Here is an example of a given name from a JokBo (family registry). In this case, both the HanJa and HanGul are provided by the JokBo record for this individual:
The HanGul version can be entered with a Korean keyboard or virtual keyboard (clicking buttons on a picture of a Korean keyboard). The HanJa version is a bit harder. There are several ways to approach finding the HanJa for a given name. You can use one of the following methods for each syllable / HanJa character:
1) Look up 상 on the “Given Names” section of this website at http://koreangenealogy.org/book/names/given-names/ . You can copy “상” and then Find (search) it on the webpage. It will find this on the page:
There are 32 HanJa characters for Sang that are used in Korean given names. You can just find the HanJa character that matches the one in the JokBo and copy it from the webpage to your records. In this case the HanJa for 상 is 相. The advantage of using this method is that the HanJa listed on this website page are limited to HanJa used in Korean Given Names according to the Korean Census, so you will get a lot fewer options and find it quicker than if you used an online Korean-HanJa dictionary.
2) Another method is to use an online Korean-HanJa dictionary. My favorite is http://hanja.dict.naver.com . You get hundreds of possible HanJa for 상, but 相 will be in there somewhere… in this case we’re lucky and it is the 2nd one because it is the 2nd most common one.
HanHa version of 상 is in large blue font:
HanJa dictionaries generally show a word that has to do with the meaning (in this case 서로) then the HanGul pronunciation. In this case there are 3 possible HanGul versions: 상, 빌, or 양. Fortunately, the JokBo told us to choose 상 for this one. If the HanGul was not included in the JokBo and you only knew the HanJa, then you would have to select one of those three HanGul versions. The first one is the most common.
After that it includes a row of information about this HanJa / Chinese character. In this case, it is a compound or complex character — it is one HanJa, but it is made up of multiple other simpler HanJa characters and combined into one. In this case 相 is a combination of 木 and 目. The “base” 부수” or main sub-character it is 目. It also informs you that to draw the entire character 相 requires 9 strokes. HanJa and Chinese dictionaries generally use the # of strokes as one of the elements of “alphabetical” sort order. If you click on 획순보기 it will show you the proper stroke order and direction to draw the character. It is important to learn the proper stroke order and direction if you want to draw characters as a way of searching for them.
3) Searching by 부수, or part of a complex chinese character, is also an option that could save time in some cases — especially when the complex character is difficult to draw. If you search for 目 and scroll down to the 부수·모양자 section it shows 4,656 HanJa characters that contain 目 as a part of them.
4) Another option is drawing the character. If you click on the pencil symbol then you can draw the HanJa character and it will search for it as you draw. It works best if you use the proper stroker order and directions. The basic rules are here: http://koreangenealogy.org/book/korean-writing/stroke-order-and-direction/In this case, identified 相 in the upper left box, so click on that to see a dictionary entry, and copy the HanJa from that.
You could also have just drawn 目 and searched for HanJa that contain it, as noted above in the 3rd option.