Korean word

동화

Pronunciation

Romanizationtonghwa

Meaning

  • nounfairy tale

Example

동화는 아이들이 좋아하는 이야기다.tong hwa neun a i deu ri cho a ha neun i ya gi da

A fairy tale is a story that children like.

Illustration for 동화 (fairy tale)

More examples

저녁마다 아이에게 동화를 읽어 준다.cheo nyeong ma da a i e ge tong hwa reul il geo chun da

I read a fairy tale to a child each evening.

Core concept

A child-focused story passed down from the past or created as a brief work of fiction.

Common phrases

  • 동화책tong hwa chaek

    book of fairy tales

  • 동화 읽기tong hwa il kki

    reading fairy tales

Similar words

이야기iyagi: An account of events, experiences, or imagined happenings shared with others.
동화책tonghwachaek: A book of children's stories, often with pictures for reading or listening.
전래동화cheollaedonghwa: A traditional children's tale handed down through generations in a community.

Definition in Korean

아이들을 대상으로 전해지는 옛이야기나 창작된 짧은 이야기a i deu reul tae sang eu ro cheon hae ji neun ye si ya gi na chang jak ttoen jjal beun i ya gi

Word origin

The word is formed from Sino-Korean elements meaning child and story, which directly points to stories made for young listeners.

Usage tips

  • English fairy tale often suggests a traditional story, but the Korean word also covers newly written short stories for children.

Other meanings

  • assimilationnoun

Opposites

Related words

  • 동화적tonghwajeokfairytale-likeadjective
  • 동화작가tonghwajakkkafairy-tale writernoun

Word lists with this word