Korean · Culture & Society
영화
yeonghwa
Movie
Beginnernoun
Definition
A story shown in moving pictures.
Example
주말에 영화 볼래요?
Want to watch a movie this weekend?
Etymology
'영화' (yeonghwa) is derived from the classical Chinese 影片 (yǐngpiàn), meaning 'movie,' with '영' (yeong) meaning 'shadow' and '화' (hwa) meaning 'to draw' or 'to paint.' This reflects the medium's visual art aspects.
How & Where It’s Used
'영화' is used in both formal inquiries and casual conversations, predominantly in written contexts about cinema and film studies.
Literary Heritage
Significant in the context of modern cinema and film critiques.