Korean: What does name Kim Sam Soon mean?

Question

On the Korean TV soap opera, "My Lovely Sam Soon," the main character is named Kim Sam Soon. She wants to change her name, because, she says, everyone makes fun of her name. This is mentioned in almost every episode of the show. At one point, she tells a story of a young woman who committed suicide because she was so upset about being named Sam Soon.

I'm not Korean, and I'm missing the point here. What is funny or embarrassing about the name Sam Soon, or the full name Kim Sam Soon? It just sounds like any other Korean name to me.

In other words, what's the joke?

Valdysses · Accepted Answer

Sam Soon roughly translates to "girl number 3".  Her being the third daughter, she dislikes the name because it's so utilitarian, as if she was just one in a line of otherwise unremarkable children.

"Soon" is also a somewhat traditional word for girl, implying that she's something of a country bumpkin.  Kim is of course a very common family name in Korea, which further adds to her nondescript name.  I suppose it would be rather like being named John or Jane Doe.

adamek · Answer

Kim Sam Soon

Anonymous · Answer

Names with "Soon" were common in the 1940 etc ... it's really old fashioned. Also Sam = three, and she was the 3rd daughter, so it's pretty tacky. And in the drama she reveals that the Chinese characters for her name mean “Third Martyr”.

Korean: What does name Kim Sam Soon mean?

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