Ji-won

Ji-won, also spelled Jee-won, is a unisex Korean given name composed of Sino-Korean elements. The first syllable, ji (智) meaning “wisdom, intellect,” or ji (志) meaning “will, purpose, ambition,” combines with a second syllable such as won (媛) meaning “beautiful woman” (often used in female names) or won (元) meaning “first, origin.” Many other hanja combinations are possible, making the name highly customizable in meaning and gender usage.

Notable Bearers

Ji-won is especially common among South Korean entertainers. Actresses include Do Ji-won (born 1968), Ye Ji-won (born 1973), Uhm Ji-won (born 1977), and Ha Ji-won (born Jeon Hae-rim, 1978), who is internationally known for her roles in television dramas. Wang Ji-won (born 1988) is both an actress and ballet dancer, while Kim Ji-won (born 1992) rose to fame through popular series like Descendants of the Sun. In the music industry, Eun Ji-won (born 1978) is a rapper and former member of the boy group Sechs Kies, and Bobby (born Kim Ji-won, 1995) is a rapper in the group iKon. Zior Park (born Park Ji-won, 1994) and ZZONE (born Kim Ji-won, 1999) are contemporary K-pop and R&B artists.

Also notable is Jang Ji-won (born 1979), a South Korean taekwondo practitioner who won a gold medal at the 2008 Summer Olympics.

Cultural Context

In Korean naming practice, given names are typically two syllables, and each syllable is chosen from a permissible list of hanja characters with positive meanings. The name Ji-won exemplifies this tradition, with parents often selecting combinations that convey aspirational qualities such as wisdom, ambition, or beauty. The variant spelling “Jee-won” appears in romanizations, reflecting the fact that the vowel /i/ can be represented by the letters “i” or “ee” in Revised Romanization.

• Meaning: “wisdom, intellect” (지), “will, purpose, ambition” (지), or other combinations; “beautiful woman” (원), “first, origin” (원), etc.
• Origin: Korean (Sino-Korean stock)
• Type: Unisex given name
• Usage regions: South Korea, also used in the Korean diaspora