When South Korea's bustling metropolis officially became "Seoul" in 1946, the city essentially named itself "Capital." The word 서울 (Seoul) was originally a native Korean common noun meaning "capital city"—any capital city, not just this one.

From Ancient Silla to Modern Seoul

The name traces back to Seorabeol (서라벌), the ancient capital of the Silla Kingdom—what we know today as Gyeongju. Seorabeol likely combined seora (meaning "high and holy") with beol ("field" or "plain"). Over centuries, this proper noun for Silla's capital evolved into a common word that Koreans used for any capital city.

A City of Many Names

Before Seoul became Seoul, the city cycled through numerous official names across Korean history:

Wiryeseong (ancient Baekje)
Hanyang and Hanseong (Joseon Dynasty)
Gyeongseong/Keijō (during Japanese occupation)

Throughout the Joseon era, ordinary people increasingly called the capital "Seoul" in everyday speech, even though Hanyang and Hanseong remained the formal names on official documents.

After Korea's liberation from Japan in 1945, the U.S. military government made it official. On October 10, 1946, they published the Charter of the City of Seoul, cementing the common-tongue name as the city's legal identity. The word that once meant any Korean capital now exclusively refers to the home of over 9 million people.

A Unique Linguistic Identity

Seoul stands nearly alone among world capitals in being named with a native word rather than a Chinese-derived term. While Korean borrowed heavily from Chinese for formal and administrative language, Seoul remains purely Korean—a linguistic echo of ancient kingdoms that became the modern face of a nation.

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