Tae

Tae is a syllable used in several languages and contexts, most prominently in Korean. In Hangul, it is written as 태 and appears frequently as part of Korean given names. The meaning of tae in names is not fixed in isolation; it depends on the hanja characters chosen to represent the syllable. As a result, tae can convey a variety of potential meanings, including connotations such as greatness, extremity, or other favorable qualities, depending on the hanja used. Because of its versatility, tae is a common building block in both masculine and feminine Korean names, often combined with other syllables to form names like Tae-hyun, Tae-yeon, or Tae-min.

Tae also appears as the first syllable in the widely known Korean martial art name taekwondo. In this term, tae is one component of a three-syllable compound; the remaining syllables gwon and do contribute additional meaning, and the exact interpretation of tae varies with hanja. In everyday reference, taekwondo is generally described as a martial art emphasizing kicking and punching.

Outside Korea, tae exists as a transliteration of the Korean syllable and can be encountered in personal names, academic discussions, and cultural contexts. In Scots English, tae means “to” or “towards,” a usage unrelated to Korean but frequently encountered in historical and literary texts.

Orthographically, tae is commonly romanized from 태 using the Revised Romanization system; alternative renderings may appear in older texts or different transliteration schemes. The meaning of tae, when used in names, thus depends on context and the chosen hanja, while in non-Korean languages it may carry entirely separate senses.