[Feature]: Option for hyphens in romanization

[thomasst]

Description

romanize should provide an option to use hyphens/dashes between syllables to clarify the syllable boundaries.

Possible Solution

function romanize(
  hangul: string,
  options?: { useHyphens?: boolean }
): string;

romanize('학여울'); // "hangnyeoul"
romanize('학여울', { useHyphens: true }); // "hang-nyeo-ul"

etc.

No response

[BO-LIKE-CHICKEN]

I believe using the function multiple times in the context where it’s needed would be a better approach, as it keeps the function simple and focused.

If this option is truly necessary to enhance the user experience, I would suggest one of the following approaches:

1. Call the function multiple times

Instead of modifying the function or adding options, users can call the function for each syllable and add their own delimiters. This keeps the romanize function simple and leaves control to the user. For example:

const input = "학여울";
const result = input
  .split("") // Split into syllables
  .map(romanize) // Call the romanize function for each syllable
  .join("-"); // Add the desired delimiter

console.log(result); // "hang-nyeo-ul"

This approach allows the romanize function to remain clean and focused, while giving users full control over how to handle delimiters.

2. Add a function that returns an array of romanized syllables

Provide a new function (e.g., romanizeToArray) that returns an array of romanized syllables. Users can then decide how to handle delimiters:

const syllables = romanizeToArray("학여울"); // ["hang", "nyeo", "ul"]
const result = syllables.join("-"); // "hak-nyeo-ul"

This keeps the original function simple while adding flexibility for users who need advanced functionality.

3. Replace useHyphens with a more flexible separator option

Instead of a boolean flag (useHyphens), allow users to specify a custom separator:

romanize("학여울"); // "hangnyeoul"
romanize("학여울", { separator: "-" }); // "hang-nyeo-ul"
romanize("학여울", { separator: "|" }); // "hang|nyeo|ul"

This makes the function more versatile and adaptable for different use cases.

Summary

By calling the function multiple times (Option 1), users can maintain full control without complicating the romanize function. However, if a better user experience requires built-in functionality, Options 2 or 3 can provide additional flexibility while keeping the core function clean.

Let me know your thoughts!

[thomasst]

Option 1: This produces different results (i.e. "hak-yeo-ul" instead of "hang-nyeo-ul"), which might not be desirable given that words should generally be romanized based on their pronunciation.

Option 2/3: For both of these, I am not sure if there is a need for separators other than hyphens (given that e.g. https://korean.go.kr/nkview/nknews/200105/34_3.html specifically mentions hyphens). Option 2 does indeed give the most flexibility here, though I am not sure if a new function is really necessary.

Eventually, I could also see romanize taking the romanization system as an argument, which could also be part of the options, but that's out of scope for this particular issue, e.g.:

function romanize(
  hangul: string,
  options?: {
    useHyphens?: boolean;
    system?: "RR" | "MR" | "Yale";
  }
): string;

I'm still leaning towards my originally suggested option, but options 2/3 are both fine if we wanted the separator to be customizable.