Korean Dictionary
How to say "Doljabi (Birthday Fortune Ritual)" in Korean
“Doljabi (Birthday Fortune Ritual)” in Korean is 돌잡이 (pronounced "doljabi").
돌잡이
doljabi
Usage & Context
돌잡이 is the ritual during a baby's first birthday where the child chooses from an array of symbolic objects predicting their future career and destiny. A thread signifies long life, a pencil or book suggests academic success, money means wealth, and a microphone indicates a performing arts career. The 돌잡이 ritual is taken lightheartedly but is an important cultural tradition.
Example Sentence
아기가 돌잡이에서 연필을 잡았어요. 공부를 잘하겠네요!
The baby grabbed the pencil at doljabi. Looks like they will study well!
How to use 돌잡이 naturally
Quick answer
The Korean word for “Doljabi (Birthday Fortune Ritual)” is 돌잡이, romanized as doljabi.
Usage tip
Learn this word together with a complete Korean sentence. Meaning often depends on particles, politeness level, and word order.
Common mistake
Do not rely only on the English meaning. Read the Korean example sentence and notice the particles, word order, and politeness level around 돌잡이.
Pronunciation Guide
Pronounced 'dohl-jah-bee' — 'dohl' rhymes with 'dole,' 'jah' rhymes with 'ma' in 'mama,' and 'bee' sounds like the English 'bee.' Even, light syllables with no strong stress.
More Example Sentences
a parent sharing a first-birthday story
우리 애 돌잡이에서 청진기 잡아서 다들 의사될 거라고 웃었어요.
At our kid's doljabi, they grabbed the stethoscope and everyone laughed that they'd become a doctor.
discussing how the tradition has modernized
요즘 돌잡이 물건에 마우스나 골프공도 올려놔요.
These days they even put out a computer mouse or a golf ball as doljabi items.
chatting with other parents at a birthday party
돌잔치 하이라이트는 역시 돌잡이죠.
The highlight of a first-birthday party is definitely the doljabi.
Cultural Context
돌잡이 is the showstopper moment of a 돌잔치 (first-birthday celebration), when the baby in colorful 돌복 (first-birthday hanbok) is placed in front of an array of objects and picks one. The classics are 실 (thread, for long life), 붓·연필 (brush/pencil, for scholarship), 돈 (money, for wealth), 쌀 (rice, for never going hungry), and 활 (bow, for military valor). Modern 돌잡이 menus add a mic (performer), stethoscope (doctor), gavel (judge), soccer ball, golf ball, or even a 마우스 (computer mouse, for tech). The whole ritual is livestreamed or filmed and shared in family chats. It's taken as playful prophecy, not serious fate — but every grandparent watches intently.
Editorial note
We review entries like 돌잡이 for pronunciation, example sentence fit, and learner mistakes so the page answers more than a direct dictionary lookup.
Reviewed by Min-jung Park, Korean Language Teacher. Updated May 31, 2026. See our editorial standards.
Common Phrases
돌잡이 뭐 잡았어?
What did the baby grab at doljabi?
돌잡이 물건 준비해야 해요.
We need to prepare the doljabi items.
우리 아기 돌잔치에 꼭 와주세요.
Please come to our baby's first-birthday party.
Related Expressions
돌잔치
doljanchi
first-birthday party / celebration
돌복
dolbok
first-birthday hanbok outfit
돌상
dolsang
the display table set for the first birthday
백일
baegil
100-day celebration (held 100 days after birth)
More Holidays & Festivals Words
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