Branches and Cycle character

분파와 돌림자 

A family has a lot of childs. Kim's family also did. For example, 김유신 had six sons.

There were many branches in Kim's family tree.

First son장남's brunch is most important. We call them 종가 the head family. They still maintain their traditions. They lived in 한옥 korean style house. It also has been a good source for korean dramas or movies.

But my family 도총관공파 of 사군파四君派 is a family from 김수로 and also 김유신. But we are just one of 분가들branchs. I am a brunch of brunches. I am living in a villa, not 한옥.

熙희 of my name express my branch. We call it 돌림자 cycle character. People in same generation of same branch have same 돌림자.

• My siblings also use 희熙, because we are in same generations.
  • 제 남동생의 이름은 김재희입니다. My brother's name is 김재희jaehee kim.
  • 제 여동생의 이름은 김희선입니다. My sister's is 김희선.
• 제 아버지의 형제의 아들도 희熙를 씁니다. my father's brother's son also use "희".
  • 그 이름은 김준희에요. His name is 김준희. Only one son.
• My father's generation's 돌림자 is 병秉.
  • 제 아버지의 성함은 김병 자 균 자 이십니다. My father's name is 김병균.
    • 성함 is honorific for name. ex) 제 할머니의  성함 my grandmother's name.
    • we call their family name first. Then say "~자 ~자 이십니다."
      • 이십니다 = one of 입니다's honorific
      • 자字 means characters글자.
  • His brothers' are 김병문, 김병철.

Why we call it 돌림자cycle character? Because we reuse them again with cycle. And the cycle and their chracters were determined in 족보 the map of family tree. By cycle name, We can know my generation and branch at the same time.

My 돌림자 and 족보 said that I am a 72rd grand - grand son of 김수로왕. We have count it over the 20 centuries.