapter 1) - 고(故) → **Go-** (The late...) - 대(大) → **Dae-** (Great/Big - only when acting as a distinct prefix, otherwise fused in compounds like Daehak (University)). #### Arabic Numerals and Counters Arabic numerals are hyphenated with their counters. - 10년 → **10-nyeon** (10 Years) - 3명 → **3-myeong** (3 People) - 100번째 → **100-beonjjae** (100th) - 24시간 → **24-sigan** (24 Hours) #### Copulas (Ida / Anida) The copula **Ida** (to be) and **Anida** (not to be) are unique. In standard RR, they are fused to the preceding noun. However, for readability in titles: **Ida (이다)**: Fuse to the noun/particle **if it is the verb ending**. - 학생입니다 → **Haksaengimnida** (It is a student) - 남자이다 → **Namjaida** **Anida (아니다)**: Usually behaves as a separate adjective requiring a subject particle. - 학생이 아니다 → **Haksaeng i Anida** **Future/Guessing (-gess-)**: - 알겠습니다 → **Algesseumnida** ## Detailed Tables ### Particles Particles must be **separated** from the word they modify and written in **lowercase**. | Expression | Romanisation | Function | | ---------- | ------------ | -------- | | 이 / 가 | i / ga | Subject markers | | 은 / 는 | eun / neun | Topic markers | | 을 / 를 | eul / reul | Object markers | | 의 | ui | Possessive particle (pronounced *e* often, but written **ui**) | | 에 | e | Location / Time (at, in, to) | | 에서 | eseo | From (location), At (action) | | 로 / 으로 | ro / euro | Direction / Instrument (towards, by means of) | | 와 / 과 | wa / gwa | And / With | | 하고 | hago | And / With (colloquial) | | 도 | do | Also / Even | | 만 | man | Only | | 부터 | buteo | From (time/place) | | 까지 | kkaji | Until / To | | 에게 / 한테 | ege / hante | To (a person) | ### Common Suffixes and Honorifics | Hangul | Romanisation | Type | Usage Rule | | ------ | ------------ | ---- | ---------- | | 님 | -nim | Honorific | Hyphenate after name/title (e.g., *Sajang-nim*) | | 씨 | -ssi | Honorific | Hyphenate after name (e.g., *Minsu-ssi*) | | 군 | -gun | Title (Boy) | Hyphenate (e.g., *Kim-gun*) | | 양 | -yang | Title (Girl) | Hyphenate (e.g., *Lee-yang*) | | 들 | -deul | Plural | Hyphenate (e.g., *Saram-deul*) | | 층 | -cheung | Floor | Hyphenate after Number (e.g., *2-cheung*) | | 년 | -nyeon | Year | Hyphenate after Number (e.g., *2026-nyeon*) | | 월 | -wol | Month | Hyphenate after Number (e.g., *5-wol*) | | 일 | -il | Day | Hyphenate after Number (e.g., *15-il*) | ### Special Characters - **Symbols (♥, ★, etc.)**: Keep as-is, with spaces around them unless stylisticaly fused on the cover. - **Tildes (~)**: Keep as `～`. - **Ellipsis**: Keep as is. - **Brackets**: Convert `『 』`, `「 」`, `【 】` to standard double quotes `"` or single quotes `'` or square brackets `[ ]` depending on if they denote dialogue or technical stats. > - System Prompts / Skills in brackets usually use `[ ]`. > - Dialogue uses `"`. ___ ## LLM Ruleset and Prompts ### YAML ruleset ```yaml romanization_style: name: "MangaBaka Korean Style" version: "1.0" base_system: "Revised Romanization of Korean (RR)" loanword_rule: "restore_english" capitalization: > Capitalize all nouns, verbs, adjectives, adverbs, and auxiliary verbs. Lowercase all particles, suffixes (when hyphenated), and bound verb endings. loanwords: > If a Hangul word is a transliteration of a common English word (e.g., 택시, 버스, 헌터), romanize it using the English spelling (Taxi, Bus, Hunter). If it is obscure slang or a hybrid, adhere to RR or established Konglish (e.g., Skinship). particles: > Always separate grammatical particles from the preceding word with a space. Particles are always lowercase. List: eun, neun, i, ga, eul, reul, ui, e, eseo, ro, euro, wa, gwa, hago, do, man, buteo, kkaji. assimilation: > Apply strict RR sound assimilation rules for pronunciation changes within a word. (e.g., Shinmun instead of Shin-mun for 신문). Do not apply assimilation across spaces between separate words. verbs_and_adjectives: > Fuse verb stems with their endings (e.g., Gada, Gatda, Haneun). Separate auxiliary verbs from the main verb (e.g., Hago Sipda). Adjectives follow the same fusion rules as verbs. names: > Surname First (Capitalized) + Space + Given Name (Capitalized-Hyphen-Lowercase). Example: Kim Min-su. Exceptions permitted for famous authors with established alternative spellings (e.g., Park, Lee). hyphens: > Use hyphens for: - Honorifics (e.g., -nim, -ssi) - Plural marker -deul (optional, but preferred for clarity in titles: Saram-deul) - Arabic numerals + Counters (e.g., 10-nyeon, 1-level) - Prefixes like Je- (ordinal) or Go- (late). copula: > Fuse the copula 'ida' and its inflections to the preceding noun (e.g., Haksaengimnida). 'Anida' is treated as a separate adjective (e.g., i Anida). example_validation: input: "나 혼자만 레벨업: 헌터스 길드의 초대" output: "Na Honjaman Level Up: Hunters Guild ui Chodae" explanation: "Particles 'ui' separated. Loanwords 'Level Up', 'Hunters', 'Guild' restored." ``` ___ ## Old Guidelines (Kept temporarily for internal reference. DO NOT USE) ## Overview This public guide explains how Korean-language titles are romanised and styled for display on MangaBaka. The goal is consistent, readable, and publisher-independent romanisations that make titles clear and searchable for users. **Canonical system:** **Revised Romanization (RR)** with a practical exception for loanwords (see Loanword Rule). --- ## Title field priorities * **Native Title:** the original Hangul title as shown on the cover or source. * **Romanization:** the romanised title shown to users (RR with the Loanword Rule applied). --- ## Subtitle & punctuation rules * Follow MangaBaka's General Title Style Guide for English titles: use **colon (:)** and **em-dash (—)** to separate subtitle and sub-subtitle. Swap colon/em-dash if the subtitle contains a colon or for visual clarity. * Replace straight quotes/apostrophes with typographic quotes only in English/translated fields. The display romanisation uses plain ASCII punctuation unless a decorative symbol is necessary. * Native Hangul punctuation and spacing are kept exactly as presented in the native title. --- ## Romanization rules (Revised Romanization) * Use **Revised Romanization (RR)** as the standard for Korean romanisation. > Examples: 학교 → **Hakgyo**; 서울 → **Seoul**; 김민수 → **Kim Min-su**. * Preserve Hangul word segmentation when producing romanisation (i.e., keep spaces that reflect Korean word breaks), except for particles that are separated regardless of the spacing (see next bullet for examples). > Example: 우리들의 평화로운 일상 → **Uri-deul ui Pyeonghwaroun Ilsang** * Particles (이/가, 은/는, 을/를, 에서, 로/으로, 와/과, 도, 의) should be shown as separate tokens and written in lowercase for readability in the romanised title. > Example: 나는 학교에 간다 → **Na neun Hakgyo e Ganda** * Double consonants and aspiration follow RR mapping (kk, tt, pp, ss, jj). e.g., 학교 → **Hakgyo**, 빵 → **Ppang**. --- ## Loanword Rule * When a Hangul token clearly represents a foreign loanword and there is a common real-world/English form, prefer the real-world term in the **romanisation**. > Examples: 택시 → **Taxi** (not "Taeksi"); 버스 → **Bus** (not "Beoseu"); 스킬 → **Skill** (not "Seukil"); 바스켓볼 → **Basketball** (not "Baseukesbol"). * The native Hangul title remains unchanged in the native field; the romanised display uses the real-world term so users immediately recognise the concept. --- ## Names & honorifics * Use family name first (capitalized), then given name: 김민수 → **Kim Min-su**. * Honorifics and titles attach with a hyphen: **-ssi**, **-nim**, **-seonsaeng**. > Example: 박지민씨 → **Park Ji-min-ssi** --- ## Hyphenation and counters * Use hyphens for name+honorific, number+counter, and ordinal/part markers when it helps clarity and sorting: > 10년 → **10-nyeon** > 제3부 → **Je 3-bu** * For lexicalized compounds, prefer splitting unless fusion improves readability (editorial judgment applies). --- ## Capitalization * When an official English/romanised capitalization exists and is canonical, use it. * For fan-romanised titles, apply **Chicago-style title capitalization**: capitalize nouns, verbs, adjectives, adverbs, and main auxiliaries; keep particles and grammatical endings lowercase. --- ## Examples * Native: 택시 타는 날 > Romanization: **Taxi Taneun Nal** * Native: 학교에 간 고양이 > Romanization: **Hakgyo e Gan Goyang-i** * Native: 김선생님과의 하루 > Romanization: **Kim Seonsaeng-nim gwa ui Haru** --- ## Notes for editors * Prefer clarity and recognizability for readers. Use the Loanword Rule when loanwords are obvious. * Do not rely on publisher romanisation; publisher styles are often inconsistent. * Keep the native Hangul title intact and visible in the metadata.