Dictionary — Entry No. 0731
영화
yeonghwa · noun
영화
yeonghwa
[YUHNG-hwah]
nounbeginner
Meaning
Yeonghwa (영화) means film or movie. The hanja 映 (to project, to reflect) and 畵 (picture, painting) together evoke projected pictures — cinema itself. It refers both to the medium as an art form and to individual films.
K-Pop & K-Drama Context
Korean cinema reached a historic milestone when Bong Joon-ho’s ‘Parasite (기생충)’ became the first non-English-language film to win the Academy Award for Best Picture in 2020, cementing 영화 as a word the world needed to know. TWICE’s music video for ‘What is Love?’ playfully recreates iconic 영화 scenes from films like ‘La La Land’ and ‘Léon,’ showing how K-pop and cinema culture are deeply intertwined.
Example Sentences
오늘 저녁에 영화 볼래요?
Oneul jeonyeoge yeonghwa bollaeyo?
Want to watch a movie tonight? (A classic K-drama date invitation — often the first step in a slow-burn romance)
기생충은 정말 대단한 영화예요.
Gisaengchungeun jeongmal daedanhan yeonghwayeyo.
Parasite is a truly remarkable film. (Great for discussing Korean cinema’s global impact with Korean friends)
영화배우가 되고 싶어요.
Yeonghwabaeuga doego sipeoyo.
I want to become a film actor. (A dream stated by countless K-drama characters — 영화배우 = film actor)
⚠️ Don’t use yeonghwa when…
Don’t confuse 영화 (yeonghwa, movie) with 드라마 (dorama, TV drama series) — Koreans treat these as completely distinct categories. Also, 영화 begins with the ‘y’ sound before the vowel; ‘eonghwa’ without the initial y sound is a common mispronunciation by English speakers.
🎵 Heard In
- K-Drama: My Love from the Star (별에서 온 그대) — top actress Cheon Song-yi’s film career is central to the plot, and the drama constantly blurs the line between 영화 stardom and real life in a love story spanning 400 years
- K-Pop: TWICE — What is Love? (What is Love?)
ℹ️ Editorial Note: The cultural context and example usage are for educational reference only. Artist names, song titles, and drama references are used descriptively to illustrate vocabulary in context. This content is AI-assisted and reviewed for accuracy. For official information, please refer to the respective artists’ or studios’ official channels.