Ji (), also spelled Jee, Chi, or Chee, is a Korean surname, as well as a Korean given name.
Family name As a family name, Ji may be written with either of two hanja, one meaning "wisdom" (), and the other meaning "pond" (). Each has one clan: for the family name meaning "wisdom", Pongju Village, Pongsan County, North Hwanghae in what is today North Korea, and for the family name meaning "pond", Chungju, Chungcheongbuk-do in what is today South Korea. The 2000 South Korean census found 147,572 people with this family name.
In a study by the National Institute of the Korean Language based on 2007 application data for South Korean passports, it was found that 79.5% of people with this surname spelled it in Latin letters as Ji in their passports. Another 9.0% spelled it as Jee, and 8.5% as Chi. Rarer alternative spellings (the remaining 3.0%) included Gi, Chee, Je, and Jy. For the Koryo-saram from the former Soviet Union, it was spelled as Ti ().
Notable people with this family name include:
Ji Ji Chang-wook (born 1987), South Korean actor and singer Ji Cheong-cheon (1888–1959), Korean independence activist Ji Da-bin (born 2006), Indonesian footballer Ji Dong-won (born 1991), South Korean professional footballer Ji Eun-hee (born 1986), South Korean professional golfer Ji Eun-sung (born 1991), South Korean actor Ji Ha-yoon (born 1995), South Korean actress and model Ji Han-jae (born 1936), South Korean hapkido grandmaster Ji Hye-won (born 1998), South Korean actress Ji Hyun-woo (born 1984), South Korean actor and musician Ji Jin-hee (born 1971), South Korean actor Ji Kyeong-deuk (born 1990), South Korean footballer Ji Kyong-sun (born 1975), North Korean former judoka Ji Sang-jun (born 1973), South Korean retired swimmer Ji Sang-ryeol (born 1970), South Korean actor Ji Seo-yeon (born 2005), South Korean figure skater Ji Seong-ho (born 1982), South Korean politician Ji Seong-hwan (born 1974), South Korean field hockey player Ji Seung-hyun (born 1979), South Korean handball player Ji Seung-hyun (born 1981), South Korean actor Ji So-yun (born 1991), South Korean professional footballer Ji Yoon-ho (born Yoon Byung-ho, 1991), South Korean actor Ji Young-jun (born 1981), South Korean long distance runner Ji Yun-nam (born 1976), North Korean former professional footballer
Others Alexander Chee ( 2000s), American writer Ien Chi (born 1991), Korean American filmmaker Chi In-jin (born 1973), South Korean former professional boxer Jee Man-won (born 1942), South Korean political scientist and journalist Jee Seok-jin (born 1966), South Korean entertainer Jee Yong-ju (1948–1985), South Korean amateur boxer Jhi Yeon-woo (born 1984), South Korean retired bodybuilder Daniel Tji Hak-soun (1921–1993), South Korean Roman Catholic bishop
Given name People with the given name Ji include:
Yi Ji (1598–1623), Joseon dynasty crown prince, deposed in 1622 Shin Ji (born 1981 as Lee Jee-seon), South Korean singer and lyricist
See also List of Korean family names List of Korean given names
References