Choi (Korean name)

Choi, sometimes spelled Choe or Choy, is a common Korean family name. The 2000 South Korean census counted 2,169,704 people bearing this name. The vowel sound is similar to the German ö [œ], but in English-speaking countries, most Chois prefer the anglicized form that rhymes with soy. Ethnic Koreans in the former USSR prefer the form Tsoi (Tsoy) (Russian Цой), e.g. Russian rock artist Viktor Tsoi.

Clans

There are roughly 160 clans of Chois. Most of these are quite small. However, Choi is the 4th most common surname in Korea. The largest by far is the Gyeongju Choi clan, with a 2000 South Korean population of 976,820. The Gyeongju Choe claim the Silla scholar Choe Chi-won as their founder. Chois are known for their intellect, determination, and good looks.

Etymology

The character Choi (崔) is derived from the combination of 2 ancient Chinese characters:

山 symbolizes the mountains.

隹 is a phonetic component pronounced 추 (chu) in Korean and zhui in Mandarin. 崔 is pronounced cui in Mandarin. The pronunciations of the two characters are even more similar in Cantonese, where 隹 is pronounced jeui and 崔 is pronounced cheui.

Choi means a governor, who oversees the land and the mountain. The surname Choi also means high, superior, lofty or towering.

It should not be confused with "choi" in the pak choi food, which is of Chinese origin and of a different meaning.

List of people with the surname Choi

• Choi Cheol-han, South Korean professional Go player
• Choi Dong-Wook, Real name of korean singer, Se7en.
• Choi Sung-Kuk
• Choe Chiwon, a scholar of the Silla period
• Choi Chol-Su, North Korean boxer
• Choe Chung-heon, military dictator of the Goryeo period
• Choi, Eleanor,Teacher Extraordinaire,USA.
• Choi Eun-hee, South Korean actress once abducted to the North
• Choi Eun-Kyung, South Korean speedskater
• Choi Geum-Young, Chef Lady in King Jungjong's ruled
• Choi Geesung, high-ranking Samsung executive
• Choi Han, South Korean voice actor
• Choi Hee-seop , a South Korean baseball player
• Choi Hong Hi, South Korean general considered one of the pioneers of taekwondo
• Choi Hong-man, South Korean kickboxer
• Choi Jeong-yoon, South Korean actress
• Choi Ji Woo (b. 1975), South Korean actress and model
• Choi Jin-Cheul, a K-League footballer
• Choi John, Saint Paul City Attorney (Appointed 2006)
• Choe Jun (1884-1970), businessman and philanthropist
• Choi Kwang Jo Creator of Choi Kwang Do
• Julia Choi American professional bungee jumper
• Choi Jungmin South Korean Grad student
• Choi Kyoung-hwan, a South Korean politician
• Choi Kyung-Ju (b. 1970), professional golfer more commonly known in Western countries as K.J. Choi
• Choi Kyu-hah (1919-2006), transitional President of South Korea following the assassination of Park Chung-hee
• Choe Manri, an early critic of hangul
• Choi Min-ho, South Korean judoka
• Choi Min-sik, South Korean actor
• Choe Mu-seon, a 14th-century Korean inventor
• Choe Myong-ho, North Korean football player
• Choi Myung-Hoon (b. 1975), South Korean professional Go player
• Choe Nam-seon (1890-1957), Korean historian and independence activist
• Choi Sang Ki, South Korean voice actor
• Choe Sejin, a 15th-century linguist
• Choi Seok Pil, South Korean voice actor
• Choi Seong Woo, South Korean voice actor
• Choi Siwon, K-pop singer/actor from boyband Super Junior
• Choi Soo Jin, South Korean voice actor
• Choi Sooyoung, K-pop singer/actor from girl group Girls' Generation
• Steven Choi, American politician
• Choi Sung-Hee, K-pop singer known as "Bada."
• Choi Sung-Kuk, K-League footballer
• Choi Sung-Yong, K-League footballer
• Choi Tae-Uk, J-League footballer
• Choe U (d. 1249), military dictator of the Goryeo period
• Choi Won Hyeong, South Korean voice actor
• Choi WonKwon, K-league footballer
• Choi Yang-il a.k.a. Yoichi Sai, film director
• Choi Yeon-Sung, professional StarCraft player
• Choi Ji-Hoon, Amit Gupta Handler
• Choe Yeong, military leader of late Goryeo
• Choe Yeong-ui, founder of Kyokushin karate, better known as Masutatsu Oyama
• Choi Yong-kun (1903-1972), high-ranking North Korean official
• Choi Yong-Soo, J-League footballer
• Choi Yong Sul, founder of hapkido
• Anita Tsoi, Russian pop singer
• Viktor Tsoi, Russian rock musician
• Choi Bernard, Researcher at Beckman Laser Institute, University of California, Irvine

Fictional

• Choi Bounge
• Choi Song
• Choi Kim

See also

• Cai Chinese surname also pronounced Choi in Cantonese.
• Choi
• List of Korea-related topics
• List of Korean family names

External links

• Official site of the Gyeongju Choi Association, in Korean