# Why the odd spelling of many asian names?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-the-odd-spelling-of-many-asian-names/641129>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [November 15, 2012, 9:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-the-odd-spelling-of-many-asian-names/641129 "2012-11-15T21:02:37Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 3\
**Page:** 6

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**Author:** ![Monty](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/monty/32/47_2.png) [@Monty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Monty)\
**Post date:** [November 26, 2012, 5:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-the-odd-spelling-of-many-asian-names/641129/101 "2012-11-26T05:03:44Z")

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> [@China\_Guy](#):
>
> Glad to hear it. My Chinese prof, circa 1980 was a linguist, and he learned Chinese courtesy of Uncle Sugar and the Monterey Language Institute during the Korean war, and he preferred Wade-Giles.

I first learned Wade-Giles and later in life learned Pinyin. I much prefer Pinyin. But it’s not really meant for me, I guess. I’m given to understand that a good part of the reason for its development was as reform of China’s written language.

> [@](#):
>
> I vastly prefer pinyin and may be one of the fastest pinyin people around. My wife and kids, native Chinese speakers that learned pinyin in school, always lose when we have a contest.

My supervisor at work wants to have a contest every day here with me. She was stunned at how much faster I am than she at countring strokes in a Chinese character. I lose on the Pinyin thing though.

> [@](#):
>
> Fun fact, all the Army students at Monterey had a weekly test on Fridays. Lowest score shipped out to Korean on Saturday. :o

When I was in the Vietnamese course at the Defense Language Institute, the weekly drop list was essentially the Infantry volunteer list, at least for the Army students. For the Air Force students, they got to complete a “wish list” form and then sent on their merry way to another Air Force training. I’d heard at the time that for the AF, if they bombed three training schools, they’d be discharged. One of the AF drops ended up as an AF journalist. I ran into her once in Tokyo about eight years later.

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**Author:** ![Austinbbq](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/858c86/32.png) [@Austinbbq](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Austinbbq)\
**Post date:** [February 2, 2017, 7:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-the-odd-spelling-of-many-asian-names/641129/102 "2017-02-02T07:09:26Z")

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Someone told me their name and it sounded like that. What is the usual spelling of name that sounds like that ? O won

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**Author:** ![bordelond](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bordelond/32/150_2.png) [@bordelond](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bordelond)\
**Post date:** [February 2, 2017, 2:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-the-odd-spelling-of-many-asian-names/641129/103 "2017-02-02T14:31:59Z")

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> [@Austinbbq](#):
>
> What is the usual spelling of name that sounds like that ? O won

Depends on what language the name comes from, and what Romanization scheme the person uses for their name. My instinct is to guess – completely guess, mind you – a spelling of _O Wan_ or _Oh Wan_.

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