Try visiting an office close to lunchtime. "Assistant Manager Kim, please check this." "Team Leader Park, shall we start the meeting?" You can hear job titles everywhere instead of names. On his first day of work, the foreign student said, "It seems like nobody here has a name." He was shocked, I heard. ## Why does calling someone by name feel awkward? In Korean, calling a superior directly by name feels like pointing a finger right at them. So people add '님' to the job title when addressing them. Being addressed by title sounds softer and more respectful than being addressed by name. Also, in Korean, the sentence endings change depending on who you're talking to. If you know someone's rank, you can immediately decide whether to say "~하세요" or "~해요". A form of address is like a switch that turns on a way of speaking. ## Companies That Use English Names These days, some companies call people by English names, like "Kevin" or "Suzy." The idea is to reduce the heaviness that job titles put into the way people talk, and to let them share their opinions comfortably in meetings. Many companies also add '님' after a name, calling someone "민수님." ## Ways You Can Use on Your First Day of Work Check their job title first on their business card or messenger profile. If you're not sure, you can ask, "What should I call you?" It's not rude to ask. For a colleague whose title you don't know, "OO-nim" is the safest choice.