Many of us have wondered what the name of Samsung means , because behind large companies there is always a story, and the name reflects the vision of its founders. Samsung originated in Korea (before the division of the country) and its name is in Korean.
In the usual Spanish translation of Samsung it means “three stars” , a name chosen in 1938 by Lee Byung-chul, the founder of the company. Of course, at that time it was not dedicated to technology, the first business in the city of Daegu revolved around food (fish, noodles and groceries).
What does each emoji mean?
In Korea the number three has positive connotations , such as greatness and prosperity, while the stars symbolize eternity . Therefore, we speak of an ambitious name, despite the fact that the current Samsung Electronics was not founded until 1960 (before it worked in sectors such as insurance, textiles, chemicals or security).
The three stars appeared on various versions of the Samsung logo , including the original from 1938:
As of 1969 a new logo also showed the three stars together with a typeface not too far from the current one:
From 1979 it became much clearer what Samsung means, as the three stars gained visibility:
Since 1999 the logo has been simplified, first showing a blue oval after the typeface, and since 2005 Samsung only uses its name as a visual brand, without other graphic elements.
Samsung is written in Korean with the characters 삼성 or三星(the language has two alphabets) but the brand always uses the Latin alphabet for this. That is, Samsung is the real name of the multinational, not an adaptation.
Currently Samsung is based in Seoul in South Korea , although when the country was founded it was one alongside North Korea and was controlled by Japan. This means that Samsung managed to prosper after the division of the country after Japan’s defeat in World War II and the dramatic war of 1950 between the pro-Soviet and the US-supported half.
In the 1960s an unstoppable policy of technological development and innovation began , including the manufacture of televisions, semiconductors (electronic chips), telecommunications systems, computers and, eventually, mobile phones and smartphones.
This innovation accelerated after the death of founder Lee Byung-chul in 1987. At that time the gigantic “chaebol” (South Korean business conglomerate) split into several independent entities for its heirs , spinning off the media, chemical, distribution divisions. retail and food.
Samsung Group was the only one that kept the original name, and also the only one dedicated to technology, which is its biggest business today. It also retained the profitable shipbuilding and shipyard divisions.
The names of technology companies almost always contain curiosities, we have also explained what Google means , and even a detail as peculiar as what the “i” means in Apple products .
Perhaps the most surprising thing is that what Samsung means was decided by its founder, not a marketing team as it happens today when a new brand is launched on the market, and that did not prevent the enormous success in the more than 80 years of life of the signature.
