Frequently asked questions

Saju (사주, “four pillars”) is a traditional Korean way of reading the year, month, day and hour of your birth as four pairs of characters, each linked to one of five elements — wood, fire, earth, metal and water. We use it to see which elements a name could balance for you. We use Korea’s traditional naming method (saju & jakmyeong) to pick your names — it’s culture and craft; it doesn’t predict anything.

Through 작명 (jakmyeong), the Korean art of naming, from a curated list of real Korean names. Balance: in harmony with your birthday (the five elements of your saju). Sound & strokes: your family name and given name in harmony in sound, and in stroke count for hanja names. Meaning: hanja with good meanings, or native Korean words.

Yes. Every name is a real Korean given name from our checked list, with a Korean family name picked to be in harmony with it, hanja characters and their meanings. It is a cultural name for you to enjoy — not a legal name change.

No. The Korean at Heart Card and the Certificate of Heart are honorary keepsakes from a fan community. They are not identity documents and give no legal status, citizenship or visa rights. Please never use them as ID.

Finding and saving your Korean name is free. A one-time $9.90 — no subscription — adds your founding member number, your card, your certificate and your hanbok portrait on them.

Your card and certificate are issued right after payment. If something went wrong — an item did not arrive or does not work — email admin@koreanatheart.com and we will fix it or refund you. We also refund wherever your local consumer law requires it.

It is sent to Google’s AI image service only to create your portrait. The original is deleted when you confirm your portrait, or within 24 hours if you leave sign-up unfinished. Only the portrait is kept.

Email admin@koreanatheart.com from the address you signed up with, and we will delete your account and data within 30 days.

Every year we select up to 10 paid members who share Korean culture with the world — content, sharing on social media, community activity, passion and creativity, scored out of 100 on published criteria — and invite them to Korea for 10 days. Apply at /ambassador by 2027-03-31; the result is announced on 2027-05-01 on the notice board and by email. Active members can be named Contributors by our staff during the year.