Key Facts
- Hangul: 동화 (donghwa)
- Meaning: fairy tale, children's story
- Part of speech: noun
- Origin: Sino-Korean
- Hanja: 童話 (童 child + 話 story)
- Syllables: two (dong-hwa)
- Register: Neutral; used for children's stories and fairy tales.
- Level: A2
Fairy Tale in Korean: What Does 동화 Mean?
동화 is a Sino-Korean noun, 童話, from child and story. It means a fairy tale or a children's story, and it is neutral. A second 동화 (同化) means assimilation, a term used in linguistics, biology and social science, and it shares the spelling and sound. The Hanja is what separates them, but speakers rely on context.
How Do You Pronounce 동화?
Two syllables: dong-hwa. The ㅇ closing 동 is ng, and 화 begins with a glide, so the mouth moves from h to wa in one motion. RR writes the ㅎ as h: donghwa. With 를 it joins as donghwareul.
How Do You Use 동화 in a Sentence?
동화를 읽어요.
I read a fairy tale.
donghwareul ilgeoyo. 를 marks 동화 as the thing read, and 읽어요 is the polite verb for read. The sentence is the basic bedtime-story statement.
어머니가 동화를 들려줬어요.
My mother told me a fairy tale.
eomeoniga donghwareul deullyeojwosseoyo. 어머니가 is mother as the subject, and 들려줬어요 means told, literally gave to hear. The past tense marks a finished event.
이 동화는 아주 재미있어요.
This fairy tale is very fun.
i donghwaneun aju jaemiisseoyo. 아주 means very, and 재미있어요 means is fun. The demonstrative 이 before 동화는 points to this particular tale.
Common Word Combinations
| Korean | English |
|---|---|
| 동화책 | storybook |
| 동화 작가 | children's story writer |
| 전래 동화 | traditional folktale |
동화책 is a storybook, written as one word. 동화 작가 is a writer of children's stories. 전래 동화 is a traditional folktale that has been passed down, the kind Korean children grow up with.
Common Mistake
Wrong: Reading 동화 as "fairy tale" in a pronunciation or science text.
Correct: 동화 (童話) for fairy tales; 동화 (同化) for assimilation in linguistics and science.
The two words are homophones, so the topic decides: a children's book means the tale, and a pronunciation rule means assimilation.
How Does 동화 Differ from Similar Words?
| Word | Meaning | How to tell it from 동화 |
|---|---|---|
| 옛날이야기 | old tale | A more colloquial story of long ago. |
| 이야기 | story | Any story or talk, not only one for children. |
Choosing a Bedtime Story
A visiting aunt and a child choose something to read before bed. The child uses polite endings with the aunt.
Aunt
어떤 동화를 읽을까요?
Eotteon donghwareul ilgeulkkayo?
Which fairy tale shall we read?
Child
동물이 나오는 동화요.
Dongmuri naoneun donghwayo.
A story with animals in it.
Aunt
그럼 이 동화책은 어때요?
Geureom i donghwachaegeun eottaeyo?
Then how about this storybook?
Child
좋아요. 읽어 주세요.
Joayo. Ilgeo juseyo.
Sounds good. Please read it to me.
동물이 나오는 describes the story before the noun: literally, a story “in which animals appear”. The child’s first reply is a noun phrase with 요, a natural short answer to a question. 동화책 then identifies the physical book the aunt offers.
Phrases for Reading, Listening and Imagining
동화를 읽어 주다 means to read a fairy tale to someone. 읽다 supplies the reading, and 주다 adds the idea of doing it for another person. In a bedtime setting, the child may listen while an adult reads aloud. 동화를 읽다 alone only says that someone reads the story.
동화를 들려주다 means to tell a fairy tale to someone, or let them hear it. The speaker might retell it from memory rather than read from a page. That is why the earlier example with 어머니가 동화를 들려줬어요 focuses on hearing the story rather than holding a book.
동화 속 means “in a fairy tale”. 속 literally means the inside, but here it places someone or something in the story world. 동화 속 주인공 is the main character in a fairy tale. In a book discussion, it identifies a character rather than the writer or the person reading aloud.
동화 같은 means “like a fairy tale”. A travel description might use it for a beautiful village or an unusually dreamy scene. The place has not become a children’s story; the comparison highlights its storybook quality. The same phrase can describe a romantic event that seems almost unreal.
Where Will You See 동화?
동화 appears in bookshop categories, children’s library collections, reading activities and audio-story titles. 동화 작가 describes the writer’s field. 동화책 names a book containing such stories, so it is the useful choice when you ask someone to pass a book or select one from a shelf.
전래 동화 identifies tales handed down over generations. 창작 동화 identifies original children’s stories created by an author. These labels help you distinguish a retelling of a traditional tale from a newly invented story. Neither label tells you how difficult the language will be for an adult learner.
A 그림책 is a picture book. Some 동화 appear in picture-book form, but the words name different features: 동화 concerns the kind of story, and 그림책 concerns a book that tells its story through pictures and text. A picture book need not have fairies, magic or a traditional plot.
Children’s stories can contain repeated expressions, animal names and old-fashioned narrative wording. A short 동화 may therefore include unfamiliar vocabulary even when its audience is young. For your first read, a story whose plot you already know lets you focus on how the Korean tells it.
Related Words for Discussing a Story
| Related word | Meaning | Useful distinction |
|---|---|---|
| 주인공 | main character | The central person or animal in the story. |
| 줄거리 | plot / storyline | A summary of what happens. |
| 작가 | writer / author | The person who creates the story. |
| 그림책 | picture book | Describes the book’s illustrated form. |
For words connected with children’s activities, see kids and toys vocabulary.
Quick Self-Test
- Which phrase explicitly means reading a story for someone: 동화를 읽다 or 동화를 읽어 주다?
- Is 동화 같은 마을 a literal book or a description of a village?
- Which label identifies a traditional tale: 전래 동화 or 창작 동화?
Show answers
- 동화를 읽어 주다.
- A village described as being like a fairy tale.
- 전래 동화. 창작 동화 refers to an original children’s story.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does 동화 Mean Fairy Tale or Children's Story?
Both. It covers fairy tales and stories written for children.
What Is a Storybook Called?
동화책.
What Is a Folktale?
전래 동화, a traditional tale handed down over generations.
Is 동화 Also Another Word?
Yes. 同化 means assimilation, but it is a different word with the same sound.
Where to Go Next
Children's vocabulary is on the people kids vocabulary page. After this word, learn playground in Korean. To practise, try the vocabulary flashcard decks or return to Korean words A to Z.