Key Facts
- Hangul: 영화; Revised Romanization: yeonghwa
- Part of speech: noun
- Origin: Sino-Korean, hanja 映畫 (映 project + 畫 picture)
- Register: Neutral.
Movie in Korean: What Does 영화 Mean?
영화 has two glosses, movie and film, in a neutral register. It also anchors compounds such as 영화관 (movie theater) and 영화배우 (movie actor). The related word 영상 means any video or footage, so a phone clip is a 영상, while 영화 refers to films, including short films. Korean has no separate everyday word for "film" as an art form: a film festival and a Friday-night movie both use 영화.
How Do You Pronounce 영화?
Two syllables, yeong-hwa. The first has a y glide and ends in ng; the second starts with a breathy h.
Example Sentences with 영화
저는 영화를 좋아해요.
jeoneun yeonghwareul joahaeyo.
I like movies.
A preference statement: 영화를 takes the object marker 를, and 좋아해요 means "like".
주말에 영화를 봐요.
jumare yeonghwareul bwayo.
I watch a movie on the weekend.
A weekend habit: you watch a movie, using the verb 봐요.
오늘 저녁에 영화관에 가요.
oneul jeonyeoge yeonghwagwane gayo.
I am going to the movie theater this evening.
영화관 is the movie theater, 에 marks it as the destination, and 오늘 저녁에 means "this evening".
Common Phrases and Collocations
영화를 보다 is to watch a movie, 영화관 is the theater and 영화배우 is the movie actor.
| Korean | Meaning |
|---|---|
| 영화를 보다 | watch a movie |
| 영화관 | movie theater |
| 영화배우 | movie actor |
The Mistake to Avoid
English speakers sometimes reach for the wrong verb, especially for a film that is mostly dialogue or music.
Wrong: 영화를 읽다 or 영화를 듣다
Correct: 영화를 보다, "watch a movie"
Whatever the film, Korean always watches it with 보다.
영화 Compared with Similar Words
Two other screen words differ in scope. 드라마 is a TV drama series, and 영상 is any video or footage, such as an online clip.
| Word | Meaning | Contrast with movie |
|---|---|---|
| 영화 | movie | This page's word |
| 드라마 | TV drama | TV drama |
| 영상 | video | video / footage |
Where Does the Word Come From?
映畫 is Sino-Korean: 映 means project and 畫 means picture, so the word is literally a projected picture.
Booking Two Seats at the Cinema
A customer is buying tickets at a cinema counter. The staff member asks which showing they want.
Customer
이 영화 표 두 장 주세요.
I yeonghwa pyo du jang juseyo.
Two tickets for this movie, please.
Staff member
몇 시 영화로 드릴까요?
Myeot si yeonghwaro deurilkkayo?
Which showing would you like?
Customer
일곱 시요.
Ilgop siyo.
The seven o’clock one, please.
Staff member
좌석을 골라 주세요.
Jwaseogeul golla juseyo.
Please choose your seats.
표 means “ticket”, and 장 counts flat items such as tickets. 두 장 therefore asks for two tickets. 몇 시 영화 uses the starting time to identify a showing of the same film. The customer can answer with just the time because the movie has already been chosen.
Where Will You See 영화?
On a cinema site, 현재 상영작 means films currently showing and 개봉 예정 means upcoming releases. 개봉 refers to a film’s release, while 상영 refers to screening it. A film can be released once and then have many screenings at different times and cinemas.
자막 means “subtitles”, and 더빙 means “dubbing”. These labels help describe how a version presents speech. Check the language details as well as recognizing the label: “subtitled” on its own does not say which language the subtitles use. 좌석 identifies seats, so it belongs to the booking stage rather than the film’s story.
Streaming menus also use 영화. Watching at home does not turn a film into a 드라마; the type of work matters more than the screen. A dramatic story can be a movie, while the everyday Korean word 드라마 commonly refers to a series. English “drama” as a movie genre needs that distinction.
Useful Combinations for Choosing and Discussing a Film
한국 영화 means “Korean film”, and 외국 영화 means “foreign film”. These phrases group films by origin. 공포 영화 means “horror film”, and 액션 영화 means “action film”; these group them by genre instead. A film can belong to both an origin category and a genre category.
영화를 찍다 means “to shoot a movie”, while 영화를 보다 means “to watch a movie”. The first concerns making the work; the second concerns viewing it. 영화에 나오다 means “to appear in a movie”, useful when recognizing an actor. The small marker 에 places the actor within the film.
영화 같은 literally means “like a movie”. It can describe a dramatic encounter, striking scenery or an experience that seems unreal. The expression compares life with a film; the surrounding noun and scene tell you whether the speaker finds the comparison romantic, exciting or unsettling.
Words for the Story and the Screening
| Korean | Meaning | When it helps |
|---|---|---|
| 줄거리 | plot; storyline | Ask about what happens in the film. |
| 주인공 | main character | Discuss the central person in the story. |
| 감독 | director | Identify the person directing the work. |
| 예고편 | trailer | Watch a preview before deciding what to see. |
The hobbies lesson connects watching films with other leisure activities. 영화관 names the venue, 영화 names the work, and 예고편 names a preview. Keeping those three separate helps when an app offers trailers beside booking buttons.
For asking someone to join you, 같이 영화 볼까요? means “Shall we watch a movie together?” The object marker 를 is omitted naturally in this invitation. The wording proposes watching a film; it does not specify whether you will go out or watch at home, so add the venue when arranging the plan.
Quick Self-Test
- What does 두 장 count in the dialogue?
- Which expression concerns making a film: 영화를 찍다 or 영화를 보다?
- Does a film become a 드라마 when you stream it at home?
Show answers
- Two tickets.
- 영화를 찍다.
- No. It is still a 영화.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do you say "movie" in Korean?
Say 영화 (yeonghwa).
Which verb goes with 영화?
Use 보다, "to watch": 영화를 보다.
What is a movie theater?
It is 영화관.
What is a TV drama?
It is 드라마, a loanword from English "drama".
Related Words and What to Learn Next
- Theme list: Hobbies groups 영화 with its neighbours.
- Browse the Korean words A to Z index for words near movie.
- Drill movie in the vocabulary flashcard decks.