Tsoi
/tsɔɪ/noun
Tsoi is a surname, especially a Russian transliteration of the Korean surname Choe or Choi.
Did you know?The surname became globally iconic through Viktor Tsoi, whose music became a powerful voice of cultural change in late-Soviet Russia.
Etymological Timeline
Ancient China
Old Chinese
崔
“A surname associated with height or a high place; the character later became the source of related surname forms.”
Middle Chinese
Middle Chinese
崔 *tsˠui
“The pronunciation reconstructed for the Chinese surname that developed into later regional forms.”
Medieval Korea
Middle Korean
최
“The Korean reading of 崔, later romanized in several ways, including Choe and Choi.”
19th–20th Century
Russian
Цой
“A Russian spelling of the surname used among Korean communities in the Russian Empire and Soviet Union.”
Modern English
English
Tsoi
“An English transliteration, especially associated with the musician Viktor Tsoi.”