A name built from two Korean syllables
“Samsung” is a romanized rendering of the Korean name 삼성 (samseong). In Korean, each written block groups sounds into a syllable: sam means “three,” and seong means “star.” The English spelling is therefore not an acronym or a string of initials; it carries the sound of the Korean name into other languages.
From literal meaning to lasting identity
As a company name, “three stars” works as an image as well as a translation. Stars suggest something visible from a distance and enduring over time—qualities the founder wanted the name to convey. Outside Korean, people usually use “Samsung” as a proper name rather than translating it, but the original meaning remains embedded in the brand: a compact phrase that turns an ambition for the company into a picture readers can remember.
